Day 16 - Inspiration

Day 16 – One of the pleasures of being on sabbatical has been taking advantage of the opportunity to read, play, and go down the rabbit holes of research, which involves quite a bit of internet “stumbling upon.”  I’ve stumbled upon music, poetry, visual art, people’s stories, scholarly websites, articles, literature, and social action projects.  One of the things I tell students and believe, is that everything can be used as inspiration for sessions and connection.

Here are just a few that have been particularly inspiring in the past few days – enjoy!

 

Amplifer – https://amplifier.org/about/  “a nonprofit design lab that builds art and media experiments to amplify the most important movements of our times. Our experiments are built on a foundation of free and open source art, the unlimited possibilities within a human centered design process, and the potentials when analog and digital technology merge.”

 

Blair Imani - https://blairimani.com/  In particular, check out her video series “Smarter in Seconds!”

 

Art History Teaching Resources (AHTR) - https://arthistoryteachingresources.org/  I loved the critical pedagogy implicit in many of the resources on this site!!  I spent one afternoon reading all about one instructor’s trip to RapaNui – I’ve always wanted to go there!!!  I loved her approach, her lesson plan, and particularly her reflections on developing the lesson.

 

And speaking of art making and reflection – who doesn’t love Jon Batiste’s music video for the song Freedom?  Go and watch it now!!!!  And then watch his Vevo video on the making of the video!

 

And lastly my journey with Jon Batiste, took me to his wife’s website.  

 

Souleika Jaouad is a pretty amazing person! An artist in her own right… She started the Isolation Journals when COVID hit NYC.

 

The Isolation journals became –

“An artist-led community and publishing platform that cultivates creativity and fosters connection in challenging times. Each week we send out a journaling prompt from some of the world’s most renowned writers, celebrated artists, inspiring community leaders and unsung heroes.”

 

ALSO – she started a 100-day project on April 1!!  Just a few days after I started mine! Talk about synchronicity!!

 

Two inspiring quotes from her blog…

What qualifies as “a creative act”?
Anything that makes something from nothing. Anything that twists you out of your usual way of being, that promotes a different way of using your mind or body. Anything that stretches your imagination, that allows you to see things a little differently. 

 

Also, the creative prompt for this week was Prompt 189. Anthems by Jon Batiste

 

Your prompt for the week:

When was the last time you experienced art that transcended enjoyment and overwhelmed you with its power? How would you translate that magic into words? If this hasn’t been an experience you’ve had—make it up.