Catalyst #26

September 07, 2008

Catalyst #26

What We Did Last Night...

Last night we went to hear Steven sing and play acoustic guitar at the Village Coffee Roastery. Sadly, I have no video to share with you right now, just this photo from a past performance.

There's quite a substantial youth art scene in Phoenix. Through the Arizona School for the Arts, Ballet Arizona, The Arizona Opera, various theater companies and dance troupes and The Phoenix Symphony, kids get professional level training along with their academic studies. My kids are part of this talented group, which is a quiet force in an otherwise tourist and sports mecca. So when their friends perform, other friends, parents, siblings and the general public spend leisurely hours with good coffee, conversation, and great music.

Passing The Time...

There's always a pair of scissors in the coin section of my wallet, a tin of colored pencils, pens, and a moleskin in my purse, wherever I go. Last night I grabbed the biggest magazine from my to-be-cut-for-collage stash, and clipped, tossed, kept, and arranged various images at the table while we listened, sipped, and talked. I found John and Yoko, the museum-like brick wall and stone floor, the quirky portrait of the queen, the bucket, the Steiff Karl Lagerfeld bear, along with the "bear market" sign. I cut them all out carefully, and spent the time arranging them randomly, not really thinking about anything other than the conversation and the music. When it was time to leave, I tucked them back into the magazine, and left them for morning.

And How It Relates With Today's Challenge...

This week's Creative Therapy catalyst was in my in-box first thing this morning, with the theme: "What's one talent/ability you wish you had?" I thought about Steven, and I wish I could sing. Really, I do my part for the world by keeping my mouth shut. It's no joke, I truly can't sing, at all! What a great release of creative tension it must be to just belt out a tune! But that's not all.

I grabbed the magazine and removed my cut-outs, and my mind ran something like this: John sang, Yoko's an artist, Karl Lagerfeld is a fashion designer and a businessman, the funky portrait of the queen belongs on that museum-esque wall with John and Yoko in the bucket...which once held paint...and the chandelier belongs there too, so it's more of a funky, artsy, antique store--it's called Bear Market--and Karl Lagerfeld Bear owns, operates and designs it, just for fun. He knew the Queen needed the extra flowers and flourishes, and they were also needed to balance the weight and color of the chandelier....and if I could have any talent/ability I could wish for, it would be to combine all these things and make them ME. I would sing, paint, curate my own museum/antique market, dress in impeccable fashions designed by me, businesswoman par-excellence, sophisticated, but also as cute and relaxed as a bear in sunglasses! And I'd turn my life into a collage where bare brick walls and stone floors hold gilt-edged frames of royal portraits, buckets of singers and artists, along with a spray of beautiful flowers, flourishes and a chandelier...and then I'd hang the sign. Surreal, but grounded: A mix of talent and artful contrast (but I'd take a pass on the belt buckle--no initials for me, please).

Have a great day, Everyone!

Posted at 02:10 PM in Creative Therapy | Permalink