creativity

This just in: Let the world take your breath away

Christa Avampato
Tuesday sunset in D.C.
Tuesday sunset in D.C.

Yesterday I had my regular call of inspiration and camaraderie with my friend, Sara, one of the wisest people I know. When we hung up the phone, I caught a glimpse of this sunset through a grimy alley in my neighborhood. The light was so rich and intense that it stopped me in my tracks. I ran down the alley and snapped a few photos of the light. I couldn’t get enough of it.

It’s moments like these that remind me that the world we live in is so vast, so incredible. It’s full of magic around every corner if only we will allow ourselves the time and space to see it. It’s not always easy to walk around with your heart on your sleeve, which is where mine has taken up permanent residence. I get knocked around a fair bit. The upside to that is I experience so much more than people who keep their hearts neatly tucked away. The don’t get hurt as much though they don’t love as much either.

Call me crazy, but I’m just fine with the tough times if being open and vulnerable allows me to appreciateĀ sunsets like this, to have friends like Sara, and to experience life in all of its wild and wondrous forms.

creativity

This just in: Spend your time where it counts the most

Christa Avampato
Friends
Friends

Kaufman and Hart were right about so many things, especially this – you can’t take it with you. Everything that you can hold in your hands will eventually break or be tossed aside. I don’t collect things. I don’t even like the idea of having too many things beyond the basic necessities. I am constantly amazed by how few material things I need to love a good life. What I collect and cherish are the things that will last a lifetime: the amazing relationships I have with people and the memories of experiences we have together. So let’s put our attention and energy where it really counts: focused on the people who make our lives so worth living.

creativity

This just in: This is my 3000th blog post

Christa Avampato
Blogging
Blogging

I can hardly believe that 3,000 posts later, I’m every bit as excited about this blog as I was when I published my first post in June 2007. I’ve received so many blessings by doing this daily writing. This blog has helped me get jobs, start a business, interview and highlight people whose work I admire, and above all it’s introduced me to some of the best people in my life whom I’m lucky to call friends. I’ve been able to share ideas, failures, and successes. I’ve helped and served others through these posts, and that has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

Thank you for being here, for reading these posts, and for sharing your own stories with me. It’s been an honor, and will continue to be.

 

creativity

This just in: Thinking about a new podcast

Christa Avampato
Podcast
Podcast

This week I’m going to start a 3-week audio storytelling class and I’ve been thinking about different ideas for a podcast project.

I’ve been getting to know the many sides and faces of the D.C. cultural scene in all of its beautiful forms. Though D.C. is largely known for government and politics, there is a very rich creative scene that exists here and it’s constantly growing. I’m thinking about some ways to be a part of this community and to promote its many talents.

I’m excited to see where this leads.

creativity

This just in: Time is our best and deepest healer

Christa Avampato
Time is our best healer
Time is our best healer

On Thursday night I pulled my quadricep playing soccer. I’ll be limping around for the next little while it heals. There’s not much I can do for a pulled muscle except rest it so I’m spending most of this cold rainy weekend inside reading, writing, playing piano, listening to music and podcasts, and working on my next paper collage. Time and creativity make a magical healing duo.

creativity

This just in: Little Salon DC celebrates artists and supports art lovers

Christa Avampato

Last week, I had the extreme pleasure of volunteering with Little Salon DC, a fantastic program that runs monthly artist salons. The title artist is defined broadly at Little Salon DC meaning anyone with creative moxie and the courage to put their creations out into the world in some form.

This month we enjoyed opera, physical comedy, puppetry, poetry, fiction, and homemade jam. It was all topped off with plenty of drinks, revelry, and smiles. 60 of us loaded into a beautiful apartment in the U Street area and by the end of the night, no one wanted to leave. It was truly a collection of 60 of the coolest, kindest, and friendliest people in D.C., all in one fantastic venue. I’m excited to get involved with this incredible effort and to grow its passionate mission.

Here are a few pictures snapped by my friend, Logan, at last week’s event. We’re already looking forward to October’s edition. To learn more, visit Little Salon DC’s websiteĀ and follow along on Twitter at @LittleSalonDC. Viva el artista!

creativity

This just in: I fell for Alice in Wonderland at Synetic Theater

Christa Avampato
Synetic Theater
Synetic Theater

Synetic Theater‘s production of Alice in Wonderland is stunning – in its energetic choreography and visually inventive direction. Even the sound of it inspires a sense of wonder and awe. I holdĀ Alice near and dear to my heart as my favorite childhood book. The moment I walked into Synetic’s theater under the nondescript streets of Crystal City, Virginia I was enchanted by the color and geometric transformation of a space that is little more than a high school auditorium.

A few months ago, I saw Synetic’s adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities. I immediately took to its bold sense of storytelling and its confident portrayal of classic works staged in unconventional ways. Alice confirmed for me that Synetic is oneĀ of the best theater companies in the Washington D.C. area. I look forward to the remainder of its season that is sure to be mind-bending and full of inspiration.

creativity

This just in: My first paper collage

Christa Avampato

Many hours and thousands of bits of colorful magazine ads glued on canvas conspired to create my first paper collage. I’m really proud of taking advertisements that told us we need to buy more to be more and transforming them into a creative act. Below are pictures of my process. I hope they inspire you to create your own art!

creativity

This just in: Matisse on creativity

Christa Avampato
Matisse and his paper
Matisse and his paper

“Creativity takes courage.” ~Henri Matisse

A few months ago I saw a few of Matisse’s lesser known works – his paper cutouts. Toward the end of his life, he turned his attention from painting to collage. I didn’t know it at the time, but a little seed was planted in that moment as I looked at these works. I began to think about creating some visual art of my own in an attempt to grow my imagination in a new direction. The idea of it thrilled me, and now I find myself spending hours happily cutting and gluing tiny bits of paper together to create something much greater than the sum of its parts.

All creative acts in every medium take courage. We have to set out to try something new, something we know nothing about. A story, a painting, a collage. They all lead us to new destinationsĀ and we don’t know what those destinations will be until we arrive at the end of the road. Creating is a journey without a map with only our hearts as a guide and we cannot help but be changed by the experience.

What are you creating?

creativity

This just in: Art builds character, literally

Christa Avampato
One of my favorite paper collage inspirations
One of my favorite paper collage inspirations

“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.”Ā ~Horace Greeley

I’ve been flipping through a lot of magazines recently gathering swaths of color for some paper collages I’m working on. The best paper materials come from the lush photography of advertising. It’s caused me to see that most of our ads make us crave 2 things: notorietyĀ and possessions. Not a single one focuses on helping us become better people – kinder, more generous, more compassionate, more dedicated to others.

But art can do all of these things. It can and often does inspire us to become the very best version of ourselves. And so as I turn these paper ads into paper art, I hope that I’m doing something, however small, to transform the world around me.