creativity

A Year of Yes: NYC’s Museum of Trash

Christa Avampato
What is a museum? A collection of items meaningfully curated to tell a story. It can be large or small or any size in-between. It can be about 1 topic or about everything. It can be indoors or outdoors. There’s no right way to build a museum. Just make it matter.
 
That’s what I learned at The Treasures in the Trash Museum housed in the NYC Dept of Sanitation curated by Nelson Molina who worked for our wonderful city for over 30 years. He collected discarded items he found in the trash on his routes with DOS and there is now a mind-boggling treasure trove of items that represent the lives of countless New Yorkers.
 
I went with my adventure-seeking, history-loving pals, Ashley & Erin, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen in New York. Everything from diaries to dishes to photographs and diplomas and art and pez dispensers and view finders and typewriters and a Star of David made from the steal of the World Trade Center to stained glass windows from a church and yes, even taxidermy in the form of an old dog and a crotchety rooster.
 
I’d tell you more but I can’t think of any words adequate enough to describe it. So just go. Meet Nelson and get to know the fellow New Yorkers you’ll never meet by seeing the things they kicked to the curb.
 
Thank you New York Adventure Club for the tour!
creativity

A Year of Yes: Marrying writing, storytelling, business, product development, and science through biomimicry

Christa Avampato

Some news. Shark mucus sounds like an odd inspiration. Stay with me. After the podcast Ologies released its shark episode, I re-examined biomimicry as a way to marry my product development, business, and storytelling experience with my love for science. I owe host Alie Ward and Chris Lowe, who was the shark expert on the episode a million thanks. Here’s why:

I always loved science and actually started college in the engineering school. After a professor told me I didn’t “have a mind of physics”, I believed him and left all my dreams of working in science behind. I changed majors entirely and have always wondered what might have been if I hadn’t let this professor get into my head.

Fast forward a number of years. I’ve continued to learn about science and its applications. Over the years, I’ve thought about different ways that I could have a career that combined science with all my other experience & interests. Enter Ologies and sharks…

Shark mucus acts as a built-in antibiotic bandaid that allows sharks to rapidly heal. This may contribute to their long life spans of – wait for it – up to 470 yrs! We should apply this to our own medical research, right? We do! In the field of biomimicry.

Biomimicry is an applied science field in which the wisdom of the natural world plants and animals is studied and applied to the human-built world of products & environments in a sustainable way that benefits all beings.

After some research, I learned there’s a Masters of Science in Biomimicry through   that’s a dream program. Multidisciplinary, online, created for working professionals, and with a travel research cohort component. Best of all, it leverages ALL my prior experience.

I’ve been a fan of Janine Benyus‘s work since reading about her 10 yrs ago. She founded this program. It’s exciting how much the field has grown & how vital it will be to use design + business + science to build a better world for all beings as we grapple w/our changing planet.

I’m now in application and scholarship hunting mode, hoping to begin the program in 2019. Finding the work we’re meant to do is a long and winding road. I hope my story inspires you to stay curious and to keep reaching for a life fueled by passion and goodness. The world needs us.

 

 

creativity

A Year of Yes: A new film project in New York City that needs you

Christa Avampato

On Wednesday, August 8th, my storytelling show New York City’s Secrets and Lies has a special guest. Tom Rowley is a filmmaker from Ireland and he’s creating an incredible geolocation-based mobile app of storytelling about New York City’s secret history. He’s going to share all the details of his project and he needs your help with it. Learn how to get involved by coming to the show. Tickets on sale now at http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-8-8-18/.

http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-8-8-18/

creativity

A Year of Yes: Trying my hand at some poetry with lessons learned

Christa Avampato

I’m trying out something new in my social media feeds – short poems about daily learnings. You can check them out on my Twitter and Instagram feeds. Here’s the one I put up yesterday:

What if you
could run hard
to the edge of the cliff,
take to the sky,
and fly?
Where would you go?
What would you do?
And why?
Me?
You’d find me
soaring higher, higher, and higher,
just to see how far I could go.
~CRA

 

creativity

A Year of Yes: The only work you have to do

Christa Avampato

The only work you have to do is find and do the work you’re meant to do. That’s enough; that’s always been enough. Just do that.

creativity

A Year of Yes: Inside an Abandoned Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side

Christa Avampato

Thank you to Children’s Museum of Manhattan for the tour of this church that’s been abandoned for 15 yrs & will soon be the new home for the museum. My museum-loving friends & I had a blast! This church is across the street from the apartment building where I used to live and I’ve admired it from the exterior for years. It was fascinating to actually be able to go inside and explore it. From an abandoned ballroom to vaulted ceilings, a sealed safe, and the stunning stain glass, I was completely inspired by this space! Pretty sure Emerson Page is going to find her way in here…

creativity

A year of yes: 7 books that inspired my life

Christa Avampato

Day #1 of books that influenced my life. This book came into my life at a critical point when I was very much trying to figure out what I would do with my life to make this world a better place. 6 months after finishing it, I went to South Africa w/ 30 of my Darden classmates. That trip changed me in ways that I am still discovering all these years later. It made me a writer & storyteller. On his 100th birthday, I am thinking of Nelson Mandela, grateful that we had him in this world. Grateful for his teaching, his wisdom, and his passion. And also sad because we could really use a man that great of heart now.

creativity

A Year of Yes: Helping young people who are newcomers to the US make a life here in NYC

Christa Avampato

What impact are current developments in immigration laws having on New Yorkers? How can we help NYC public high school students resolve their immigration status – and what are their stories?

Join the Immigration Project of Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS) on Friday, July 27th at Caveat for a lively talk about the current legal landscape and its actual impacts on our clients, as well as a screening of the documentary _4 Stories for New York_. This 29 minute documentary features four clients of the VOLS Immigration Project sharing personal stories about their immigration trajectory, including the role legal assistance played in their lives. Elizabeta Markuci, Director of the Immigration Project at VOLS, will lead a discussion on immigration law developments, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) litigation and legislation.

The mission of the VOLS Immigration Project is to resolve immigration issues for New York City public high school students so that they can work, attend college and have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. VOLS recruits, trains, and mentors pro bono lawyers to help these youth overcome their immigration issues and give them a chance to succeed. Proceeds of the event benefit the Immigration Project, allowing the Project to continue and augment our important work in securing the immigration status of vulnerable NYC youth.

Tickets available at:
https://volsimmigration.eventbrite.com

Doors 6pm, program 6:30pm. Friday, July 27th, 2018 at Caveat, 21A Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002. Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis – arrive at 6:00pm for best seating.

If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation by following the same link for tickets. More information on the Immigration Project is available at http://www.volsprobono.org/projects/immigration-project

creativity

A Year of Yes: Oh oh, I’m more than halfway there…

Christa Avampato

My year of yes is more than halfway done and I’ve got to say that saying yes to everything I possibly can has been both exhilarating and exhausting. It has led me down strange paths that I never would have explored, or would have explored eventually after spending many long hours of planning. In this year of yes, I’m just going for it, perfect or otherwise. (And it’s almost always otherwise.) But I’m also learning to let go of outcomes at breakneck speeds. I’m learning the power of staying present and doing what I can and want to do in the moment. It’s made me much more spontaneous. It’s making my curious brain and extroverted personality to try new things just for their own sake and value and not what they may lead to. And that has been a gift, albeit it a tiring one, that I’m very grateful to receive.

creativity

A Year of Yes: You can be the helper

Christa Avampato

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You’ll always find people who are helping.” -Fred Rogers

I keep coming back to this. I’m so glad we had Mister Rogers. I wish we still did. I’m so grateful for his example. The helpers help us to keep going. And we can follow their lead. No matter how bad things are, we will always feel better, be better, and make the world better if we decide to be the helpers we’re looking for. Nothing gets better unless we get better, and we have the power to do that. Right now, right where we are, with exactly what we have. There is always a way to help. So let’s find it.