Tag: art

creativity

In the pause: A wonderful set of New York City museum outings

Christa Avampato

I’ve been spending a lot of time at museums lately. Here is a collection of exhibits I’ve recently seen that are worth the visit:

The Met. Irving Penn: Centennial. Known popularly as a photographer for Vogue, Irving Penn also created incredible still-lifes and portraits that are prominently featured at The Met alongside his stunning fashion photography. The exhibit closes today so if you can get there, do!

New-York Historical Society. Eloise at the Museum. If you’re a children’s literature fan, I highly recommend taking in the adorable Eloise exhibit. Feisty and confident, Eloise is a hero for all of us and she gives us a glimpse into what it’s like to live at The Plaza.

Children’s Museum of Manhattan. America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far. For all of the talk in our media about Islam and Muslim culture, how much do we really understand it? This thoughtfully curated and approachable exhibit discusses architecture, travel, commerce, religion, food, art, and fashion in the Muslim world across the globe.

Museum of the Moving Image. The Jim Henson Exhibition. I am an enormous Muppet fan. Like many people, I count Jim Henson as an idol and inspiration. The Muppets provided my earliest thought that I could work behind-the-scenes in a theater. I’m heading over there this afternoon, and can’t wait to immerse myself in that colorful, hopeful world.

creativity

In the pause: What to do about all of New York City’s empty storefronts

Christa Avampato

I’ve been obsessed with store windows since I moved to New York City in 1998. At one point, I tried to figure out how I could become one of the people who create the magical display windows in places like Bergorf Goodman. Honestly, I never figured it out, but I’ve continued to keep that dream in the back of my mind. Blame it on the movie Mannequin, which I watched about 1,000 times as a kid. Hollywood was my hero.

On my way home from dinner last night, I started counting the empty storefronts on Columbus Avenue. I got up to a dozen in as many blacks before I stopped counting. There are just too many empty spaces that are begging for inspiration, art, and manifested dreams. So I started jotting down the phone numbers on those empty storefront signs. Clearly until they’re rented, there must be something we can do to make those spaces useful, or at the very least give passersby something to think and smile about, something to keep them going during these challenging times. Stay tuned…I’m going to make something happen with them.

 

creativity

In the pause: Introducing Emerson Page

Christa Avampato

I really tried to wait, but I just couldn’t contain my excitement. My fantastically talented friend, Bonnie, is doing the illustration of Emerson for the cover of my book and I am just blown away by it. Bonnie is doing another similar version as well and then I’ll turn both of them over to the graphic designer to blend into the cover design. I’ll share Bonnie’s additional sketch and the full cover design when they’re ready. In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to Miss Emerson Page. She’s pleased to meet you. Thanks for taking this journey with me. And to Bonnie, thank you a million times over. You brought my dream to life, literally.

For information on giveaways, exclusive content, and fun events for Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, click here to sign up.

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creativity

In the pause: Back cover art for my book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters

Christa Avampato

I’ve been hard at work with the artist designing the cover of my book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters. Here’s our work-in-progress for the back cover. What do you think? Sign up for giveaways, exclusive content, and updates at https://goo.gl/forms/ZsMC4d1kN9jKpZhD3. (Please pardon the image watermark as we’re still locking down the design!)

back cover

creativity

In the pause: Living your art

Christa Avampato

“Life has been your art. You have set yourself to music. Your days are your sonnets.” ~Oscar Wilde

Yesterday I was clipping along on my book edits and looking at cover art. At the end of the day, I fully realized just how lucky I am to have this time to see a goal I’ve been working to accomplish for years come to fruition. So much of what I’ve been through in my life is packed into this book, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. I turned over every stone. I left it all out there on the page, just like an athlete leaves the best of their abilities out on the field. And no matter what happens, I’m proud of that effort. I’m prouder of that effort than I am of anything else I’ve done in my life. Oscar Wilde’s right. My life has been my art, specifically it’s been this book.

creativity

In the pause: Balance the two kinds of happiness

Christa Avampato

There are two kinds of happiness: the one that comes from instant gratification and the one that comes from the slow slog toward a desired goal. The first makes us happy in the here and now, but it usually doesn’t last long. The second makes us happy when viewed through the arc of life but in the here and now can be difficult and uncomfortable. I’ve found that I need a good balance of both to truly feel good about life.

Art, music, good food, time with my friends, my dog, and working out are all things that make me immediately happy. Writing, working on my entrepreneurial ideas, and learning something new that I’m not yet particularly good at fall into that second bucket. It’s not that I don’t get any joy from them in the near-term; it’s just that to feel truly happy about them I need to look at them through a longer lens and with a goal in mind.

Knowing about this balance helps me figure out how to allocate my time, effort, and energy to be happy at this moment and to ensure I’m happy down the line, too.

creativity

In the pause: The best innovation and creative processes have constraints

Christa Avampato

A canvas is only so big, a building so tall, a stage so wide, and a novel so long. The best creative projects have limits. Someone recently told me that people who work in innovation have to be comfortable with ambiguity and nebulous situations. I completely disagree. After nearly two decades of working in product development, innovation, and creative industries I can tell you that people who have an impact through innovation have to be comfortable with working within constraints.

Now, if you’re in the rare (and quite frankly, boring, at least to me) situation of not needing to have an impact, then do whatever you want. If you have all the time, money, and energy in the world, then the sky’s the limit. This article isn’t for you. It’s for the rest of us who have to operate in reality and who care about building projects that build a better world.

When I was just out of business school, I had an amazing boss, Bob G., who taught me that constraints are gifts. Now in my writing work with my Darden professor, Ed Freeman, we’re talking about how valuable the idea of limitation is when it comes to the human imagination. Constraints don’t prevent us from being creative; they actually free us. Once we have some definition, then we can let our imaginations run wild while being confident in the fact that we’re making progress.

We might be designing a product or service for a particular group of people. With that definition to the project, we can really delve into the process of discovering what this group of people wants or needs and why. That’s some of the most interesting work we can do in innovation.

Perhaps there is a specific social issue we want to tackle – ending hunger, alleviating poverty, or advocating for equality. Those goals have very different objectives and methods. To develop the most effective programs, we have to get specific about what we want to do and have a deep understanding of how what we choose to do will make a difference.

In short, to be creative and effective, we’ve got to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak. We’ve got to dampen the noise so the message can be heard. And the best way to do that is to define our limits.

So the next time you have a project in front of you that has constraints, don’t curse them. Thank them. They are there to help you focus and give you meaning. Use them wisely.

creativity

In the pause: My Facebook feed was filled with these inspiring stories

Christa Avampato
On Saturday morning, my friends filled my Facebook feed with these inspiring, empowering, beautiful stories. If you need a boost, here are a set of links to lift your spirit. It reminded me that sharing good news is needed now more than ever:
 
Detroit health director set to make bid for governor
 
Sammy Irssak’s video “I’m Muslim and people call me a terrorist. Do you trust me? If yes, hug me.”
 
A sleeping hedgehog wakes up when he smells food
 
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor creates underwater sculptures as makeshift coral reefs to replaces the ones we’ve lost to climate change
 
The Dodo’s post about a bird who got sick, lost all her feathers and her home, and then got adopted by a kind human
 
San Francisco is the first city in the US to make college free for all residents who have lived there for a year or longer
 
A wheelchair that helps people who can’t walk stand upright increasing mobility, independence, and health
 
And an idea to make a donation to the International Rescue Committee this Valentine’s Day in honor of your love
 
And I love Ruah Bhay Yoga – Healthy Mind, Body & Spirit‘s sweet video of arm balances with her daughter riding piggyback
creativity

In the pause: Beneath the surface

Christa Avampato

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Yesterday I had a conversation with a college friend of mine about our struggles during the years we were in school. That conversation perfectly fits the sentiment behind this lovely piece of art that my amazing friend, Alex, sent to me as a gift. Below the surface of what we show to others, there is so much going on. Hope and dreams, struggles and hardships, that few others know about.

It’s with this idea that I try to approach situations, particularly ones that are difficult to understand. We’re all fighting battles no one knows anything about. Our experiences, thoughts, and beliefs are all filtered through the lens of our past. One idea that Alex has taught me is that we all have blindspots. And the only way to really see clearly is to listen intently to the experiences of others.

As this piece of art so beautifully reminds us, there is much going on beneath the surface of our own hearts. We can get to the root of our own struggles by sitting quietly, pausing life for a few minutes, and listening for whatever arises. It is all connected. We are all connected. Things will shift and change and challenge us in ways we don’t always understand in the moment. Keep the faith. Something bigger than us is at play and our only job is to discover what that is, and to help others discover it, too.

Thank you, Alex, for this thoughtful reminder and gift. I love it!

creativity

In the pause: Focus on the three things you can control

Christa Avampato

“You only have control over three things in your life—the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take.” ~Jack Canfield

As we get closer to the inauguration and the situation in our nation becomes more uncertain, the anxiety rises. I can feel it in my own mind and I see and hear it spinning in the minds of many others whom I know and love. Quotes like the one above help me navigate and manage this stress. For the first time this year, I made a vision board on Pinterest for 2017. I look at it a few times a week to stay focused. I’m also making more time to read books and to spend time with art that inspires me. This is helping to calm and shape my thoughts and my actions. So if like me the anxiety of uncertainty and change is affecting you, I hope that these ideas will help keep us connected to each other and to what matters.