Tag: creativity

creativity

This just in: Why I heart Ryan Adams and loving the crap out of everything

Christa Avampato
Why I love Ryan Adams
Why I love Ryan Adams

I love Ryan Adams, and all the more so for quotes like this: “There is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything. Negative people find their walls. So never apologize for your enthusiasm. Never ever.”

The negative people I meet—and sadly there are so many of them out there—often think I’m overly enthusiastic, that I’m just too excited about life. And to that I say, “Someday, I hope you realize what you’re missing.”

I do love the crap out of everything—my friends, Phineas, my city, my writing, my creative projects, music, art, books, animals, nature, my home, travel. You name it and I can find something I love about it. Negative people will knock us down; that’s their choice and we can’t control it.Whether we stay down or eventually rise up is our choice and we do control that. Their behavior has nothing to do with us and everything to do with them. Their negativity is a direct reflection about how they feel about themselves, not how they feel about us.

So here’s my advice: take every wall that a negative person throws in front of you and carve a window into it. Crawl through that window and leave those negative people behind.You are not responsible for them. They don’t have anything to offer you and they don’t want the gifts you have to give. That’s their loss, not yours. You deserve to be surrounded by love; don’t settle for anything less.

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 website and follow along on Twitter at @LittleSalonDC. Viva el artista!

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 destinations 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.” ~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: notoriety 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.

creativity

This just in: Art All Night turned DC into Brooklyn

Christa Avampato

Last night I cruised around locations in Dupont Circle to see art, listen to music, and enjoy the more creative side of D.C. The event took place in 5 neighborhoods across the city. I wasn’t sure how many people would turn out for it, and I was pleasantly surprised by the crowds. It made D.C. feel like Brooklyn – a place where creativity is appreciated and celebrated. It’s exciting to be in a city that is getting its creative legs underneath it and working hard to be known as much for its cultural world as it is for its politics. Here are more details about the event: http://www.thedcarts.com/

Here are a few pics I snapped at some of the venues:

creativity

This just in: Red Poppies by me thanks to Paint Nite

Christa Avampato
Me painting Red Poppies
Me painting Red Poppies

Last week I went to a Paint Nite event. At Paint Nite, a professional artist leads a group of about 20 people to create a pre-designed painting. In a bar. Yes, a bar. Here is a picture of me as I’m painting an abstract, happy piece of work that features red poppies. I love that 2 hours and $25 later I walked away with a painting I created. I’ll certainly be stopping by a Paint Nite around the city more often.

Want to find a Paint Nite in your city? Click here and drink creatively!