Tag: design

creativity

Stories in and on walls

Christa Avampato
Art on one of the walls in my apartment

If you’ve ever been to one of my apartments, you know I paint my walls with art. In preparation for my move, I took down all my art today and packed it. Normally, this day is a sad one for me. Suddenly my home isn’t my home anymore without the art on the walls.

But today was not a sad day for me. Though I will miss my neighbors and my neighborhood, letting go of this apartment is part of turning the page and letting go of a lot of painful memories. The pandemic. Cancer treatment. Nearly dying from cancer treatment. Break-ups. Old jobs. The loss of friends. The loss of family members. Phineas getting sick multiple times. As I took down my art, I let go of all those difficulties, all that sadness and disappointment.

There were plenty of wonderful times in these walls, too. Visits with friends. Unpacking a box full of copies of my first Emerson novel. Selling my second and third Emerson novels to a new publisher. Getting into the biomimicry program at ASU. Getting into the sustainability leadership course at Cambridge. Healing – for me and for Phin. Here, finally, I found peace and I will take it with me.

I’ve lived in this apartment for 6 years, longer than I’ve lived anywhere else as an adult. It’s a funny thing to be a renter, to live in a place where so many other lives have played out of people I will never know and never meet. Everything that happened to me here will never be known by the people who will live here less than a month from now. They’ll make their own memories here, and I’ll never know those stories. Only the walls know it all, and they keep every secret.

creativity

A Year of Yes: Excited to welcome Julie Gaines of Fishs Eddy to NYC’s Secrets and Lies at Caveat on Oct 9th at 7pm

Christa Avampato

43109636_10104575925001426_3294082999401840640_nThrilled that the talented, funny, and feisty Julie Gaines, founder of Fishs Eddy, will be our special guest at New York City’s Secrets & Lies storytelling show at Caveat on October 9th at 7pm. We’ll talk about design, activism, entrepreneurship, and her new book. She rarely speaks publicly so this will be a real treat for all of us. Grab your tickets at https://www.caveat.nyc/event/new-york-city’s-secrets-and-lies-10-9-2018

creativity

A Year of Yes: My first tattoo will be part of the Illegal Ink show at Caveat

Christa Avampato

Screen Shot 2018-09-10 at 12.30.08 AMI picked my tattoo design that I’ll get on stage (!) at Caveat when we host incredible speakers at the storytelling show Illegal Ink. They’ll discuss New York City’s 36-year tattoo ban. You can get inked, too, by our flash artists! Storytelling + a tattoo = best #SundayFunday ever. Come hang with us next Sunday, Sept 30th, at 7pm! (Getting a tattoo is not required.)

Grab your tickets for the show, or a combo ticket of the show and a tattoo by clicking here: https://www.caveat.nyc/event/illegal-ink–the-bizarre-story-of-nyc%27s-tattoo-ban-9-30-2018

creativity

A Year of Yes: Nature is our greatest teacher

Christa Avampato

Dinosaurs are great teachers. Kingfishers & their quick, quiet, and precise diving abilities inspired the Shinkansen Bullet Train’s design. This is the power of biomimicry. Most of the manufactured world is a mess; copying nature helps.

More info on this incredible innovation from Biomimicry Institute here: https://asknature.org/idea/shinkansen-train/#.W3Q8EPlKiUl

Photo from Unsplash
Photo from Unsplash

 

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

Wonder: A new kind of artificial intelligence

Christa Avampato

Can we build algorithms for compassion, empathy, kindness, understanding, and love? We build all kinds of algorithms to process enormous data sets and to cull through endless masses of information in a variety of formats in a variety of fields. Can we also build them to help us become better people and make choices that improve our sense of humanity?

In other words, does artificial intelligence only apply to IQ or can it also extend to EQ (emotional quotient)? What about the lesser known Understanding Quotient (UQ), Passion Quotient (PQ), Courage quotient (CQ), Communication Quotient (COMQ), and Spiritual Quotient (SQ)?

We know they can be used to guide weapons. Can they be used to stop war and violence? Could they make our neighborhoods safer and more efficient? What kind of data would they need to do that, and what kind of output would help us achieve these goals?

These are some questions I’m thinking about as I consider my next career move. Comments, ideas, and suggestions welcome.

creativity

Wonder: Ditching the couch

Christa Avampato

I’m undergoing a major design shift at my home, and Phineas is the architect. Because of his back issues, the best thing I can do to keep him safe is to eliminate furniture he could jump from. I decided to embrace this change and as I did some research I found great design and health inspiration for having a nearly furniture free living room. I remember seeing rooms like this when I went to Sarajevo and Budapest. There’s a Bohemian feel to outfitting a space with comfy giant floor pillows in gorgeous fabric. Health-wise, doing away with the couch improves posture and our entire digestive system improves posture and our entire digestive system. It also give us a feel of being grounded and rooted, promoting better sleep and reducing anxiety. So, my new sleeper sofa is going to go into my second bedroom when I buy a home and I’ll get to work creating a comfy, inviting living space that protects Phineas’s back. Another beautiful blessing.

creativity

Wonder: Further thoughts on simplicity

Christa Avampato

“Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius. “ ~George Sand

It takes a lot of time and talent to create something simple, elegant, and intuitive. It should be easy for those who consume it. So easy and effortless that it seems that anyone can do it. The truth is that simplicity and elegance aren’t simple to create at all. It’s difficult and mind-bending work but it’s so worth it. To see the delight of the people who consume whatever you’ve created, to have them instinctively understand its value, is an enormous accomplishment. It’s something I strive for in my work and my life. I rarely get there, but when I do, it’s a magical feeling.