Tag: travel

creativity

Wonder: I’m baaaaaack…

Christa Avampato

Hello all. It has been over a month since I’ve published to this blog and I want to tell you why I so abruptly took the longest break that I’ve taken in the 9 years since I’ve been writing it.

In March, I received a letter from a photography website threatening to sue me for using an image on a blog post four year ago. That’s right – a single picture, that I got from Pinterest, for a single post, 4 years ago, and I had attributed it to the artist. They never sent me a takedown notice. They just skipped right to suing me for thousands of dollars. By the grace of the universe, my friend, Amanda, connected me to a wonderful attorney who agreed to represent me, and it seems that the issue has evaporated. I haven’t heard a word from them since.

So, I’m back. This has been a wonderful time for me to creatively reflect on my writing and I’ve plowed a lot of time into a number of wildly creative projects including finishing a working draft of my novel, Where the Light Enters, getting one of my paper collages displayed in a gallery in D.C., continuing my writing for The Washington Post, planning a trip to Cuba (yes, CUBA!), and joining a film production company here in D.C. as an associate producer. All while keeping my day job at an education technology startup and being in the process of buying a condo here in D.C.

What I do want to make abundantly clear is that I’ve missed you. A lot. I miss the conversations back and forth. I miss hearing how you’re doing. I miss updating you on what I’m doing, seeing, and hearing. I’ve missed this outlet and I’m thrilled to be back. So here’s to you. Here’s to me. And I’m so glad we’re back together.

And to speak to the unfortunate photo incident of March 2016, all photos that you see on this site were either taken by me or for me. If you want to use any of them, you are absolutely free to do so. No questions asked. Just add a little attribution with my name and this website URL http://christaavampato.com. Let’s never be apart for that long again, okay? Okay.

creativity

Wonder: La Hora Loca

Christa Avampato
Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 10.26.49 PM
Me dancing with the man on stilts during la hora loca

La hora loca is a Latino wedding tradition that reminds me of carnival. Just as the dance floor at my friends’ wedding in Puerto Rico this weekend was slowing down just a tad, a team of bold and brash drummers, followed by 2 men clad in colorful costumes on stilts, barged into the dining room. Giving out giant foam hats and head accessories, they wound their way through the tables and found the dance floor. Singing, laughing, clapping, and dancing with the crowd, they proceeded to conduct us for a solid hour in how to immerse ourselves in collective and rhythmic joy. It’s the best wedding tradition I’ve ever witnessed. It’s what a wedding, and life, is all about.

creativity

Wonder: Your growth is a gift to everyone

Christa Avampato

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“The greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.” ~Lao Tzu

Try something new. Take a class. Go somewhere you’ve never gone before. Stretch your limits in ways you never thought possible. Invest in you. Because when you grow and evolve, a ripple begins that resonates with your community and moves outward into the world. What makes you better, makes everything better. And that’s a beautiful thing.

creativity

Wonder: Journey to who you are

Christa Avampato
ddm
Rapper DDm at Renwick Gallery for Creative Mornings Washington, D.C.

“You find who you are by seeing it. It takes a journey to develop your voice.” ~Rapper DDm at Creative Mornings Washington, D.C.

I was blown away by the Creative Mornings event with DDm about the power of language. He redefined language as our entire presence – what we say, what we do, and how we look. Hundreds of creative people sat enraptured at 8:30am in the main room at the Renwick Gallery on Friday. We laughed and we learned, together. Language conveys who we are. To learn who we are, we need to explore.

So get out there, way out there. Leave your comfort zone. Try new things. Meet new people. Put yourself in a place that inspires you. Be around people who are proud of who they are, and who celebrate your unique perspective. Learn something that you’ve always been curious about. Create something beautiful. Be shiny. Do something that makes you smile for the joy it brings you. Find your voice, and use it.

 

creativity

This just in: My magazine articles on Serial, YouTube’s 10th anniversary, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s ecotourism venture in Belize are live

Christa Avampato

I’m very excited to share the magazine articles I wrote for Royal Media Partners earlier this year. The magazine went live this month and includes my pieces on the Serial podcast, Youtube’s 10th anniversary, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s ecotourism venture in Belize. I’m hoping to do more of this type of writing in 2016, and am very grateful to the editors at Royal Media Partners for offering me this opportunity.

Serial Addiction: Creators of This American Life Bring New Life to Radio Drama
Serial – 12-26-15 

Belize Gets the Hollywood Treatment: Leonardo DiCaprio Wants More Than an Oscar. He Wants to Save the World.
Leo Belize – 12-26-15

Ten Years In, YouTube is Still Going Strong
YouTube – 12-26-15

 

 

creativity

This just in: What’s in a picture? A lesson on what matters through photography editing.

Christa Avampato
One of my favorite photos of the Christmas market in Budapest
One of my favorite photos of the Christmas market in Budapest

I’m in the process of editing all of my photos from my trip to Sarajevo and Budapest. As I sort through them, the editing process reminds me of what matters. What’s the focal point? What’s truly necessary to have in the frame? What am I saying or showing with each image? It’s similar to the editing of life: what do we keep, what do we cut away, and what does it all mean to us? Editing anything is time-consuming, and it’s absolutely worth the effort because what we’re left with is something of real value.

creativity

This just in: Travel makes me grateful

Christa Avampato
The magnificent city of Pest as seen from Buda's Castle at sunset
The magnificent city of Pest as seen from Buda’s Castle at sunset

Travels helps me count my blessings. After a full night of sleep, I woke up this morning feeling so grateful. Grateful for the chance to travel and learn about different cultures, and grateful to live in the U.S. and call it home. Sarajevo is a sad city, plagued by geographic isolation, the legacy of the war and communism, poor health of the people (70% of them smoke), and a true lack of opportunity. Budapest is bustling, thriving, and full of life. The two are in such stark contrast to one another and couldn’t have been more different.

And then I landed at Washington National airport, and my eyes opened up even wider. We are so lucky here. We have everything we need to build a good life for ourselves. Certainly our country has problems and challenges and its own wounds that need tending and healing. What we do have is possibility and potential. And while potential alone can’t get things done, it does provide the fuel we can use to build something beautiful and meaningful.

Travel is a gift that keeps on giving. It gives us empathy and understanding for cultures not our own, and then it also helps us appreciate what we have at home in our everyday lives. It’s a realization I hope I never lose.

creativity

This just in: I’ll be in Sarajevo for Thanksgiving

Christa Avampato
Sarajevo
Sarajevo

I’m insanely excited that I’ll be traveling to Sarajevo the week of Thanksgiving to visit Amy, one of my very nearest and dearest friends who is doing a fellowship there. We’re planning to take a few side trips as well and possibilities include Istanbul, Budapest, and Prague.

I haven’t been out of the country since my trip to India in 2012. Work, creative projects, several moves, a creative sabbatical in California, and life in general made an international trip tough to swing. But now that I’m back on track, I’m re-indulging my sense of adventure and wanderlust by flying off to distant lands I’ve never seen before.

Through the wonders of social media, I’ll bring all of you along with me as I meet new people, see new places, and revel in the beauty of a city fighting and finding its way back to its roots through art, music, and cuisine. I’m prepared to fall in love with this city and all it has to offer.

Have you been to Sarajevo? If so, I’d love suggestions of activities and sites I must see.