LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF: DJ TAZ RASHID

by iana velez | May 19, 2025 | Art & Music, ARTICLES

Letter to my younger self: DJ TAZ RASHID

ART & MUSIC

If you could write a letter to your younger self what would it say? We asked some amazing people in our community to write letters, and were blown away by the love, compassion and humor they shared. DJ Taz Rashid shares his letter here. Special thanks to DJ taz for also creating a special retro playlist just for his younger self you can access here.

Dear Taz,

Hey buddy, it’s your future self here, writing to you from 2025. I’m sure that must feel impossibly far in the distance as you prepare to enter high school there in 1996…I’m writing to you as an “older” man in my early 40s, to share with you some of the things I wish I had known when I was
your age.

First off, I want you to know that you’re doing great. The things you’re about to dive into and explore in high school and college will, believe it or not, end up shaping you in ways you can’t even imagine right now. As it all unfolds, try to pay attention to how you connect with people. The friends, teachers, and mentors you meet will open doors, challenge you, and inspire you. Listen to and learn from them, but stay true to yourself and always keep your word, even when it’s tough. Those qualities will become a compass that guides you through some of life’s most important moments.

I know it can feel like you must have it all figured out to show up as an adult in this world, but if there’s one thing I can stress: You don’t. Trust me on this. There’s power in exploration, in trying new things, in failing, and in letting curiosity lead the way. It can feel overwhelming to not know what’s coming next, but you’ll find that some of the most incredible opportunities come from stepping into the unknown. I’m not going to give you any specifics about your/our future, because honestly, the adventure is in the discovery. Just remember: it’s okay not to know exactly where you’re headed. Trust the process and let your interests guide you, whether that’s choosing the right university, deciding on a major, or pursuing a new career path. Never be afraid to change course! The pieces will come together with time.

Here is a gem for you (you’ll learn this slang in time): Conventional success is NOT the goal. Life’s most sacred secret is that you always have control over your attitude, no matter the situation. Practice an attitude of gratitude, even on days that feel difficult. Take a moment to give thanks for the good things, celebrate the small wins, and honor the people who show up for you. Moments of challenge, even the ones that break your heart, will teach you resilience. Keep creating, too — whether it’s music, art, or any other form of self-expression. Lean into the things you truly want, and don’t get caught up in who others think you should be. Living life authentically will bring more fulfillment than anything you can gain by following someone else’s expectations or ideas of success.

Speaking of music — keep playing! Right now, music is a fun outlet, but one day it’s going to mean so much more. You’ll come to see that music isn’t just about beats or melodies; it’s about connection. Music has the power to bring people together, to heal, to help others find their own rhythm in life. You’ve been playing since fifth grade, so don’t stop now. Keep that energy alive and know that this part of your journey holds something truly transformative for both you and the people around you.

And hey, here’s a little advice that you may be happy to hear. Yes, our parents are strict when it comes to dating and girls, but don’t let that lead you to hold back. Say “yes” to the amazing girls who approach you, to the dances, and to the small moments that make high school special. It’s okay to feel shy but know that I remember you as far more handsome, charismatic, funny, and charming than I felt I was. Looking back, I wish I’d taken more social chances, even when they scared me. High school only happens once, so be open to it and enjoy it fully.

Above all, enjoy life and learn to give more along the way. Giving, whether it’s through kindness, music, or just being there for others, will bring a richness to your life that’s beyond anything you can imagine. There is so much beauty in store for you.

With love,
Taz

Interview with Artists Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski

by iana velez | Feb 26, 2025 | Art & Music, ARTICLES, FRONT PAGE POSTS

Interview with Artists Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski

Founders of Graphic Rewilding

By: iana velez

ART & MUSIC

Do you each have a personal movement or meditation or wellness practice? Does it influence your art?
Each of us has our own definition of wellness on a personal level. I practice reformer Pilates most days to move my body. I’m lucky enough to have an incredible teacher in the U.K., Ilana Rogol-Dixon, who ensures that every class feels like a journey of the body and the soul. I never know what to expect, except that she will take me through some cosmic experience and I’ll leave class feeling fabulous, transformed, and alive. Even if there is a lot of work to do, I know I have to exercise and breathe consciously. For me, happiness is a fusion of feelings: Pilates means moving my body, clearing my mind, and a good mood.

For Lee, the balance of mind and body is crucial to feeling in a good state. He sits all at the computer or canvas working, painting, and drawing, which in itself is a kind of meditation, especially when creating the sweeping calligraphic lines of the flowers.

We both love life drawing, there’s something extremely calming in sitting at an easel and creating on paper or canvas in silence. There’s no talking in the drawing studio because everyone is focused on the model, the lines, the perspective, and the negative space. It feels like a dynamic meditation. It’s one of the things we like to do and actually close to a meditation practice. It stimulates alpha waves in the brain and calms the brain.

We spend a lot of time dreaming up ideas, actively manifesting opportunities, and making shizz happen. Even when the opportunities are sparse, we make them up ourselves. If we don’t have a commission, that doesn’t stop us; we’ll set up our own lighting installation by poking our projector out of our studio or apartment building and lighting up the building opposite with our flowers. That sort of thing keeps us excited and busy.

What is your art background/training?
Both Lee and I went to art schools in the U.K. Lee specialised in painting and art history, and I specialised in sculpture and installation. Lee then spent the next few years in bands and as composer creating music for TV (all the time painting flowers in his studio). I became a producer/curator of public art and fashion shows.

We came back full circle to visual creativity after meeting on a flight to New York and bonding over our love of art, especially public art. From that point on we started working and creating together and soon started SKIP Gallery, a mobile exhibition space in a dumpster/trash can.

SKIP has become an ongoing series of collaborative, site-specific artworks housed in dumpsters in public sites, bringing unexpected eruptions of art into the everyday urban landscape. Since setting up SKIP, we have collaborated with some of the biggest names in contemporary art, including David Shrigley (Look At This, June 2017), Gavin Turk (Transubstantiation, November 2017), Richard Woods (Upgrade, June 2018), and Ben Eine, as well as ‘the world’s most artistic football club’ AS Velasca in Milan. We’ve curated over 24 shows in London, Milan, New York, Rotterdam, the Scottish Borders, and a Greek Island.

In 2021 as an artistic counterbalance to the severe lack of green space in cities, we co-founded Graphic Rewilding to create vast, flower inspired, attention grabbing, positivity inducing artworks and immersive environments in often-overlooked and under-appreciated urban spaces. Lee is responsible for creativity, and I am responsible for production and implementation. All of our works are hand-drawn by Lee, who is the color expert, whilst I bring my expertise in fabrication, making things happen, making sculptures, and working in public spaces.

Can you share more about the connection between mental health, nature, and art?
It’s been shown that a 20-minute walk in nature is enough to significantly improve your mood and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. However, as nature becomes less available for many in urban environments, it’s also been shown that exposure to simple pictures of nature has a positive effect on the mind. For example, patients who have images of nature in hospital waiting rooms have lower levels of stress and anxiety. Though these images could never provide the same environmental and psychological benefits as real nature, we want to inspire people to connect and empathise a little more with the natural world, hopefully mitigating some of the negative effects of a lack of exposure to green space.

Can you share some artists who inspire you?
We are both inspired by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Catherine Borowski:
Martin Creed
Elmgreen and Dragset

Lee Baker:
Ito Jakuchu
Lee Ufan
Van Gogh

What is your process for creating large installation art works?
We always start with a place, all our works are site-specific and rooted in the community and place where they’re going to exist. We spend time getting to know an area, its people, and of course its flora and fauna. We create drawings of the flowers and colours we feel represent the commission and build from there. Our works vary wildly, sometimes we’re creating animated digital arrangements that get projected onto tall skyscrapers, designing sculptures, or at other times we’re painting real grassroots murals in under-loved areas of the city. We spend a lot of time working with technical partners on production, print and fabrication, and of course all works need to be 100% on the health and safety front.

How did the collaboration with lululemon evolve for Shanghai’s World Mental Health Day?
We had one of those life-changing phone calls (that I didn’t answer at first), inviting us to collaborate with them on World Mental Health Day, and to be honest, the partnership was a match made in heaven. We have a complimentary ethos and love of moving the mind and body.

We created the concept of The Wellbeing Garden and worked closely with lululemon to bring our ideas to life. Each of the flowers we selected – iris, sunflower, torch flower, and chrysanthemum – represents a different movement/activity. Yoga, running, training, and recovery, each becomes its own space, an individual garden of our imagination.

Yoga
For this contemplative composition, we selected each flower to embody the essence of yoga — a practice rooted in harmony, growth, and the deep connection between mind, body, and spirit. The artwork serves as a botanical metaphor for the principles of yoga, weaving together the origins, the tranquility, and the transformative power of this ancient discipline.

Running
We chose these flowers to embody strength, speed and the pursuit of light. At the heart of this narrative are sunflowers and nasturtiums, plants celebrated not only for their rapid growth but also for their inherent quest towards the sun, mirroring the human race against time and our collective journey towards enlightenment and warmth.

Training
For training, these plants weave a narrative of growth, resilience, unity, and transformation, paralleling the journey of individuals dedicated to training and exercising. They symbolize not just the physical aspects of this journey, but also the mental and emotional growth that accompanies a commitment to personal health and well-being.

Recovery
These flowers celebrate recovery as an essential, beautiful, and natural part of the physical activity cycle. They remind us that growth, healing, and strength are nurtured not just through activity but through rest and care for the body and mind. This image serves as a visual homage to the quiet yet powerful process of recovery, highlighting the botanical allies that support and enhance this journey.

The images not only represented the characteristics of different movements, but also combined the ecological landscape of Xuhui Riverside Park, where the exhibition took place. For example, the fireflies seen in the Recovery space can be seen in the Riverside Park in the evening.

Alongside the visual aspect, we composed a bespoke soundscape, so when you enter the space you can hear the chirping of hummingbirds from near to far, the slight vibration of insects flapping their wings, and the ‘singing of flowers, all created using special technology to extract data from flowers and converts it into MIDI signals.

This series of works was beyond incredible, visiting Shanghai, realizing larger-scale murals and art installations on and in multiple epic buildings. To create art installations in a city with a highly technical and visually literate population is not an easy task. The bar is set so high, but we enjoy that challenge, it’s what we’ve been dreaming of.

You’ve collaborated on projects that range from wrapping paper to large urban installations, from London to China. What is your dream project and dream location to create your next art piece?
We’ve got some many ideas, some are locations we’d love to work in and others are specific ideas. We’d love series of high-rise apartments featuring our single stems all in a row, plus there’s a really long industrial building/factory on the coastal road from the airport to Reykjavik in Iceland which we would love to get our hands on. Locations include:

The Highline: New York
Naoshima ‘art Island’: Japan
Turbine Hall at Tate Modern: London
Arken Museum: Denmark
The Kunstsilo: Norway

Learn more: graphicrewilding.com

Artist Spotlight: Emma Schmid

by iana velez | May 29, 2024 | Art & Music, ARTICLES, FRONT PAGE POSTS

Artist Spotlight: Emma Schmid

By: iana velez

ART & MUSIC

Barcelona native Emma Schmid’s beautiful artwork graces the cover of our JOY issue. We asked her to share a bit about her creative process, inspiration and a few thoughts on JOY. Check out her beautiful Instagram account @emma.schmid.illustration.

Share with us what you love about what you do?
I love to translate thoughts, ideas and messages into images. Adding meaning, highlighting and emphasizing. Communicating with drawings and color is so powerful, leading to feelings, moods, happiness, worries, and joy. I am especially interested in illustrating everyday people and routines that we all can identify with. Illustration also lets me navigate new adventures. Every new work feels like an opportunity to dive within different experiences, knowledge, and results. It is very enriching.

What advice would you give someone interested in becoming an artist?
Perseverance is key, confidence in yourself, no matter what seems to be the fashion…your own voice is always interesting when it is consistent it will have many opportunities. Of course, it is important to be active, showing up on social media, promoting constantly with new work or personal work that may pique art directors’ or clients’ attention.

Do you have formal art training?
I graduated from a school of arts in Barcelona studying, where I am originally from. I had an illustration career working freelance with my own work and studio from 2000 until now, working mostly with publishing, advertising, studios, products, toys, etc. For many years, I was focused on children’s illustration, but now my work has shifted to more illustration in editorial and advertising.

Share with us artists or creators who inspire your work
Some artists I love:

And many, many others!

Do you have a personal yoga, meditation or journaling practice? If so, does it influence your creative process?
I have practiced yoga for some years and it has always fascinated me in the wellness sense, and in the beauty of the practice too—the simplicity, austerity, the silence, the connection.

I’ve recently been quite obsessed with the interaction of two themes of yoga and floral images. I have worked on an extensive series of images approaching that—yoga practice balanced with huge flower designs in a beautiful harmony.

Where do you find the inspiration for your artwork? How do you stay inspired?
I find inspiration everywhere around me. Mostly in urban scenes, cities, on the streets, parks, fashion, culture, clothes, tradition and very especially in people. I enjoy highlighting people, characters, routines, gestures and styles. I love to catch diversity in all ways. I am constantly seeking inspiration beyond my own curiosity. Culture, media, other illustrators work and all art expression is also very inspiring to me.

Share with us your creative process.
When a work commission comes, the process starts with approaching the main idea to communicate, looking for information and inspiration and playing first with lines, sketching with pencil on A4 paper and Procreate software. Hand drawing, both pencils, analogue and digital are very enjoyable to me, from the freshness and free style of first rough drafts to cleaning and clearing them. Then color is usually done in Photoshop, final art as well.

Color is a different creation process, more complicated and deep, where I usually follow a natural intuition for each commission’s needs. It comes pretty easy when it’s about a single image, but very complex when talking about a book, or a set, where a balanced and rich palette is essential.

On your website you say, “Color plays an important part, it completely defines my work.” Can you share more about that?
I love color. Bold color. Color that shakes is an invitation to feelings, emotions, sensations…color touches with its power of communication. I feel comfortable with color, it definitely plays an important part of my voice and work.

The theme of this issue is JOY, can you share with us what/who you think of when you hear the word JOY?
I love to hear how my work talks about joy and spreads joy, and this is definitely the best compliment and reward I can have. It makes me so happy and fulfilled with the work I do.

Music Love

by Sheri Celentano | May 15, 2023 | Art & Music, ARTICLES

Music Love

By: Sheri Celentano

ART & MUSIC

For many, music is a big part of their yoga practice. In our previous issue, we interviewed NYC yoga teacher Sheri Celentano about creating playlists for her classes, and her love of music. In this issue we invited Sheri to share with us three teachers who inspire her, and share what music means to them. You can also check out the playlists they have shared on our website yogalovemagazine.com.

J Miles

Mahavirarva.com
Link to playlist on Spotify

Can you give me 3 reasons why you use music in your yoga classes?
I was trained at Integral, and they didn’t use music in class at the time. I started using music while teaching yoga at a fitness center. You needed something to drown out the noise from the other parts of the building, like the music from the group exercise classes, and all the random conversations going on right outside the door. So reason number one was out of necessity. Reason number two is the right music creates the bhav, the right mood, and the right mood makes for a great class. Number three: I just like exposing folks to good music. I choose to continue using music because we are in contemporary times, and folks come to asana class not just to connect to their bodies, but to be uplifted as well. Good music does that.

House music and dance is a part of who you are. How do you think this genre (which I love love love too) lends a hand to yoga class? As a teacher and a student?
House music is universal. House is a spiritual thing, and so to me, it lends itself to a spiritual practice. The “Jack Ya Body” moves from the heart, and so it is a heart-based movement. A deep groove will put anyone who hears it into a deeper state of mind. As a student who loves good music with his asana, the beat of house music puts me in rhythm. As a teacher, I wanna love the music I play. And I’m a house head through and through.

The theme of this issue is LOVE. How does love play a part in your musical choices? If you were to base a class with an intention around love, how would that influence your playlist?
I have a playlist dedicated to love. Each song either has love in the title, or love in the lyrics. I’m not talking about dating app love. I’m talking about something you feel in your soul, and makes you shake your head and smile with your eyes closed.

Tell us about your background, your journey into yoga teaching, and how this plays into your musical choices.
I’m a country boy at heart, a true southerner with big city vibes. I am a hippie at my core. I am a truth seeker, and holder of Grandmama wisdom. I grew up in an era where the afro gave way to the geri curl, to boxes and fades, to gumbies, to caesar’s. I grew up listening to gospel, soul, and hip hop, but also rock and roll, and most importantly, my mother singing. My journey, in life and in yoga, started when I realized that I had potential. The music I play is simply a reflection of my life-journey.

Three artists you would love to shout out that you use often for class?
DJ Drez and Marti Nikko, El Buho, Osunlade. You could create a pretty good playlist using these artists.

Do you put any boundaries on what you will or will not play in a class?
No excessive use of the n-word, the f-word, the p-word, the b-word or the d-word. No over or overtly sexualized lyrics. No violence or killing. Sometimes the curse words are artistic, or reflect how people who love each other speak when the guards are down. I don’t play anything that’s too distracting. I don’t ever want to lose sight of why we showed up to a “yoga” class to begin with.

If you have any advice for a new teacher who wants to use music in their classes, what would it be?
Know your audience. My Ayurveda teacher Anjali Sunita has this saying: “For who and when”. The genres do matter. Otherwise, find music you love that makes you feel something, and share that. Also, make your playlist a little shorter than the actual class length. This will give you space for any dharma talk, and allow you to begin and end in silence.

Ashish Arora

Ashish.yoga
Link to playlist on Spotify

Can you give me 3 reasons why you use music in your yoga classes? I find most people take the poses (just like their life) a little too seriously. Nothing wrong with being serious, but I want them to realize that it is a choice they make. Taking classes with music makes me want to dance—sometimes even do. I want to open my classes to people in a similar way; it can help build a rhythm to the flow. I love classes that slowly lift you up, feel alive and then start to draw you back inwards towards the end, to reflect.

The theme of this issue is LOVE. How does love play a part in your musical choices? If you were to base a class with an intention around love, how would that influence your playlist?
Self-love is very much an aspect of seeking a connection within. I would bring in a little more upbeat music leading into some which might lead them towards finding a light within.

Share with us your background, your journey into yoga teaching, and how this plays into your musical choices.
The music I grew up to definitely influences the music I choose to play in my classes now. I usually play more Sanskrit music or classical with a few Bollywood songs thrown in, and I rarely play contemporary English songs. I grew up in India with Hindi as my mother tongue, and I grew up listening to Bollywood and Indian classical music. I grew up to yogic philosophies and the scriptures, and I had 5 years of schooling in Sanskrit. I only ever did a limited amount of asana in elementary school. I moved to the US when I was 24, and worked as an engineer in the tech world. and my very sedentary job brought me to Austin, Texas. After having my second child, I realized that I needed to start taking better care of my health if I wanted to be a supportive dad. I worked at Nintendo at the time, and they had just built a new building with a gym. Once I started power yoga classes there, I felt really connected back to my culture, and I did a YTT in the same year. I quit tech completely in 2016, and have been a full-time yoga teacher since.

Three artists you would love to shout out that you use often for class?

DJ Drez
Anoushka Shankar
Krishna Das

Any advice for a new teacher who wants to use music in their classes?
Start by thinking about why you want to use music. Think about why you like practicing to music, and remember that it is a yoga class. Consider spaces for silence at times, with a focus on breath. New teachers can feel the need to “choreograph” their sequence exactly to a playlist. Don’t forget that

Julia Karp

yo-bk.com
Link to playlist on Spotify

Can you give me 3 reasons why you use music in your yoga classes?
I use music to help support my class theme and create a perceptible mood. Some days I’ll focus on a particular genre (usually funk, jazz, r&b, house) and other days it’s a mix of whatever I’m vibing to! In a vinyasa class, I use the playlist to evoke a feeling that can transcend the physical practice— – this is what yoga is all about. Music has the ability to shift energy, draw awareness to certain feelings, and create a collective experience. Yoga and music are cathartic, and together they can create a significant emotional release!

You teach different movement modalities. Do they each influence what your musical choices are like for each class?
I mostly teach power vinyasa, restorative vinyasa, and HIIT Pilates. When I’m planning a class, I typically start with the playlist and let it determine the movement. For yoga, I’ll choose mostly ambient, beat-based tracks to induce a state of trance, and for fitness classes I go all out hip-hop, Latin trap, soca, dance pop, you name it! Anything to stay moving and stay motivated.

The theme of this issue is LOVE. How does love play a part in your musical choices? If you were to base a class with an intention around love, how would that influence your playlist?
If I am teaching a class with lots of heart opening postures, I’ll usually throw in a couple of ‘80s classics (think Foreigner “I Wanna Know What Love Is”) or something recognizable. There is no harm in getting a little corny, especially during fiery moments of class! Normally, I’m not so heavy on the lyrics, but there are too many great love songs out there that can really embellish the theme.

Tell us about your background, your journey into yoga teaching, and how this pays into your musical choices.
I started practicing the Sivananda style (no music, go figure) on a stay in South India. My first 200-hour teacher training was in bhakti vinyasa, which focused on the Yoga Sutras, followed by power vinyasa which is more fitness-based. I live in Brooklyn, New York, but have traveled all over for training and teaching gigs, picking up new artists and genres along the way. My music library is primarily NOT in English, and I find that suitable for most yoga playlists. While most western practitioners will not connect with chanting Kirtan, I think the right music (powerful, melodic, instrumental) can produce the same “high”.

Three artists you would love to shout out that you use often for class?
Sault, Mo Horizons, Manu Dibango – I’ll play any song they’ve ever recorded. Some music was meant for yoga.

Any advice for a new teacher who wants to use music in their classes?
Play what you love! Students will notice when a song is chosen with love and intention. My music choices have led to so many post-class conversations with students who share the same passion for great tunes, and I will always throw in an ‘Easter egg’ of a song or two for those I know are listening. Music is one of the best ways to connect with others, so don’t be afraid to show who you are.

A Meditation on Art as an Everyday Experience

by Laura Dickstein Thompson, Ed.D., 2017 | Mar 5, 2022 | Art & Music, ARTICLES

A Meditation on Art as an Everyday Experience

Laura Dickstein Thompson, Ed.D., 2017

ART & MUSIC

YOGA PLUS MAGAZINE - Meditation on Art as an Everyday Experience

This essay is a mindful exercise. Find one small edible object, like an M&M, raisin, or piece of an orange. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

Now, find a seat and sit up straight. Holding the object in your hand, take a few nice deep breaths. Get as comfortable as you can, and please pay attention to what you are experiencing as we go along. You may want to read over the next steps before you proceed with the meditation. If you lose your way or your mind becomes distracted, don’t worry, just go back to the breath, thinking about how it feels going in and out through your nostrils.

With your eyes closed, hold the object in your hand and feel the sensation of it rolling around on your hand. Roll it just in the palm, and then roll it from one hand to the other. Clasp both hands and shake the object in front of you. Place it near your ears and see if you can hear anything. Bring your clasped hands with the object near your nose. How does it smell? Now go back to holding the object in one hand and roll it around your palm using the other. Do you feel any textures? And stickiness? How would you describe this object to someone who has never seen your object or who cannot see?

Now take another breath in, and out. Open your eyes and reexamine the object. Turn it over on your hand and check out all sides. Do you notice anything that you didn’t see when your eyes were closed? Place the object up to your nose and take a whiff. Now the moment you have been waiting for: place the object on your tongue—but do not bite it. Notice what is happening to your tongue. Is saliva building up? Do you have the urge to bite it? Roll the object around in your mouth letting it go from side to side hitting your cheeks and teeth. Play with it a bit more in your mouth. Now bite and chew the object, trying to pay attention to how long it will take you to chew completely before you swallow it.

Consider this: What was your experience with the object? Did your perception change when your eyes were open? Were any memories evoked, such as thoughts about the first time you had an M&M? And what does this all have to do with art and creativity?

In this activity I hope you have seen that skills of mindfulness, attention, and close observation are necessary to bring deeper understandings of an object (which could be something in your everyday life, as mundane as a raisin, or something intended for contemplation like an artwork). This focus also levels the playing field between the various objects that surround us because we can apply the same skills to build understandings and have deeper, perhaps even transformational, experiences with everything in life.

Anything can be art because art is the contemplative experience you have with anything and everything. Art is an experience, not just a product. A painting is just that, a painting: it is the precise language to describe an actual thing that was created with paint, a product of the art experience. Art is a vague umbrella term that doesn’t give us the ability to distinguish all the possibilities for art materials and art-making techniques. Art can take on a broader, yet clearer meaning both as nouns (objects or products), and as verbs ( action as experience [see box]).

If we accept this definition that art is experience, it therefore does not necessarily require the creation of a tangible object; however, since the beginning of human history, we have made things, both utilitarian (spears and clothing), and creative (musical instruments and cave paintings). These things metaphorically become containers for holding histories and memories, symbols of thoughts and feelings, values and beliefs. They urge us to be alert to their embedded messages; to not ignore the lessons contained within the objects. Objects don’t necessary need to be made by humans, either, to be opportunities for artistic experience. They can just as well be the moon, sun, or the trees in our front yard. We need just to apply our contemplative skills to have a focused experience with whatever we are viewing, and the resulting exchange between object and person can be termed “art.”

Objects don’t have to exist at all to have an art experience. Art can be the images conjured up in your mind’s eye or in a dream. Art can be the sounds, senses and flavors of a memory; it can also be the pictures created in the mind while reading a good book, or as someone describes something to you. Art is experience because it is active; it is an action that you can apply in any context and with any object—or not. It is a way to experience life, to be in the present moment with the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Another way to look at it is that the arts can come out of the so-called ivory tower, the grand marble monuments to history, the exclusivity of the gallery world and from those in the “know,” and given back to the people. In this way, we are liberated from thinking that artists are the only makers of art, and moreover, that art is only experienced in museums, only at certain times in our day, and only understood by certain people. Art is part of the everyday experience. It is not something that is done for 45 minutes once a week in the schools; it can be done all the time. It is a metaphysical exchange that sounds off like a gong, bringing us to the present and helping us to be sensitive to the influence of our past, and may help us to even alter our planning for the future.

The great 20th-century philosopher John Dewey wrote in his seminal book Art as Experience (1934) that museums display art and artifacts with the “vulgarity of class exhibitionism,” or for purposes of establishing and maintaining economic and social status. He makes a case for the arts as part of our everyday experience. Dewey asserts the original intention of art and artifacts is to enhance the everyday. He also argues that art is not necessarily designed for, or required to take place in, an institution; rather it is a part of an organized community and can be a social tool for interactions among people and things, to create opportunities for conscious, active experiences. A Deweyan experience from a mindful perspective means to be fully present, to apply our contemplative skills, to be bold with our innate sense of curiosity and wonder, and to have the courage to genuinely engage with others and the objects that surround us. In contemporary times, we have created what I have termed “objects of distraction” (i.e., iPhones, Facebook, Internet), that though designed to bring people together, adds stress to our lives to the point that we become overwhelmed with images and data. As Dewey might contend, we must no longer look for ways to calm, dull, or silence the noises of our lives; rather, now we should rejoice in letting the arts ring loud and clear in celebration our extraordinary everyday experiences.

So on that note, reader, I hope you will realize your own potential as an ingenious communicator as well as an observer and appreciator of all things, seeking the creativity in them that makes you feel connected to other beings, such as cooking a good meal, reading a great book, or viewing a majestic work of art.

Laura Dickstein Thompson, Ed.D. is MASS MoCA’s Director of Education + Curator of Kidspace, as well as an Adjunct Professor in MCLA’s Arts Management Program. She has over 27 years experience in arts education and is a trained mindful practitioner. This essay was the foundation for a workshop Dr. Thompson conducted at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, March 2017.

Jason Naylor

by iana velez | Dec 22, 2021 | Art & Music, ARTICLES

Jason Naylor

By iana velez

ART & MUSIC

“Do you remember when you were too cool for LOVE? When you were too busy being tough or macho to let any one know that you actually have feelings? Well, were you really tough? Because guess what…that shit is over…love is on fire. All the cool kids are into it. And I’m proud to say that I think love is tough, cool, masculine, AND manly. And NOW is a great time to talk about it. So get into it…get on the love train with me, and if you’re not, then start learning. Learn to love LOVE. Because love can change the world.”

Bold. Colorful. Happy. Scroll through Instagram and Jason Naylor’s art is sure to catch your eye. With messages of positivity delivered in his signature syle, when you see his work, you can’t help but smile. We chatted with Jason to learn more about the man who put the smile on our face.

Q. YOU ARE KNOWN FOR YOUR BOLD, BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL MURALS THAT EXPRESS MESSAGES OF POSITIVITY. TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT.
I think i’ve always been a pretty positive person, like sorta relentlessly optimistic. I like to look for the silver lining in everything and I guess i’ve kind of discovered that most people really respond to and enjoy positivity and optimism. Something I realized a few years ago was that there is this world of positive quotes and motivational messaging and its huge – but its a smidge cheesy in terms of design. That “motivational world” is full of beautiful messages that resonate with me and millions of people, but the messages come on tacky refrigerator magnets with sad font choices and unfortunate typographic designs.

I started putting up my own positive messages in an application completely opposite the fridge – the street. There’s something magically vulnerable about putting your art on the streets because it is an open forum for any and all to love, despise, photograph, celebrate – even destroy (but please don’t do that). It’s the most public forum to express any message, so what better place to express positivity, color and love? Visually, street art has edge to it, but I believe that feelings are the new edge. Love is the new black. And vulnerability is the new chic. So to me, bright colors framed in black is the perfect way to design a message of love for the street. And I sincerely hope my designs are a little better than the ones found on the refrigerator magnets.

Q. WE HAVE ASKED A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY IN THIS ISSUE TO SHARE WITH US ADVICE THEY WOULD GIVE TO THEIR YOUNGER SELF. IF YOU COULD SEND A MESSAGE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I often think about baby me, and how crazy I was. I grew up in a very stringent religion/culture so I went through the expected rebellion to escape it. But crazy as I may have been, I feel that I wouldn’t be the “me” I am now (and love). However, here are a few things to say to that guy in hopes of sparing some unnecessary troubles.

IT’S OK TO BE YOU.
This is the biggest one. My whole life I felt people were telling me what to do and who to be. In order to feel like I was myself, I had to prove that I wasn’t like anyone else by being the opposite. This is a disaster, because the opposite of what you think people expect of you, is not necessarily who you are. And who you REALLY are IS cool. So f**k what people expect of you altogether, and be comfortable with you are. Easy to say, hard to do.

MODERATION.
I have gone through a lot of extremes in terms of behavior, appearance and opinion. Extremes often affect the balance in the system, and lack of balance causes unrest. Peace and happiness are more easily found when you have balance in your life, so practice moderation in things. Balance things out a bit, and you’ll find yourself at peace more frequently.

GRATITUDE.
This one is huge, and easy. Gratitude can solve all your problems in seconds, and it’s the easiest and most effective way to change your attitude. Remind yourself to feel thankful for the good, the bad, and the difficult. Feel thankful for the things that are easy, thereby enabling you to endure the challenges. Feel grateful for the pain so you know what it feels like when its gone. Practice gratitude. Do it.

Q. THE THEME OF OUR ISSUE IS TRUTH. WHAT DOES TRUTH MEAN TO YOU?
This takes us right back to my advice to “Jr. me.” Its ok to be you. Understanding who you are relies on being honest about what really is TRUE to you. It’s a simple concept, but in practice it can be difficult. Being honest with ourselves is something that I’m sure we can all improve, and I think it’s safe to say we, as a culture, don’t do this enough. What do I really like? What do I really think about life? What kind of music do I like?

Start small, ask yourself what do I want for dinner? And then notice that your opinion will begin with scanning your expectations of what others may want, and weighing those into your opinion. DON’T DO THAT! Stay in your lane, don’t worry about what others want or like. What is it that YOU want. Just you. So that’s a little bit on being honest with who you are, what you want and being yourself.

Now TRUTH itself is a bigger concept that I think relates to the way one experiences reality. And it speaks to your core values. What is true to me may be different than what is true to you. Here are couple of my truths: It’s true that kindness is the key the success. It’s true that I am often reminded of how far I can get in life by being nice. It’s true that I will never regret being the bigger person. It’s true that I can rise above my fears, I have done it before and I will do it again. It’s true that I have the power to be the best me I choose to be. And it’s true that that me, is good enough for me.

Learn more about Jason // jasonnaylorcreative.com and @jasonnaylor