Music is integral for dancers and choreographers as well as artists in other media. We are bombarded with new works, need find ways to listen to and record our impressions of musical works, to sift through these influences and access what moves and inspires us.
I don’t need all-new supplies each season, but do find Autumn to be an excellent time to look around my life, do an audit, repair, maintain, and re-supply as needed. For me, this is mostly writing, arts & crafts supplies, and dance gear, but also vehicles and other key support structures that keep my life running in the very full days of the harvest season through Winter into a New Year.
This is a peek way behind-the-scenes of my daily rituals, tried-and-true personal care and cosmetic favorites which I’ve chosen to be basic, minimal, and sustainable in my current lifestyle and in relation to environmental impact.
This record provides an amusing reference for my future self and perhaps of interest to other nosy/curious creatives who like to move through the world relatively lightly and well-equipped.
I love to travel, even when it is “just” a long weekend getaway or back and forth between my homes of Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i and Cologne, Germany. Having become a bit of a gearhead while ultralight long-distance backpacking on the Appalachian Trail in the early aughts, I then navigated international travel and a move clear across the globe since.
I’ve become fascinated with essential items in demanding conditions and what minimal and creative living look like on the move for me. Over time I’ve also discovered that anticipation can add to enjoyment of my adventures, so I start packing well in advance, devise lists of experiences I’d like to do (and at the end of the trip, next time), items to confirm in advance, and the like. Here you will find my current packing list in video, checklist, and sketchbook form to inspire your adventures.
Reflective writing has become an integral part of my personal creative practice and I encourage students and clients to create their own simple process of capturing ideas, insights, and information so they can live extraordinary lives.
There’s no right way to archive your creative process, just what works for you. If you’re just getting started, keep it simple and try establishing the habit of capturing your intentions and thoughts in short bursts at the start and end of class, sessions, or days.
Consider using my prompts as impulses or others that resonate with you.
The trending term the kids use online is a “Journal Ecosystem” this cute name peeves me just a bit since every system is does not work together symbiotically as a true ecosystem does.
Still, the concept of relying on analog tools, paper first, for planning, writing, organizing thoughts and projects is absolutely down my alley.
For years creators have used the term “Techo Kaigi” or planner meeting in Japanese, to describe this reflection on current notebooks in use.
Though my main squeeze is dance, if you’ve been around you know that writing, poetry, collage, photography, music and other creative media are very much at play and all current projects find a home in my system.
Often espousing the benefits of handwritten note-taking, in this article and video I flip through over ten years of my own such Dance Notebooks for the curious to peek inside and for me to glean themes, learning, and growth through reflection over time.
Let’s romanticize, gamify, and bring the fun to our learning and creating goals this season with a “Personal Curriculum!” It is a trending topic that I can really jump on board with.
As a dance educator and teaching artist, creating a safe space for learning has long been a topic of interest and top priority in coaching and classes Recently my interest has been reignited by working in a context similar to where I myself have experienced feeling unsafe, bullied, at risk: middle school. Being familiar with the concept of Safer Space codes of conduct in the context of queer nightlife, parties, dances, and demonstrations, the same tenets are applicable in a variety of social and educational contexts. Unfortunately its all too easy to see the parallels between middle school meanness and wannabe tyrannical rulers and thugs playing on the international stage. With intersectional diverse individuals feeling increasingly unsafe in current society and human rights under threat, Mental Health Day and Coming Out Day being celebrated in October, it is timely to consider how we can work together to generate loving, supportive spaces for all.
How and why take notes on dance classes & rehearsals?
Research supports the efficacy of notetaking in supporting learning and creativity, now how do we put that into practice and actually make time and space to jot a few ideas down afterwards?.
