Being curious is a necessity in my line of work, I'm a business designer and strategist at a studio I started called Augur.
I help people learn how to think differently, to build their businesses, experiences, products, and services with deep intentionality. Matching their intent with impact for the people who need them.
Having a creative practice helps me think differently and be unafraid to try things that many people wouldn't even consider.
I think a lot about different problems and possible solutions each one as unique as the client. The fact that I use a creative, design-centered approach to business strategy and systems design work allows me to go far and beyond the reaches of what many think is possible.
"Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world."
Christianne Strang, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Alabama Birmingham and the former president of the American Art Therapy Association.
In fact I sit on the Advisory Council for a museum here in Los Angeles Craft Contemporary which fuels my passion for always trying and exploring new types avenues of art and creativity - stretching what I thought possible.
I have a creative practice for fun that has always existed outside of the creative, design, and strategy work I do for a living or to make money.
I do calligraphy, paint, make cyanotypes, and weave fiber art. I sew and garden, I cook and dance, knit and purl. Sometimes I even make parfum, design scents, and synthesize sounds. I've also begun making digital art and illustrations.
The biggest change in how I show up for work, of any kind and how I've seen myself coincides with meditating, daily. I believe that having a practice of mindfulness allows me to tap into the inner strength and reserves of creativity and play which reside deep inside me.
Taking the time to connect with whatever creative, playful energy chooses to flow through me is important to strengthening and stretching my creativity and expand the way I think about and interact with the world.
Avocado skin + iron ink, Lye water
For a lot of people, making art just like starting a business or launching a new product can be nerve-wracking, staring at a blank canvas can be overwhelming for many.
What will you make? What materials should you use to make it? What happens if you can't execute it? What if it... it's a hot mess?
Is it perfect, no, but do I love it–yes!
Studies show that despite those fears, "engaging in any sort of visual expression results in the reward pathway in the brain being activated," says Kaimal. "Which means that you feel good and it's perceived as a pleasurable experience.
NPR Article - How making art helps your brain
In honor of Valentine's Day (and giving cut flowers a longer life in general) I'm going to share with you one of my favorite activities: Making natural botanical inks from Rose petals.
I took a natural ink and dye making workshop with Jason Logan, of The Toronto Ink Company in Los Angeles, celebrating his book Make Ink, A Foragers Guide to Natural Ink Making
It was a rainy February day, where about 15 of us gathered in our seldom used rain gear, and foraged all around the Mid-City neighborhood looking for found natural and man-made materials to produce a stunning array of inks and dyes.
It awakened a new passion and curiosity within me as to whether I could create ink with materials I found in the world. Now I can't look at nearly any flora, fauna, or cigarette butt on the ground without thinking, "What color ink would that make?!"
Directions taken from Make Ink by Jason Logan
Prepare the base color ingredient
For berries: Crush the berries using a potato masher. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) water and 2 cups (450 g) berries. Then skip to step 3.
For rocks, charcoal, or any other dry pigments: Grind 1/4 cup of the material down tot he finest dust using a mortar and pestle or similar. Add 2 1/4 cups (600 ml) of water and 2 tablespoons gum arabic.
For nuts, roots, or leaves: Combine 2 cups (480 ml) water and 1 cup (120 ml) of plant material in the pot as is.
Intensify the color
Put the base color ingredient into a large, old pot. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt.
Heat to just below boiling below and cook for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until you have an intense ink color. (Dip a strip of paper into the colored water to test the intensity.) Remove from heat and let cool.
Filter the color
If you have large pieces of plant matter, like roots and leaves, first remove this material with a colander placed over a bowl, with the bowl catching the colored liquid.
For a further level of filtering, place the small end of a funnel into the mouth of a glass container and fit a coffee filter into the funnel. Pour your strained liquid through the funnel slowly.
The coffee filter should remove smaller particles, creating a cleaner ink. This step is particularly important if you plan to use the ink in a pen.
To keep a pen writing smoothly, you need to use less binder, which can gum up the nib, and filter out any little grains of plant matter. On the other hand, for painters, some texture in the ink my be a positive–you can always refilter it if it seems too grainy.
Test it
Make it permanent