I am so used to sharing my creative process openly– and now I find myself in a new state of being, where in order to discuss and develop the project further, I have to stop sharing it.
This is all exciting and unreal– so why do I feel anxious? It is weird. Unfamiliar.
A soul reached out and I was chosen to tell her story… but…
When public goes private, do I lose her?
What a strange feeling this is.
Anxiety is potentially a huge by-product of the energy this month as we try to navigate through all of what is coming our way. It is much like a run-away train. We will simply need to trust that the tracks we put down will hold, and the train will end up settling in the right place.
INSIDE OUT PROJECT: OWN YOUR JOURNEY- Breaking the cycle of violence through creativity
Inside Out Project – Own Your Journey SUMMER 2015is a three week intensive arts-based program running out of Mountainside Secondary School (July 6-24, 2015) for youth ages 13-20 that uses the vehicles of therapeutic art, photography and stop motion animation to teach life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer to peer interaction, community connections and by providing tools to make healthy, non-violent choices. The goal for Inside Out is to help students address the root causes of violence (with a special focus on violence against women) through creative expression. The program allows students to creatively reflect on self, to work in a team and to experience critical engagement and transformative changes that shift their attitudes and behaviors in order to prevent violence. Three experienced facilitators (Ian Powell, Erin Ross, Kat Thorsen) provide instruction and support.
Day 3, July 8, 2015: Animation and anatomical hearts LINK
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Day 4 and 5: Digging in deeper.
We were busy last few days! Hands-On Animation Tests, Public Service Announcement Discussions, Mind Mapping, Shane Koyczan TEDTalk, Project Planning, Therapeutic Arts and Crafts, Dialoguing, Creative Process etc…
What I love seeing unfold are the connections forming within the group.
Here are some highlights from Day 4 and 5: —
I sit before flowers hoping they will train me in the art of opening up
I stand on mountain tops believing that avalanches will teach me to let go
I know nothing
but I am here to learn.
― Shane Koyczan
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It has quickly become apparent that this is our hub/dialogue/creativity table. We move back and forth naturally between the computer lab and this room where we do old fashioned handmade stuff and group dialogue/mindmapping.
It hurts to stretch your wings. But doesn’t it hurt even more to let them atrophy?
You can survive without Creativity. But you won’t ever come fully alive & unapologetically yourself, unless you practice it, every damn day. – Andréa Balt, Creative Rehab
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Next week we begin our group animation project! Stay tuned!
I love that I can have a sit down with my heroes on a warm Saturday night and just shoot the shit. Tonight we contemplated creativity, the artist and the why.
Here are some highlights:
Twyla Tharp (china marker on newsprint)
I believe that we all have strands of creative code hard-wired into our imaginations. These strands are as solidly imprinted in us as the genetic code that determines our height and eye color, except they govern our creative impulses. They determine the forms we work in, the stories we tell, and how we tell them. I’m not Watson and Crick; I can’t prove this. But perhaps you also suspect it when you try to understand why you’re a photographer, not a writer,or why you always insert a happy ending into your story, or why all your canvases gather the most interesting material at the edges, not the center. In many ways, that’s why art historians and literature professors and critics of all kinds have jobs; to pinpoint the artist’s DNA and explain to the rest of us whether that artist is being true to it in his or her work. I call it DNA; you may think of it as your creative hard-wiring or personality. – Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit
Henry Miller (china marker on newsprint)
The practice of any art demands more that mere savoir faire. One must not only be in love with what one does, one must also know how to make love. In love self is obliterated. Only the beloved counts. Whether the beloved be a bowl of fruit, a pastoral scene, or the interior of a bawdy house makes no difference. One must be in it and of it wholly. Before a subject can be transmuted aesthetically it must be devoured and absorbed. If it is a painting it must perspire with ecstacy… The anatomy books will tell you one thing, or many things, but looking at an eye or an ear to render it in form, texture, color yields quite another kind of knowledge. Suddenly you see– it’s not an eye or an ear but a little universe composed of the most extraordinary elements having nothing to do with sight or hearing, with flesh, bone, muscle, cartilage. – Henry Miller, To Paint is to Love Again
Alice Walker (china marker on newsprint)
… these grandmothers and mothers of ours were not Saints, but Artists; driven to a numb and bleeding madness by the springs of creativity in them for which there was no release. They were Creators, who lived lives of spiritual waste, because they were so rich in spirituality- which is the basis of Art– that the strain of enduring their unused and unwanted talent drove them insane…. What did it mean for a black woman to be an artist in our grandmothers’ time? In our great-grandmothers’ day? It is a question with an answer cruel enough to stop the blood… Our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not anonymously, handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see; or like a sealed letter they could not plainly read. – Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens
Philipe Petit (china marker on newsprint)
There is no such thing as motivation in my world. As an artist, I am driven, I am compelled, I am thrust forward by a force so rooted inside me, so convincing, that it seems futile to try to explain it. Although it has a name: passion. Passion is the mortar that holds my creative assemblies together. It is the motor of my actions. Because it is in perpetual motion, it has an impatient edge to it. It is urgent. And because it invites my arts to grow, it is essential. – Philipe Petit, Creativity- the perfect crime
Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul. – Marcus Aurelius
My life has taken an interesting turn, and I find myself having to declare bankruptcy and start totally fresh. This means giving up my tiny condo, packing up and finding new live work space, and basically reevaluating many things in my life. It is an interesting time for me as my parents have passed away (I have done a lot of processing and grieving around my definition as “daughter”) and I have left my frontline youth work that was wearing me down and leaving me depressed. I realize I have been carrying around- not only an insurmountable sack of debt that just kept getting heavier by the day- but that I have also been carrying a lot of emotional baggage. I am left with “nothing” yet left with everything beautiful and whole. I refuse to see this as a failure on my part. As an artist, I need to be fully open and vulnerable. And I know I was born with a gift for art for a purpose. This transition will take time. It will be incredibly healing. I am ready.
We are all born with gifts. We all ride the rollercoaster of life. What are your gifts? Passions? Where are you right now on this crazy ride?
I am 100% committed to my graphic novel and several exciting art and workshop projects! Can’t wait to share those with you! The team I am working with is extraordinary- including family, sister-friend, interns, youth…
But I am taking a bit of a retreat to focus my attention on both the move and on these projects. I am refocusing and deciding which projects are the most important and which ones I can place on the shelf.
And I am still connected with youth work in a new and exciting way. Stay tuned!
PRE-ORDER now available for BY POST STREET, my unisex t-shirt & music project with creative director/designer Anna Thorsen. Order COLLABORATION 1 through Indiegogo from now until March 1. Check it –>
60% Bamboo Rayon, 28% Cotton, 6% Spandex
“K”“A”“R”
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Funders will have access to a variety of rewards depending on the level of contribution. These rewards range from postcard sets, to a signed t-shirts, to original individualized portraits.
See below!
Video by Julian Bowers
—
Design. Discover. Deejay.
by post street is a creative and collaborative source for fashion, house, hip hop and art.
—
WHAT WE ARE
by post street is a limited edition t-shirt & music company created by Anna & Kat Thorsen.
by post street is a creative and collaborative source for fashion, house, hip hop and art.
Collections will be released monthly and feature two fashion figures and one DJ. Each collection will be produced in limited runs, available for 30 days (or until sold out) and paired with an exclusive podcast by the “DJ of the month” (available to download for free).
All of the above and an exclusive invite to the launch party [travel and accommodation not included]
Your contribution will allow us to:
Create our first limited edition t-shirt run featuring two fashion figures and the “DJ of the month.” The unisex t-shirts, designed by Anna and featuring exclusive art by Kat Thorsen, are made from 100% organic cotton.
Provide exclusive access to first official podcast created by the “DJ of the month” Riccardo Bhifrom Milan, Italy.
Create a cutting edge website to house sales, podcasts and to provide a continuous creative source of fashion, art and music.
Plan, promote and execute the launch event that utilizes interactive art and a DJ performance to launch “Collection 1.”
THE IMPACT
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. – H.E. Luccock
By becoming a funder you will allow the world to experience:
• The new collaborative wave that combines art, music, fashion and social media.
• The buzz of anticipating and collecting the monthly limited edition t-shirts.
• The discovery and celebration of leading DJ talent from around the globe.
• The power of interactive art events.
• The positive impact on our non-profit partner. (by post street will be donating 3% of profits from t-shirt sales to a non-profit organization.) STAY TUNED FOR OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT WEEK!
• the satisfaction of purchasing a product that is completey produced and manufactured locally.
THE FUTURE
It doesn’t stop at “Collection 1”:
by post street anticipates extending services to organizations to provide theme-specific limited edition t-shirt runs for promotional campaigns and fundraisers.
Anna Thorsen: former entertainment promoter and visual merchandiser, Anna is now the editor-in-chief of the multi-city lifestyle website, The Social Life. She brings over 10 years of experience within the fashion/entertainment industries into her new role as Creative Director for by post street. the-sociallife.com
Kat Thorsen, artist, art therapist and author is renowned for her art blog, portraits, therapeutic art classes, craftivism, street art and popular interactive art events. Kat is the resident artist for by post street. katthorsen.wordpress.com
Funders will have access to a variety of rewards depending on the level of contribution. These rewards range from postcard sets, to a signed t-shirts, to original individualized portraits.
See below!
Video by Julian Bowers
—
Design. Discover. Deejay.
by post street is a creative and collaborative source for fashion, house, hip hop and art.
—
WHAT WE ARE
by post street is a limited edition t-shirt & music company created by Anna & Kat Thorsen.
by post street is a creative and collaborative source for fashion, house, hip hop and art.
Collections will be released monthly and feature two fashion figures and one DJ. Each collection will be produced in limited runs, available for 30 days (or until sold out) and paired with an exclusive podcast by the “DJ of the month” (available to download for free).
All of the above and an exclusive invite to the launch party [travel and accommodation not included]
Prototypes
Your contribution will allow us to:
Create our first limited edition t-shirt run featuring two fashion figures and the “DJ of the month.” The unisex t-shirts, designed by Anna and featuring exclusive art by Kat Thorsen, are made from 100% organic cotton.
Provide exclusive access to first official podcast created by the “DJ of the month” Riccardo Bhifrom Milan, Italy.
Create a cutting edge website to house sales, podcasts and to provide a continuous creative source of fashion, art and music.
Plan, promote and execute the launch event that utilizes interactive art and a DJ performance to launch “Collection 1.”
THE IMPACT
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. – H.E. Luccock
By becoming a funder you will allow the world to experience:
• The new collaborative wave that combines art, music, fashion and social media.
• The buzz of anticipating and collecting the monthly limited edition t-shirts.
• The discovery and celebration of leading DJ talent from around the globe.
• The power of interactive art events.
• The positive impact on our non-profit partner. (by post street will be donating 3% of profits from t-shirt sales to a non-profit organization.) STAY TUNED FOR OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT WEEK!
• the satisfaction of purchasing a product that is completey produced and manufactured locally.
THE FUTURE
It doesn’t stop at “Collection 1”:
by post street anticipates extending services to organizations to provide theme-specific limited edition t-shirt runs for promotional campaigns and fundraisers.
Anna Thorsen: former entertainment promoter and visual merchandiser, Anna is now the editor-in-chief of the multi-city lifestyle website, The Social Life. She brings over 10 years of experience within the fashion/entertainment industries into her new role as Creative Director for by post street. the-sociallife.com
Kat Thorsen, artist, art therapist and author is renowned for her art blog, portraits, therapeutic art classes, craftivism, street art and popular interactive art events. Kat is the resident artist for by post street. katthorsen.wordpress.com
by post street is a creative and collaborative source for fashion, house, hip hop and art.
—
WHAT WE ARE
by post street is a limited edition t-shirt & music company created by Anna & Kat Thorsen.
by post street is a creative and collaborative source for fashion, house, hip hop and art.
Collections will be released monthly and feature two fashion figures and one DJ. Each collection will be produced in limited runs, available for 30 days (or until sold out) and paired with an exclusive podcast by the “DJ of the month” (available to download for free).
Funders will have access to a variety of rewards depending on the level of contribution. These rewards range from postcard sets, to a signed t-shirts, to original individualized portraits.
Your contribution will allow us to:
Create our first limited edition t-shirt run featuring two fashion figures and the “DJ of the month.” The unisex t-shirts, designed by Anna and featuring exclusive art by Kat Thorsen, are made from 100% organic cotton.
Provide exclusive access to first official podcast created by the “DJ of the month” Riccardo Bhifrom Milan, Italy.
Create a cutting edge website to house sales, podcasts and to provide a continuous creative source of fashion, art and music.
Plan, promote and execute the launch event that utilizes interactive art and a DJ performance to launch “Collection 1.”
THE IMPACT
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. – H.E. Luccock
By becoming a funder you will allow the world to experience:
• The new collaborative wave that combines art, music, fashion and social media.
• The buzz of anticipating and collecting the monthly limited edition t-shirts.
• The discovery and celebration of leading DJ talent from around the globe.
• The power of interactive art events.
• The positive impact on our non-profit partner. (by post street will be donating 3% of profits from t-shirt sales to a non-profit organization.) STAY TUNED FOR OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT WEEK!
• the satisfaction of purchasing a product that is completey produced and manufactured locally.
THE FUTURE
It doesn’t stop at “Collection 1”:
by post street anticipates extending services to organizations to provide theme-specific limited edition t-shirt runs for promotional campaigns and fundraisers.
Anna Thorsen: former entertainment promoter and visual merchandiser, Anna is now the editor-in-chief of the multi-city lifestyle website, The Social Life. She brings over 10 years of experience within the fashion/entertainment industries into her new role as Creative Director for by post street. the-sociallife.com
Kat Thorsen, artist, art therapist and author is renowned for her art blog, portraits, therapeutic art classes, craftivism, street art and popular interactive art events. Kat is the resident artist for by post street. katthorsen.wordpress.com
by post street is a limited edition t-shirt & music company created by Anna & Kat Thorsen.
by post street is a creative and collaborative source for fashion, house, hip hop and art.
Collections will be released monthly and feature two fashion figures and one DJ. Each collection will be produced in limited runs, available for 30 days (or until sold out) and paired with an exclusive podcast by the “DJ of the month” (available to download for free).
This project was born out of our mutual desire to take the bold, scary, courageous (and perhaps outrageous) step to abundance and living our dreams!
—
In the end all collaborations are love stories.
― Twyla Tharp, The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together
Funders will have access to a variety of rewards depending on the level of contribution. These rewards range from postcard sets, to a signed t-shirts, to original individualized portraits.
Your contribution will allow us to:
Create our first limited edition t-shirt run featuring two fashion figures and the “DJ of the month.” The unisex t-shirts, designed by Anna and featuring exclusive art by Kat Thorsen, are made from 100% organic cotton.
Provide exclusive access to first official podcast created by the “DJ of the month” Riccardo Bhifrom Milan, Italy.
Create a cutting edge website to house sales, podcasts and to provide a continuous creative source of fashion, art and music.
Plan, promote and execute the launch event that utilizes interactive art and a DJ performance to launch “Collection 1.”
THE IMPACT
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. – H.E. Luccock
By becoming a funder you will allow the world to experience:
• The new collaborative wave that combines art, music, fashion and social media.
• The buzz of anticipating and collecting the monthly limited edition t-shirts.
• The discovery and celebration of leading DJ talent from around the globe.
• The power of interactive art events.
• The positive impact on our non-profit partner. (by post street will be donating 3% of profits from t-shirt sales to a non-profit organization.) STAY TUNED FOR OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT WEEK!
• the satisfaction of purchasing a product that is completey produced and manufactured locally.
THE FUTURE
It doesn’t stop at “Collection 1”:
by post street anticipates extending services to organizations to provide theme-specific limited edition t-shirt runs for promotional campaigns and fundraisers.
My collaborative street art wall, Vancouver BC. Photo by Carolyn Spencer
Anna Thorsen: former entertainment promoter and visual merchandiser, Anna is now the editor-in-chief of the multi-city lifestyle website, The Social Life. She brings over 10 years of experience within the fashion/entertainment industries into her new role as Creative Director for by post street. the-sociallife.com
Kat Thorsen, artist, art therapist and author is renowned for her art blog, portraits, therapeutic art classes, craftivism, street art and popular interactive art events. Kat is the resident artist for by post street. katthorsen.wordpress.com
We are SO LUCKY to be able to access more of Joe Average’s work on his new site! Check it out! It’s like drinking a cool glass of clear, clean, beautiful water.
Joe Average (born 1957) is a Canadian artist who resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. Diagnosed HIV+ at age 27, Average made the decision to commit the rest of his life to art, and to challenge himself to live by his art.
I finally got to meet with Joe Average on August 3, 2012, and I was so moved! He is one of my biggest inspirations… Meeting your hero is a spiritual experience. To discuss art together… not enough words can explain the delight and elation I felt!
My portrait of Joe. I gave him the originals and will wheatpaste prints! (China marker, acrylic on newsprint)My portrait of Joe and Nadine. I got to meet her! (China marker, acrylic on newsprint)“Miss Nadine,” Joe Average
Thank you, Joe, for allowing me to draw you!And for being so generous with your time and inviting me onto you paradise porch!
Joe Average took some fabulous photos of my dog, Tobey!
My father is busy at work on his second volume of illustrations. His first book The Old Apple Tree is ready for editing and self-publishing. I can’t wait for the day I surprise him with the first copy. I am truly blessed to witness the healing power of art as my Dad thrives at his extended care facility, carving out a life for himself. He has purpose, routine, passion. He has reclaimed his emotional life. What can be greater than that? We have such a good time together talking about LIFE, sharing this project, discussing the FUTURE. Wow. Deep breath of gratitude.
Rather than separate intellect from affect, [art], like life, weaves the two together. – L. S. Vygotsky
I love having live muses! That are local! Can’t wait to dig into the new portraits of these three! Reveal at the big event on March 10! Let’s see where the Universe takes me!
Rebecca Rawlinson!Jocelyn Louise!Jay Fisher!
Rewarding me, by chance, for any good decision, and taking locks aside of the enchanting face…
I was so lucky to find this book The Silent Studio (1st edition, 1976) by David Douglas Duncan at Vancouver’s Macleods’s Books (451 Pender Street) awhile back. MAP
The book itself is a work of art. Filled with photos by Duncan of Picasso’s studio after his death in 1973. Haunting, sad, magical, silent. The book (no captions and mainly photos) is a love letter to Picasso’s last wife Jacqueline Roque.
Jacqueline nearly perished after Picasso died Sunday noon, April 8th, 1973. For two years she languished in total seclusion...
Everyone tried to shield Jacqueline from the obvious agony of having professionals, court-ordered, inside her home cataloguing everything, even the contents of Pablo’s and her clothes closets. Only rarely was a voice heard in that enormous house, then it was muted. The experts have now returned to Paris. Now it’s over. She seems so relieved and exhausted. (from Preface)
This old piece, Church and Wheatfield (acrylic on canvas), proudly belongs in the Where Are They Now category of my catalogue. Perhaps it will turn up when I empty the vault for the big art event/garage sale! I’ll keep you posted!
“Visiting Stanley Park Crime Scene with Solvig” by Katarina Thorsen 2007 (see * below)
Being a Swede in Canada, it is inevitable that I have old family friends since childhood that are Swedish! I met Solvig and her family when we lived in Houston BC in the early 70’s.
Solvig and her daughter Katrine have held a special place in my life ever since. Solvig is one of the most magical people I know and her daughter is truly an imprint of her mother. Their story is amazing, and their life journeys leave me breathless. They are in touch with the intuitive and are both talented artists. At present, Katrine (Olsson-Davidson) is a young mother and talented photographer: MEMORY LANE PHOTOGRAPHY. Solvig, an incredible multimedia artist, currently owns and operates TEA GALLERY WITH A TWIST.
“Sharing Natures Food Supply” Solvig Olsson (multimedia including wool)
Katrine recently shared with me some of her beautiful and deeply personal meditation paintings:
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Solvig has been an important mentor as I worked through my father’s difficult stroke recovery and my mother’s terminal illness. I find this a very difficult thing to share as it overwhelms: Solvig extended such care and grace helping my mother put on makeup a few weeks before mom passed. My mom cared deeply about her appearance and I found it such a beautiful moment between female friends. I treasure a photo I took then but cannot share it here.
* A favorite time for my mom and I was our deep research into a Vancouver murder mystery, which I will one day turn into a graphic novel. For the first time, I share my notes from the day that my mom, brother, Solvig and I visited the Stanley Park crime scene. We let Solvig loose on the scene and she quickly showed us something quite out of this world. Despite what one feels about psychic phenomenon, what happened in the park that day was truly magical!
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