ZOËLAB: THE LIFE AS ART BLOG
I love it when life is dictated by weather
I return over and over to the idea of how extreme weather unites us. And when we get used to it even more, we build our lives around it.
The Authenticity Mantra is the Cure for a Vulnerability Hangover
"Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who think we’re supposed to be, and embracing who we actually are."
Facebook feels like a popularity contest that I'm losing
Facebook is a place where we re-confirm what The Culture says is acceptable about us, and where we continue to hide our shadow, which grows bigger and bigger, underground.
There are no mediocre blog posts
For me, blogging is foremost about honesty--it's about revealing the little details of the clunky, messy, exuberant process of life. It is about developing a point of view, strengthening it daily, which includes sharing my point of view even when it is uncertain or has changed.
I am done with apologizing for the collective shadow
I find myself imprisoned by the critic inside that just can’t tolerate anything I write that seems self-absorbed, braggy, unresearched or confessional.
A list of things I would blog about if I wasn't so scared of what people would think
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
Why Creating An Arts Practice is Good For You
Because it’s a structure built into our lives that challenges us to be creative. It helps remind us of the importance of process. It is a built in reminder that our engagement, and the way we engage, is what matters in life. So many of us are trained to overlook or rush the process so that we can get to the result—so we can get to the goodies that come from having a finished product—it can be sold or bought, shown, talked about, appreciated--it becomes proof of our value. I want to return us to valuing the experience of creating.
How to Sing or Do Anything
Way back when I was in college in the 1990's, I wrote a poem called "How to Masturbate." It was a racy title for a spiritual type of experience in nature. That started a new form of poetry for me, that I like to call "Instructive Poetry." Since then I have written a few more. I hope to someday publish a book of instructive poems.
Impressions of Mariposa Night & Guerrilla Gallery, March 27th
When you open up to spirit, creativity is limitless. In order to manifest it, we must ignite our passion for truth, which illuminates our underground excavations.
Come Forward with Your Art
Come forward with your art,
come share the truth of your decay,
your ultimate humility.
Why we need the arts
This is why I do what I do: to help people wake up to the full truth of who they are. I use the arts—filmmaking, dance, photography, drawing, painting, writing, storytelling, drama, improvisation—as a tool for self-awakening, for compassion, for discovering one's passions, for reaching one’s potential, for truthful emotional expression, for aliveness.
Jardin de Niño Diaries, Part Three
I am still very much attuned to my own inner child and that part of me easily connects to children. Even if my spanish is awkward and the room is chaotic, just being with children is a very good thing for the soul. Each week for the rest of the year, I brought a new project to do with the kids.
Jardin de Nino Diaries, Part Two
I have come to realize that at this point my only real chance to have a true cross cultural experience here in Baja (which is so full of gringos and so influenced by American culture) is through my involvement with the Elias Calles preschool. Even though I feel shy and intimidated, and struggle with communication, I push through it all knowing that this a great opportunity.
Elias Calles Jardin de Niños DIARIES PART ONE
I have been wanting to share my experience of the Elias Calles Jardin de Ninos, the tiny little preschool that my son Emilio attends. He started at 4 years old. And now he is 5 and a half. This will be his final year there, and we will then move onto the primary school, which is next door. The kids of both schools share the same school yard.
Poem Inspired by Andrea Gibson
What would I write
if I did not feel a need to sensor myself?
Letter to my 22-year-old Self
I know you are consumed by this concept of perfection which you believe will make you beyond reproach. You aspire to make films and act and write, and want to make the world cry and laugh because of your heart. You are in love with beauty and believe the world will discover you and bloom you into your destiny.
Poem after Meditating
I can sense you,
like a bottom-heavy baby bird
senses her first flight.
The Spider's Poem
I have been a sealed up hermit, and poetry is what has been coming out of me...
Poems by New Yorkers in Massachusetts
We tend to lose our connection to our surroundings when we get deeply in a conversation, which is what happened as we neared the end of the 90 minute hike. Suddenly we had no idea how to get back to where we had parked. Luckily, we saw a hiker walking confidently down the path and asked her for directions.