I Started A New Page On Facebook EverySlaughterHouseACenterOfHealing

An idea came to me while doing yoga at the Body Actualized Center in Bushwick Brooklyn. They are housed in a building that once was a slaughterhouse in the 1920's. Slaughterhouses used to have tile walls because it made it easy to clean up the blood. Those tile walls are still there. When I look at them, I think how ironic it is that where there once was probably a lot of blood shed and suffering for the animals, now is a center of healing and creativity. It felt amazing to realize the profound "karmic balancing" in this one location. I then had the thought "Why not EVERY slaughterhouse? Why couldn't every slaughterhouse eventually be "re-purposed" into a center for healing. And of course, the answer is "There is no reason why not!" There is a quote (someone please tell me who said it if you know) that one should have a mission in life that is so big, there is no chance you will see it completed in your lifetime. This may be that big an idea. Although, I also hold the possibility in mind that I could see it happen in my own lifetime. I have wanted to do more for the animals who are so horribly abused everywhere around the world. I wanted it to be something that came directly from who I am and how I experience the world. I don't know how this will shape up, but sharing the idea is a great start. The image above is called "Cow Hugs." I don't know the artist's name. If you do, please contact me or leave a comment and I will credit the artist.

Creativity, Taking Risks and Fennec Foxes

This animal is called a fennec fox. And this drawing was part of a talk I gave to artists twice this week. The talk was entitled "Enhancing Creative Power For Artists and Solo Creatives." One of the points of the talk was about the need to be willing to take risks, to maybe even look ridiculous. Case in point: For literally eons, Mother Nature hasn't seemed to worry about looking ridiculous at all when she designed the many incredible, yet real, creatures on this planet. In fact, she seems to throw caution to the wind. Mother Nature seems to believe that, like trying on clothes at the store, you just can't really tell till it's on. So elephant noses, hippopotamus heads and fennec fox ears demonstrate that you just never know. I did this drawing of a fennec fox for my talk, so that the little critter could be a symbol - the poster child, if you will - for taking risks and letting the results stand on their own. Here's to you and your creative experiments. Take risks, climb further out on that limb and give that crazy idea, whatever it is, a go.