Hudson Valley Art Incubator

Project by Kelly Demers

Arts Development and Mentor Centres are in rare supply. Kelly Demers fundraiser project for the Hudson Valley Art Incubator is to see the creation of a downtown Artists Community Hub where the artists receive access to an environment that is both supportive and inspirational.

The centre would provide the level of services that coach and mentor artists to become equipped with the skills and knowledge to conduct business successfully. In addition, tools and services that give access to creative outlets still left untapped will find new talent emerge in the community. This activity will offer positive results within the larger community’s socio-economic status.

As Kelly Demers writes in her Kickstarter campaign page:

We’ll provide the tools, business resources and equipment – AFFORDable shared studio facilities such as a print shop and photo lab as well as editing equipment for low/no budget filmmakers and computer workstations for writing, scanning, graphic design & desktop publishing. In addition we’ll give artists regular gallery exposure and opportunities for networking within the community and beyond. The goal of this project is to not only help artists support themselves, but also to directly support the creative economy by creating jobs and opportunities for artists and people within the creative cluster, and to actively engage and enrich several community networks through outreach efforts and regular exposure to the arts.

This modest, yet impactful project holds tremendous promise with the right level of support to ensure its successful launch. You are invited to visit and lend your support at any level you can. The trick with the Kickstarter fundraising is that it is an all-or-nothing gamble. Not reaching the goal, all monies donated are returned, and the challenge is to surpass that goal, which only you can make possible.

Participating can be both financial to reach the goal, or in sharing so the project fundraiser is seen by more people across the web, increasing its opportunity for reaching the right audience able to see this vision through to success. Make a difference, one man is inviting you to join Hudson Valley Art Incubator and support this vision’s goal.

From the archives March 2, 2005

Too often today I read messages, books, and lessons that suggest “do not express your emotions.” Rather, it is expected that I “rise above them” and stay centred. There is some truth to those suggestions but it also ignores some steps.

Over the past two years I have dealt with the emotional turbulence that goes with marital breakdown, starting a business, financial pressure, challenging old belief structures, and discovering my truth for spirituality. Many times I was told, “let it go” and I would ask, “how do you do that?” I rarely received a reply, let alone an adequate one. Most often, I got a dumb look in return. You know the one, kind of a vacant stare.

Let it go is an expression for process. Let it go does not mean ‘do not feel bothered.’ Let it go means to engage, feel, and express your feelings. The danger of not letting go will store those feelings in the body. You’ve heard the warning; don’t bottle up your feelings. Bottled up feelings, stored energy in the body will cause greater and greater turmoil and intensity with each emotional encounter. Give it voice instead and you have let it go.

A baby can be happy in one instant, content, then bubbly and silly, to the loudest screeching at the highest decibels, suddenly laughing delightedly, and finally asleep contentedly. The baby switches gears easily moving from one emotional state to another. The baby gives full expression to the moment. You and I have been taught to not fully embrace or express our emotions. The instructions have been incomplete, contradictory, and self-serving.

• Anger is wrong, sadness is okay.
• Bottling it up is bad so let it go.
• You want a reason to cry? I’ll give you a reason to cry.
• Children are to be seen and not heard.
• You should be grateful for the pain.

Sometimes, these comments and the contradictions make you just want to run and hide from this insane world. You and I grow older, suppressing and controlling our feelings, biting our tongue, and learning to not burden others with emotions. One day, you suffer burnout, a breakdown, anxiety attacks, or a depression. One man I knew was driving home and went completely blank. He forgot who he was, where he lived, how to drive. This pattern of controlled destruction has to stop.

The next challenge is learning to let go as an adult. This requires an ability to communicate effectively and to be in touch with emotions. Too often things build up until a huge tirade and explosion takes out those closest to you and half the neighbourhood block. It becomes an attack instead of an expression of meaning. The attack adds more guilt and sorrow. Seeking forgiveness the sorrow and despair heighten as you are ignored for your outburst. Screaming babies are cooed, hugged, and comforted.

Emotions are important to the human experience. If they weren’t we wouldn’t have them. Don’t deny them. Don’t suppress them. Let them take voice as an expression of who you are, who you are here to be, and what you value. Don’t use them as a weapon to demean, belittle, or be vicious with another person. Emotions are all about you so own it and give them voice. I see a need for this to be learned and integrated back into our social fabric for a healthier society. Be the creative being that you and I were born to be.

Yesterday, I felt my emotions and I gave them voice. In doing so, I also gave voice to the values that I stand for and who I am here to be. I will live my life out loud, I will voice my passions, I will live my vision/dream, and I will be who I AM.

Note: I’m playing with language a bit in order to get to the essence of the experience.

Monday, October 30th, 2006 at approximately 7:45am, I found myself being launched over the handlebars of my bicycle in downtown traffic. Pure awareness was present and time stood still. Even before launch, as the front wheel jammed, awareness saw the inevitable and acted fully. Listening to the body and awareness, I was compelled to commit to the forward trajectory and aid the launch in order to roll through the fall. The mind tried to intervene with all the fears and knowledge of falling, crashing, and the pain to be endured. Only fractions of a second have passed and consciousness puts aside the mind as the inevitable is inevitable. I gently leap forward just so, directing myself and the bike with my hands, as I go into orbit over the bike. Consciousness has already moved to the landing.

My feet are still on the pedals, and hands on the handlebars, as my body is fully extending up and over the handlebars. Awareness sees the path of trajectory leads directly in the middle of the curb, between sidewalk and roadway. Knowing realizes this is not good and awareness immediately assess direction: Left leads to a lamp post, and right leads onto the main road during rush hour traffic. Awareness glances along the lane of oncoming traffic and the lane is clear. Knowing now acts with a directional force between the body and the bike to redirect orbit for a safe landing and roll out onto the roadway. Feet now about a foot off the pedals suddenly become entangled with the bike.

As the trajectory of my fall was altered, the cross force between body and bike, my feet were now getting caught up in the bike going the other way. This caused my weight to pull the bike after me, while the weight of the bike slowed and stalled the trajectory of my fall. Knowing said, “Oh shit, this is going to hurt,” as he realized the forward rotation would not be sufficient to come through the fall unscathed. Suddenly, impact came and for a momentary flash it seemed to be that nothing existed. I wasn’t in my body, I had no sense of existence, I had no experience of pain or impact, only moreso the oomph moment secondarily after impact. It left me wondering. Suddenly consciousness again alerted awareness of the bike following my path and rolling onto my back, I reached out with my injured arm and flung the bike beyond me, still unaware of the extent to my injury.

As I got to my feet I felt the lead weight of my right arm and the throbbing of my entire shoulder. Seeing my bike in the road I reached to pull it up onto the sidewalk and was immediately rendered dead with system overload as all consciousness, awareness, and knowing catching up, focused all attention on the searing pain and abnormal functioning of the right arm at the shoulder. Dropping the bike, turning and stumbling backward, I reached a retaining wall and sat down to catch my breath, regain my balance and vision, and to come back to present. Just then a doctor came to my aid, having seen the accident as she was driving by to work, and within minutes I was checked into emergency.

After x-rays and the once over, I was released with the knowledge that I had severely separated the clavicle and shoulder, all held together by soft tissue and not an actual sockety-type joint. It was suggested that it would take 6-8 weeks to heal, it would be 2-3 weeks before much use returned, and that there was little likelihood that it would heal back to norml. In fact, the follow-up with the specialist suggests that the soft tissues will never reattach themselves in the shoulder. Even so, with intention and some visualization techniques I have focused healing towards that region of the body.

I have followed the urgings of my body, it’s need for rest, for fuel, and for movement. With only occasional pain-killer use the first two-days, I was no longer wearing a sling and could move my arm about with some effort and creativity. A week and a bit later, I’ve regained almost full range of motion and am gradually increasing in strength. Due to the severity of injury, the muscles tire quickly and pain radiates from deep within, although not unbearably. Upon seeing a model of the tissues in the affected region, I continue to focus my visualization and intention on the fullest healing possible, trusting my body, and providing accordingly. And I wait, patiently and gratefully.

Waking up as a little boy the excitement for the day’s adventure pumped through my veins and lit up my eyes. I’d look out the window at the bright sunshine, the hay fields, and the expansive blue skies and magical clouds. Once out in the freedom of the day, with no responsibilities, I’d hop, skip, jump, and run with joy, wonder, and excitement. Somewhere along the way, I began to remember and learnt about cause and effect.

Suddenly, some limitations came into existence. Continuing to grow and mature, I learnt to reason and apply my own critical thinking to situations that may or may not happen. I was creating a new reality within the context of my mind and my past experiences. The horror!

Now, with another level of awareness that has developed, the spiritual awareness, it’s like walking the tight rope between this world we live and work in, and the uninhibited freedom of a child at play. There is something more to this experience of life. We are not just conditioned beasts of labour and love. We are not just confined to living a life sentence in suburbia. There is, and always was, so much more available to us. It exists everywhere, including suburbia, at work, in the mundane, at the most extraordinary and ordinary. The only way I can explain the discovery is to dance.

One day hopeful, the other day destitute, one day in love, the next day hateful, one moment playful, the next moment serious, and one day success, the next day failure. We’re constantly moving and changing. The only constant is the silence, the stillness, the quiet place deep inside where spirit connects spirit. We feel it in the closest moments of intimacy with family or significant others. It is experienced in the greatest profound moment of joy and all words, all senses, all comprehension has escaped us. There is nothing left to figure out, there is only to forget.

Everyday we would do well to forget many of the happenings of our yesterday. No bias, no fear, no limitations, no expectations, just wonder. Wonder and curiosity accompanied by joy and love. This intrigues me greatly. How would tomorrow look? How would my world interact? This ideal leads me to believe that more is available for all of us. As an idealist, many things I say may seem unattainable. This is the peak possibility, of that there is no doubt. While the ideal is beautiful, any measure or occurrence of that ideal is welcome; a grain of salt to flavor each day for a fantastic experience of life. Each day, I need to be that grain of salt too, and dance!

Kiss me, kiss me true
kiss me deep when I’m blue
heal all my warm wet tears
salted sweet over the years
tasted lightly on your tongue
the dream to be forever young
a salty taste of bitter-sweet
a glorious chance we did meet
arm in arm and heart to heart
you’re my heaven, my sweetheart
your touch so soft as to care
the pain gone, no more nightmare
as I feel your loving balm
peace restored my soul to calm
Kiss me, kiss me true
kiss me deep when I’m blue

© 2005 Lee Down, all rights reserved

Days like yesterday and the few before are amazing, inspiring, and wonderful. So many sparks of creativity feeding words and ideas to explore. Turning a phrase, having a laugh, excited about insights, and always learning and creating simultaneously.

This morning I sit here wanting terribly to remember some of those pearls, those delightful gems, to satisfy myself with my connection to some knowledge, wisdom, or creativity that makes me feel excited to be alive. It even makes me feel special.

Alas, I neglected my muse and she is sulking in the corner like my cat after I come home from a trip away. So is the muse a fickle fiend that will trick inspiration? Let’s not say it is so and it may then not be or come true. Let’s say that this was just ‘one-of-those-days’ and the stimulation for the day just hasn’t arrived. Let’s say that there is no fickle-fiend.

Even so, maybe it is time to carry a piece of paper and pen to jot down those little wonders. And if I can speak the ideas aloud without losing the thought, then maybe a voice recorder. The only remaining problem, as I see it, is the spontaneous creativity that requires my computer, camera, or internet access.

I know I don’t want to be wired to big-brother, and yet, gosh, I’d love to have a few gadgets installed.