When I go to see a theater or art show, I wonder where the work came from. What part of the brain was most involved in the creation of this work?
Sometimes a dance show is about a performer proving to themselves that they are beautiful. This can be so healing for someone who was told at some point in their life that they weren’t beautiful. This performance ritual becomes an alchemic practice in self-love.
Sometimes an art show is a political response to the way things are and provides an alternate potential. These artworks are clever, strategic, and logical. Some of these works liberate my mind.
At some point, I realized that all of my artworks were about feeling …producing the conditions that would elicit a particular feeling. My choreography is an experience design for the performers and the audience.
The movements are not there to make anyone look good - although I enjoy beauty and visual balance. The movements are not there to show virtuosity - although I love to be inspired and impressed. They are there to make the mover feel a specific way and the audience to sense that through their mirror neurons.
My sculptures are experience designs for the person moving on them and for the person watching. The sculptures are pleasing to look at, but the primary reason for the form is not the shape. The first reason is the feeling in the body. I want to make things that feel good, connecting, empowering, powerful, or intimate.
When I began guiding Creative Journeys, I realized that I was doing the same thing. I was using art and psychedelic practice to deliver a feeling that would result in transformation. Sometimes we need to have the feeling to know something is possible.
In order to do this, I draw on my lifelong habit of deeply experiencing other people’s feelings and imagining what would feel better. I could always sense the darkness that people didn’t describe in words, but now it was actually useful. I could now see their darkness as layers of smog or pollution covering their pristine spirits. Then I design an experience that removes the smog.