Increase Creativity Locally

My granddaughter and I took a hike up at Tilden Park’s Jewel Lake on Sunday.  I needed my 30-minute daily walk, and she, a budding high school photographer, needed to shoot some pictures. As we walked and talked, the subject of being in nature and it’s restorative qualities came up. Appreciating the serenity, the clean air and the natural surrounding beauty reminded us both of how lucky we are to be so close to the regional parks, the ocean and the mountains. Being in nature is one way to increase our creativity. First through relaxation, walking off stress, getting back in touch with the natural world and seeing the world as it is meant to be…. not on a screen or monitor. The smell of the damp earth after a recent rain, the sight of autumn trees reflected in the lake, the crunch of fallen leaves as we walked on the path reminded me (yes, I hadn’t noticed…too busy) the seasons were changing and the days were getting shorter.

All of this got us thinking about how cities with their noise, sights and activity are distracting. My granddaughter described being in San Francisco as getting caught up in the mechanism of it. I thought of my favorite cities and how they seemed like living entities, pulsating and visceral.

This discussion led into a description of my two favorite cities in the world, Florence, Italy, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Florence for its feeling of romance, timelessness, architecture and of course, art, the seventy museums and all the masterpieces in the Uffizi.  Art and history are everywhere you walk in Florence! I enjoy Santa Fe for its southwestern desert dryness, the nearby Rio Grande River and Gorge, The Georgia O’Keefe Museum, The Museum of Folk Art and Canyon Trail. Wherever you drive there is art, by the side of road, at the fork in the road, downtown and out of town.

But more than what I see in both of these cities is what I feel when I’m in these two cities. I feel engaged and connected to the city because of the visual art. There is a palpable identity, a flavor that you take with you when you leave these two cities.

Then I thought of El Cerrito. Now we will never be a Santa Fe, New Mexico, or a Florence, Italy, but we do try in our own way to support the art and artists in the community. The with its community and neighborhood participation was pretty awesome. It had a living, breathing energy that brought its own slice of uniqueness. We are also fortunate to have the at the El Cerrito Performing Arts Center, the ever popular CCCT, , with its musicals, the , , the , the , , , and the as well as many other contributors to the local art scene.  I’m anticipating our new public art project will be an additional identity booster. I’m also hoping that when people come through El Cerrito, they’ll be pleasantly surprised by the variety of art, art-supported endeavors and art organizations that give this city its community identity… and when they leave they take a little flavor of our city with them.

Visit http://www.fingadoartgallery.com/blog for more on how Travel Can Increases Creativity