CREATIVE DC

Rats to Ruts

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:15:00 +0000

Ruts suck (to put a fine point on it). And this is the time of year when they really like to rear their very ugly heads. The sky is grey, the air is cold, and the world - and your life - can suddenly seem very uninspiring. I'm increasingly realizing that when I feel this way, I need to write -- I need to take that energy I used to put into Figuring Out What's Next into writing.

I also find that changing up my routine can do wonders for my perspective - an idea that artist Keri Smith echoed recently on her blog, Wish Jar. After all, as my friend Zack once said, "If you're not having fun, it's your own fault. " Harsh, but true!

What do you do to help get yourself out of a rut?

Follow Creative DC on Twitter

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:33:00 +0000

(Obama poster spoof for Twitter nerds like me courtesy of comicbase on Flickr)

Hi there. So lately I've been hearing about a number of cool events at the last minute, and have been posting info about them via my Creative DC Twitter account, rather than here on the blog, figuring that no one's going to attend an event based on a blog post published only a couple hours before.

Of course, the chances that you'll be able to attend based on a last-minute "tweet" (the term for a Twitter post - I know, it's absurd) aren't that much greater, but maybe you'll see the update on your phone, or at least be able to help spread the word by "re-tweeting" my update.

I also post miscellaneous links of interest to Twitter, and increasingly I feel like if you're interested in this blog, there's a good chance you'd be interested in my tweets, so I thought I'd say as much. And now I have.

If you have no idea what Twitter is, and have no desire to find out, I apologize for invading your brain with this stuff on an otherwise perfectly peaceful Friday afternoon. :)

If you don't know about Twitter, but ARE interested in learning about it, then I suggest creating an account for yourself, and following me :) and 5-10 other folks for a week or so, to get a sense of it. I find that it's impossible to explain its appeal, but that most people end up loving it once they give it a try.

FotoWeek DC

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:03:00 +0000

Don't miss FotoWeek DC (the misspelling pains me - I'm such a nerd), running November 15-22. Galleries all over the city are offering photography-centered exhibits, along with workshops, mentoring sessions and other programming. (Photographers: note that you can sign up for a porfolio review by "industry giants" this Saturday, November 15...details here.)

Two exhibits recommended by friends:

Fixation at Fight Club (yes, "Fight Club"! apparently there is such a place, at 1250 9th St. NW) "These nine photographers each create a narrative with a short series of images, building the viewer a bridge between the image of our nation's capital and the people actually living inside it. Their photographs inspect our city's subculture [emphasis mine! -Amanda] and the people who thrive in it, whether it is the pure ecstasy of a public baptism or the discovery of an elusive quiet moment as 18th Street rages nearby. What they all have in common is a fixation on the individual in the hands of a much bigger picture."

Women by Women at Sewall-Belmont House: "The women of the Women Photojournalists of Washington craft a visual journey through the lives of women and girls around the world. From the desperation of an emergency room in Haiti, to an ordered classroom in China; from the bubble gum pink of a girls bathroom during a middle school dance, to a whitewashed detention center on Mexico's border– moments of beauty, humor and darkness present themselves in their rawest form."

You can also check out the FotoWeek DC photo stream on Flickr.

Personal Artifacts

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Last week some friends-of-friends who were watching election night results at our house were all agog over Jordan's universal remote (pictured above). "If you were trying to figure out who Jordan was, and all you had to work off of was a collection of objects, this would be one of them," I said. I'm not sure what moved me to put it quite that way, but when Jordan and I were talking about it later, we agreed that the universal remote was, in fact, a critical Jordan artifact. Amanda artifacts might include:

My journal
A pillow, or eyemask
My yoga mat
A copy of "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman ("do I contradict myself? very well then, I contradict myself - I am large, I contain multitudes...)
Evidence of dark chocolate consumption

Then Keri Smith over at Wish Jar wrote about how sometimes she carries her favorite books with her, not to re-read, but in the hopes they'll influence her thinking or mood.

What artifacts would you choose to represent yourself to a stranger, or an anthropologist of the future? And what objects help you feel like yourself, bringing out your best feelings and ideas?

A Poem for Today

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:49:00 +0000

History says, Don't hope
on this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
the longed for tidal wave
of justice can rise up,
and hope and history rhyme.

--from "The Cure at Troy," by Seamus Heaney - read more of the poem here (thanks, Kate, for pointing this out to me!)

DC Celebrates Obama's Victory

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:23:00 +0000

This only captures the celebrations in the U Street area - I'll add links to other photos and videos from around the city as I find them.

What an awesome, awesome night. I truly feel lighter today, and more hopeful...like despite our differences, there are in fact some common values that unite at least a majority of us. And I believe that President Obama will win over many Americans who may not have voted for him, but will see that he cares about them and their needs - he's not just interested in serving his supporters (unlike a certain shrub of a President we've had for the past 8 years....)

Don't worry, I'm not turning this into a politics blog. But if I'm going to write about creativity in the nation's capital, it's impossible not to note the jolt of energy and hope that Obama's victory has given to so many of us. He's helping to fuel some incredible creativity to come.

Added 11.6.08: Check out Huffington Post's detailed account of DC celebrating Obama's victory on the night of the election. They quote DCist's Somner Mathis saying, "This wasn't the kind of aggressive crowd a big city can sometimes get in the aftermath of a major sports championship. Washington was joyous. In those early morning hours, there was nothing but love between neighbors. At the very site of the worst of the 1968 riots, there was dancing instead."

Documenting Your Vote

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:58:00 +0000

'Just a quick post to let you know about a couple of cool projects designed to showcase individuals' experiences at the polls:

Video Your Vote from PBS/You Tube
New York Times' Polling Place Photo Project

So far, neither site has any submissions from DC. According to the Citizen Media Law Project, DC law doesn't explicitly prohibit recording at polling places, but because I have no desire to go to jail, please understand that I am not a legal expert and you need to decide for yourself whether DC law allows such activity!

I'll post links to any interesting videos and/or photos from the DC area that I discover on either site, or elsewhere online...and please send any links my way, or share them using the comments feature below.

See also: my blog post for P.O.V. (a PBS indie film series) about documenting election '08 online. I've recently started blogging for P.O.V. every other week about the intersection between documentary filmmaking and the Web - everything from how filmmakers are using the Web, to the art of documentary storytelling online, using tools like blogs and content-sharing sites like Flickr. Check it out!

Happy Halloween!

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:37:00 +0000

This week has been a bear. I apologize for the radio silence! I'm on the road now, for a little R&R with some friends, and had to login quickly to say Happy Halloween. I'm actually in Salem, MA and hope to see lots of witches (and Sarah Palin impersonators)(wait, what's the difference, again?) roaming the streets tonight. Hope you have something fun planned - if you're looking for a last-minute tip, check out Speakeasy DC's 'Ween in the Woods, and tell Amy (the lady in charge) that I sent ya. Otherwise, type to you again next week, post-election, as my life resumes its normal shape. (And my weekly events round-ups return - thanks to everyone for your emails and suggestions!)

P.S. A newcomer to DC emailed me to ask for recommended painting and/or advanced drawing classes. Help me out, gentle readers!

Elections and Art

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Sorry I've been MIA folks - the election has put me in a tailspin. I'm afraid to get my hopes up - I'm afraid, period. I want so much to believe the polling trends that show Obama pulling ahead by wide margins, but this country has let me down over and over again these past eight years (and Gore was ahead by double digits at this point in the 2000 race). If McCain wins next Tuesday, I won't be surprised, but I will be devastated.

But it's at challenging times like these when our tools as artists and creative people can be most powerful, right? (It took me a couple weeks of wallowing/paralysis to find this hopeful perspective...)

Tell me how you're channeling your thoughts and feelings about the election into your art, and/or send me examples you've seen of how others are doing this. For example, my friend Jaime told me about 30 Reasons, an email/Web campaign in which graphic artists design a poster a day for the 30 days leading up to the election, with each poster depicting a reason to vote for Obama. My favorite poster (so far) is pictured above; the artist is Frank Chimero of Springfield, Missouri. In his artist's statement, Chimero writes:

"This election is about one thing: Fear versus Empowerment. Please choose wisely."

Of course, art can also provide escape - and sometimes, amidst information overload, allowing the mind to dwell on something other than the news of the world is the key to sanity. Losing yourself in a gallery or theater for a few hours might allow you to emerge recharged and ready to give more to the world.

Have you been using art to escape this election, or to engage it head on?

Odds and Ends

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:39:00 +0000

Confession: I am too obsessed with the election right now to write anything of substance. But here are a few odds and ends:

As part of its Ethics and War reading series, on Monday, October 27 Theater J will present a dramatic reading of depositions on water-boarding. Details here.
For those of you who've asked me to feature more dance events (Trish!): check out Dakshina/ Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company in the closing performances of the Dance Festival of Indian Arts this weekend at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U Street). Details (and advance ticket purchases) here.

(Also, while we're on the subject of dance - and we are! - mark your calendars for the BollyBlend! dance show at Atlas Performing Arts on November 1.)
There's a Film Marketing & Distribution Seminar happening this Saturday, October 25, at Lounge 201 (201 Mass Ave NE). I don't know Gallant Films, the folks hosting the seminar, but it looks like it will cover a good range of topics -- from how to read a licensing memo, to why distributors who look exciting on paper might not make you any money. Josh of Gallant Films writes:
"(We) taught our first one-day seminar in New York in May, and had great response from the filmmakers who attended. We decided to bring the class to DC, my home town, after I attended SilverDocs in June and realized how many filmmakers are working in DC, Maryland and Virginia."
To get the discount price of $99, use discount code JOSH50. For more information, contact Gallant Films - tell 'em I sent you! (and let me know how it is!)

I got an email about a wonderful-sounding student project called "Animated Poems" - animated interpretations of teen poetry, with the animation and music also created by teens. There's a screening at Paint Branch High School on October 28 at - wait for it - 9:15 am.

Given the hour, I don't expect too many of you will be rushing to attend, but I was just really taken with the project's scope and creativity; I hope to write more about it in the future. For now, if you're interested in learning more, contact the school's artist in residence, Leila Cabib, who helped usher students through the project.

(On the subject of student art - check out how artist Keri Smith just used her blog this week to raise money to donate her book, Wreck This Journal, to a class of fourth graders...)
Stay tuned for more coverage here on Creative DC of what I like to call "creative activism" - people addressing social problems in creative ways (for example, local Drew Chafetz, who was recently in touch with me about his new project, Love.Futbol, which aims to create soccer fields for kids in impoverished areas worldwide -- see the WaPo write-up about his work).

This week, a shout-out to Linda Quirk, a woman who is running seven races on seven continents to raise $1 Million for addiction treatment scholarships to Caron. She'll be running through DC this Friday and Saturday. (Full disclosure: one of my best friends works for Caron, and sent me this info.)

And with that - I'm back to channeling most of my mental energy to the election.

Wondering if She Still Has Feelings - The Sequel

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:12:00 +0000

A little over a year ago, I wrote about a love-at-first-sight encounter with a piece called "Wondering If She Still Has Feelings" (pictured above) by local artist Bridget Sue Lambert. After that, Bridget and I started chatting online, and sensing the depth of my ardor, I think, she ended up offering me a discount on said piece. It now sits proudly in my foyer, waiting for me to figure out where in my home it ultimately belongs. I am as riveted as I was on the day we first met. Every time I look at it, my heart soars a little bit.

When have you finally gotten a piece of art you longed for?

Roundup: Stuff To Do This Week

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Here's this week's roundup of "weekly picks" from washingtonpost.com, DCist, City Paper, washingtonian.com and miscellaneous local blogs.

My recommended event of the week:

Cruel 2 B Kind DC, a live public game/event:

"In an election year, bitter rivals cut each other down with compliments. Crowds barrage bystanders with cheers. Innocents are caught in the crossfire of congratulations.

In the Capital City, nothing is crueler than a random act of kindness.

On October 18th, 2-4 PM, join other benevolent assassins on the National Mall, and find out why it's Cruel to be Kind.

Stick around afterwards to celebrate with your rivals and victims, and meet new friends in DC!"

Learn more about Cruel 2 B Kind DC, and watch the video of Cruel 2 Be Kind San Francisco.

Other events this week:

General

Free and Easy Events from washingtonpost.com
Nightlife Agenda from washingtonpost.com
This Week in Washington Nightlife from washingtonian.com
City Lights: This Week's Best from Washington City Paper

Comedy, Theater, Performance

Tonight at 7:30 pm: Laura Zam's Solo Performance Showcase at DCAC on 18th St. NW. Students from the fabulous Zam's solo performance class (which I took last spring, and loved) perform 5-minute pieces they've written and rehearsed over the past six weeks. Zam is an amazing performer and teacher and she knows how to help even the newbiest newbie give a compelling performance. And it's free!
The Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard, at Studio Theatre (through 10.26). Jordan and I saw this last week and it is truly the best play I have seen in years. Per the Studio website, the play is "about art and adversity. Fugard tells the story of two strong-willed women—an elderly artist and a young teacher -- and the struggle for independence at every stage of life." I highly recommend it.
Saturday and Sunday at 4pm: Daniel MacIvor, writer and director of The Studio 2ndStage's current production of A Beautiful View, will direct a free reading of his newest work, Confession.

Film

Film Festivals! The Human Rights Film Series starts today; Reel Affirmations Film Festival starts tomorrow. (My friend John highly recommends Pageant, which is screening Sunday night at AFI Silver as part of Reel Affirmations - here's his review, after seeing it at the Wisconsin Film Fest, and here's the trailer.)

Music

Weekly Music Agenda from DCist
Listen Up! from washingtonian.com
This Week in Hip Hop from DCist
Classical Music Agenda from DCist

Mark Your Calendars!

November 1: BollyBlend! dance shows at the Atlas Performing Arts Center
Starting October 20, a range of crafty classes at TranquiliT - Sewing 101, Knitting Crash Course and more

Also on the horizon, of course, is HALLOWEEN! Get pumpkin-carving inspiration from the Creative DC archives, check out the DIY Halloween Contest over at Instructables, peruse washingtonian.com's Guide to Halloween in Washington, and stay tuned for more Halloween goodness here at Creative DC in the days and weeks ahead.

As always - send event listings I missed to amanda@creativedc.org, or submit a comment below

Public Art Project: For and Against

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:46:00 +0000

Over the weekend, Jordan and I came across a public art project I'd read about in the Post. Here's how it works: local artist Linda Hesh sets up benches displaying the words "For" and "Against" (see Jordan sitting on the "Against" bench, above), and invites people to write down something they are "for" or "against," then takes their photograph on the appropriate bench. You can browse a gallery of the photographs, and get a sense of the issues that matter most to your fellow Washingtonians - from doughnuts (for) to genocide (against) - on Hesh's website, where she also posts a schedule of where the benches will appear. The project wraps up on election day.

More on public art:

...from the Creative DC archives:

The "You Don't Need It" project by the Anti-Advertising Agency

..from around the web:

"The United States of Art," a public art map
The aptly titled "DC Creates Public Art" blog
The aptly titled "Metro Arts" website (art on the Metro)

Creative DC Profile: Olivia Mancini

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:09:00 +0000

When I emailed prolific DC musician Olivia Mancini to see if she was interested in doing an interview for Creative DC, I never imagined we'd end up having so much in common. It turns out we both grew up in the DC area, and have both deepened our commitment to growing DC's creative community in response to seeing artist friends leave for New York and other cities. "I bristle when well-meaning people suggest that I move to New York or L.A. for my career, because 'nothing really happens' in Washington," Mancini says. "Well, let's make something happen!"

Amen. We talked over email about day jobs, finding artistic collaborators and tapping into the creative life of DC.

How did you go from being someone who liked to make music to someone who was in a band (or, "bands" in your case!) and actually performing? Was there a period when you thought performing was just a pipe dream, or did you always know it was something you would and could do?

There was no time lost for me between learning how to make music and getting a band together. I played classical music through childhood and then got a guitar and a chord book right before I went to college. I started writing songs, bad songs, right away, because I liked to sing and I wasn’t good enough to play songs anyone else had written. For about a semester, it was just me and a girl on my hall playing guitar and bass in my dorm room, with me singing through the karaoke function on my stereo. I was hooked right away. I went home for the summer, spent all my money on questionable music equipment, and filled out the band when I got back to school so that we could start performing live.

Do you make a living from your music, or do you need to do other jobs to supplement your income?

It is possible to make money by making music. But among my musician friends, it goes without saying that one has to have, as I do, a way to supplement that income. Being a touring musician poses a particular challenge to keeping one’s “day job,” because you’re constantly in and out of town, sometimes on short notice. I’ve had a series of understanding employers (one was my dad for a number of years), but the internet is the most understanding employer of all. I teach a class online, and that I can do from anywhere, any time. I also teach guitar lessons at a cool music school where all the instructors are in bands and the students are primed to hear, “I’ll be doing your lesson today because Olivia’s in the studio,” or at a show. Making that part of it work, finding a job you can keep, is definitely part of solving the overall puzzle.

A lot of articles about your band, Olivia & The Housemates, make it sound like you just lucked into meeting your musical collaborators. You knew Ed Donohue, and then it turned out that all of his housemates and you really gelled musically. Would you chalk that up to luck? What advice would you give local musicians who are struggling to find people who they really click with musically?

My advice is just to be confident about meeting and playing with other musicians, and to keep playing with people until you find an arrangement that works. The Housemates/housemates situation was lucky, for sure, because it was one-stop-band-shopping at one house. But I had been playing on and off with Ed and our trumpet player Dan Swenson for years, and I knew our old drummer Jon Roth from his work in Meredith Bragg & the Terminals, so I was pretty familiar with these guys as players.

Sometimes, though, it really is just serendipity that brings people together: Martin Royle, the singer in the Washington Social Club, found drummer Randy Scope through a City Paper ad. Randy and I played together in the Social Club for five years, and he’s now the drummer in the Housemates–and one of my best friends!

So, I would say I’ve had excellent luck finding people to play with. But you have to be open to playing with people, and willing to try a lot of different scenarios to find out what works, and also be honest about what’s not working. Logistically, City Paper and Craigslist ads can be very helpful.

What brought you to DC? What were your first impressions of the city when you moved here?

I am one of the few DC natives who stuck around. I grew up here, but rediscovered the city as an adult when I moved back after college. I found immediately a pretty robust music scene, in the sense that there were surely plenty of people who played in bands and wanted to make music and build a creative community in Washington. The problem: most of those people “grew up” or gave up or moved away. I have lost a lot of friends and collaborators to New York, in particular, but also Baltimore, Philadelphia and the West Coast, where they tell me that living a creative lifestyle is easier.

Perhaps it’s because I grew up here, but I bristle when well-meaning people suggest that I move to New York or L.A. for my career, because “nothing really happens” in Washington. Well, let’s make something happen! Starting with the idea that it’s okay to live in DC and not have a 9-5 job and that it’s okay to keep making music or art past the age of 28. To cultivate the artistic community that is already here and to attract new members, we need more affordable housing and studio spaces here to make the city a feasible place for artists to live. Easier said than done, of course, but maybe the change in attitude just needs to come first.

Have your impressions of DC changed over time?

Despite my ranting and raving above, I think Washington has come a long way since I moved back here in 2001. I’d like to see more independent development, of course, like the Big Bear Café in Eckington, rather than Cinnabon-Best Buy-Ruby Tuesdays conglomerate up in Columbia Heights. But, in fairness, the last few years have seen new life breathed into neighborhoods that were suffering from under-use and neglect. And I think that can only be viewed as a positive.

Any final thoughts on living a creatively fulfilling live here in DC?

Don’t give up, and instead of being discouraged about the lack of options, create a new option. Talk to your neighborhood Starbucks about displaying local art. Fill out the city paperwork to hold a free concert in Malcolm X Park. Collect some poems and stories from your writing friends and run off a collection that you leave out on the info table at Busboys & Poets. It is definitely possible to live creatively in Washington–or anywhere, for that matter–but the initiative has to come from you. At least, this is what I remind myself of every day.

Olivia will be performing at the Josephine Butler House as part of the Tranquil Space Foundation fundraising gala on Thursday, October 16. Buy tickets here. For more performance dates or to buy Olivia's CDs, check out her website: oliviamancini.com.

Read interviews with other DC artists:

Map painter and bike messenger Ian Lorson
Heavy Metal Parking Lot filmmaker Jeff Krulik
Improviser Topher Bellavia

Roundup: Stuff To Do This Week

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:17:00 +0000

Here's this week's roundup of "weekly picks" from washingtonpost.com, DCist, City Paper, washingtonian.com and miscellaneous local blogs.

My recommended event of the week:

What: McGoddess: Big Macs, Karma and the American Dream, a one-woman show by stand-up comedian Vijai Nathan, who mortified her traditional Indian parents by giving up a career in journalism, cancelling her wedding, and becoming a stand-up comedian (and says she hasn't looked back since)

When: Friday, October 10 at 7:30pm

Where: True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street NW (view map)

How much: $15 (buy in advance or at the door)

Other events this week:

General

Free and Easy Events from washingtonpost.com
Nightlife Agenda from washingtonpost.com
City Lights: This Week's Best from Washington City Paper

Comedy, Theater, Performance

MacHomer (Macbeth meets The Simpsons) at Woolly Mammoth Theater Company (October 8-12)
McGoddess (see above)
McMenamins - just kidding, this is in Oregon. I just got carried away with the Mcs.

Music

Galleries & Art Happenings

Arty Stuff This Week from Hoogrrl!

Opportunities for Artists:

Workshop: Funding For Individual Artists - next Tuesday, October 14 at the Foundation Center
Call for Submissions: Subcontinental Drift, a collective of South Asian American artists and organizers, is looking for submissions to its February 2009 exhibit, "Positive Exposure: Redefining Jihadis, Macacas and Freedom-Loving People." Get the details.

Mark Your Calendars!

Film Festivals! The Human Rights Film Series starts October 15; Reel Affirmations Film Festival starts the very next day
Crafty classes at TranquiliT - Sewing 101, Knitting Crash Course and more

Also on the horizon, of course, is HALLOWEEN! Check out the DIY Halloween Contest over at Instructables, and stay tuned for more Halloween goodness here at Creative DC in the days and weeks ahead.

As always - send event listings I missed to amanda@creativedc.org, or submit a comment below.

Columbia Heights Day

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Yesterday Cosmo and I decided to check out Columbia Heights Day (Cosmo is very community-minded), and let me tell you - we were disappointed.

On the heels of Adams Morgan Day, with its blocks of tents featuring artists, restaurants, and community organizations, the dozen or so tents spread across the Harriet Tubman Elementary soccer field for Columbia Heights Day just felt underwhelming. There were no artists in sight, though I was happy to encounter a few local arts organizations, including the new Tonic Arts program ("Tonic" as in, the restaurant in Mount Pleasant - wait, a Mount Pleasant establishment at Columbia Heights Day?! This made our brains hurt a little bit. Cosmo is pretty literal-minded...)

But we made the best of things. After quickly perusing the CH Day tents - and pausing at the "Poop The Potato" lawn game (nothing says community like excreting a spud) - we continued on to the Wonderland Ballroom, where we enjoyed sitting on the shady patio and people-watching (the mayor even walked by at one point!). When we got tired of that one dog sniffing our butt (we hate that, and by the way, why didn't someone tell its owner to use a leash?), we meandered around the 'hood, and came upon a "costume yard sale" roundabout 13th and Irving.

Talk about community spirit! People of all ages dug into boxes full of wigs, masks, and various rubber body parts, and chimed in with their contributions to the running group commentary. "Yeah, man, you make a really good Freddy Krueger! Oh hey, here's the hat that goes with that...." In all seriousness, it was pretty cool. Here's a picture I took of a creepy-looking clown mask:

The moral of the story: the happy buzz of community isn't always in the obvious place, but if you keep walking, you'll usually find it.

And with that - Cosmo and I are off to poop some taters.

The Power of Retreat

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:32:00 +0000

Jordan, Cosmo and I are currently in Rehoboth for a few days, and let me just tell you - the pleasures of being at the beach in the off season are not to be missed. The weather is storybook perfect - crisp air, blue skies, sunshine - and Cosmo is allowed on every inch of the beach, where he has been having the time of his life prowling about, playing fetch, and basking like a seal in the sun. There's hardly anyone else here, and the stress I was carrying with me just a few days ago has detached from my shoulders and floated out into the stratosphere.

I highly recommend planning mini-retreats for yourself every couple months (if not more frequently!) - a change of scenery can be such a powerful way to recharge your batteries and refocus on what matters most. A retreat can be a daytrip or even just an afternoon in the park. What are your favorite local places to retreat?

(Pictured above: a heron we spotted at Gordon's Pond, in Cape Henlopen State Park)

Roundup: Stuff To Do This Week

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:38:00 +0000

Here's this week's roundup of "weekly picks" from washingtonpost.com, DCist, City Paper, washingtonian.com and miscellaneous local blogs.

My recommended event of the week:

What: The Space Invaders closing night party, featuring performances by Holly Bass and Yoko K

When: Friday, October 3, from 7pm-12am

Where: Dissident Display Gallery, 416 H St. NE

Why: Because the concept behind the Space Invaders exhibit is so interesting (read "th e concept" on this page), Holly Bass sounds like a fascinating performer, and any event co-sponsored by Phillipa (aka The Pink Line Project) is bound to be stimulating

Other events this week:

General

Free and Easy Events from washingtonpost.com
Nightlife Agenda from washingtonpost.com
City Lights: This Week's Best from Washington City Paper (updates Wednesdays)

Music

Weekly Music Agenda from DCist
This Week in Hip-Hop from DCist
Classical Music Agenda from DCist
Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music (through October 5)

Galleries & Art Happenings

Arty Stuff This Week from Hoogrrl!

Literary

Reader, Meet Author

Fairs & Festivals

Columbia Heights Day - Saturday, October 4
Small Press Expo - Saturday, October 4-Sunday, October 5

What am I missing? Email me at amanda@creativedc.org, or submit a comment.

Creative DC Gallery

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:46:00 +0000

As I've mentioned, I'm working on a redesign of Creative DC. One of the new features I'm planning is a photo gallery showcasing the best/most interesting photos of DC that I come across on Flickr. Here's the most basic version of the gallery, featuring my current "favorites":

So here's my question: do you wish you could see the photo titles? Author names? My reasons for liking the images? Or is it enough to know, generally, that they're my favorite DC images from Flickr, and that you can click through to learn more about an image on the Flickr site itself?

Let me know your thoughts! (Also, if there are examples of slideshows you really like on other sites, I'd love to see 'em.)

Thanks :)

Killer Stress

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:48:00 +0000

'Just wanted to point you to an article I wrote about "Stress: Portrait of a Killer," a show that aired last night on PBS. (One of the things the show illustrates is that for both humans and other primates, social rank is a big indicator of stress; hence the baboon photo above.)

As I recently mentioned, I decided this summer that I wanted to shift the balance of my freelance work toward more writing and editing, and away from project management. Well, let me just say: while I worked for PBS for years, and continue to freelance for them as an editor, I've never had my own work published there before -- and it's a great feeling. The fact that it means so much to me tells me I'm onto something...

Here's my article, and here's a website about the show (and the research behind it).

Pumpkin-carving ideas

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:20:00 +0000

It's that time of year again!

Check out my post from last year on pumpkin-carving ideas, and send in photos of your own creations!

At left: Jordan's homage to Homer Simpson, from Halloween '02.

D'oh.

Roundup: Stuff To Do This Week

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:19:00 +0000

Here's this week's roundup of "weekly picks" from washingtonpost.com, DCist, City Paper, washingtonian.com and miscellaneous local blogs.

Plus, my recommended event of the week:

Crafty Bastards arts and crafts fair!

This SUNDAY! Get the details!

General

Free and Easy Events from washingtonpost.com
Nightlife Agenda from washingtonpost.com
Weekend Picks from washingtonian.com
City Lights: This Week's Best from Washington City Paper

Comedy

Thursday: iMusical at Source
Friday: POTUS Among Us, JINX* and more at Source
Saturday, POTUS Among Us- closing night!

(* = featuring yours truly; Friday is JINX's last show til December!)

Music

Galleries & Art Happenings

Arty Stuff This Week from Hoogrrl!

What am I missing? Email me at amanda@creativedc.org, or submit a comment.

New look for Creative DC

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:47:00 +0000

Hi party people! If you're reading this via RSS feed, I encourage you to take a quick peek at the actual Creative DC website, which as of the wee hours of last night is sporting a snazzy new look. This is actually an interim step towards a much larger redesign in the works, but for now, I'm happy to have a more polished look that feels more in line with the "vibe" of the blog. I hope you like it! Big thanks to Christina Descaro (design) and Jordan (implementation - poor guy's a back-end programmer and was up til 1am screwing around with CSS to get this implemented). Speaking of which - if you or someone you know is handy with CSS/XHTML, and would be interested in helping me with the larger redesign, please let me know!

Fabulous Fall Day

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:58:00 +0000

That's it: I need a cell phone with a camera. Today I saw so many things I wanted to share: a sign for bathroompoet.net in, well, a bathroom, at a wonderful Takoma Park spa; brightly colored bungalows, also in TP; people dancing in a parking lot; a guy teaching his girlfriend how to ride a motorcycle; men eating Italian ices out of Chinese take-out boxes, in Mount Pleasant; and so much more. It was one of those vibrant days when everything leaves its mark. Now, I'm off to sample cocktails and a mushroom-fantastic menu at PS-7, thanks to a tip from metrocurean, then a late-night improv show at Source. A fabulous fall day...

Roundup: Stuff To Do This Week

amanda@creativedc.org (Amanda) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Here's this week's roundup of "weekly picks" from washingtonpost.com, DCist, City Paper, washingtonian.com and miscellaneous local blogs. [Above: poster for She-Ha: Princesses of Power, a showcase of kick-ass comediennes at the Improv on Saturday 9.20, hosted by my (hilarious) friend Aparna Nancherla)]

General

Free and Easy Events from washingtonpost.com
Nightlife Agend a from washingtonpost.com
Weekend Pick s from washingtonian.com
City Lights: This Week's Best from Washington City Paper

Comedy

Thursday: iMusical at Source
Friday: POTUS Among Us, JINX* and more at Source
Saturday, She-Ha: Princesses of Power, a showcase of kick-ass comediennes at the Improv, hosted by my (hilarious) friend Aparna Nancherla

(* = featuring yours truly)

Music

Literary

Reader, Meet Author from DCist

Galleries & Art Happenings

Washington DC International Arts Expo
Arty Stuff This Week from Hoogrrl!

What am I missing? Email me at amanda@creativedc.org, or submit a comment.