Today was a great day!

I am so stoked today....yes stoked!

Look..I will even put the definition to stoke!

Stoke
v. stoked, stok·ing, stokes
v. tr.

1. To stir up and feed (a fire or furnace).
2. To feed fuel to and tend the fire of (a furnace).

v. intr.

1. To feed or tend a furnace or fire.
2. Informal. To eat steadily and in large quantities.

resource: Dictionary.com

So yes...I am so stoked and I am feeling so alive. For a minute, I lost connection to my passion in life, which is feeding the furnace of appreciation for art and culture. Today, I had an orientation with the parents and students who will be participating in the Tercera Cultura program that I am coordinating at The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center. I don't know why but I was so nervous. I really don't get too jittery about events. But it went so well and it felt great to be able to connect with people about the importance of art and cultural heritage of The Rio Grande Valley. I absolutely loved it and being able to open up to people about art and how it opens your eyes....God what a rush!!!...And what is even more exciting about this is that I will be teaching a group of 16 students about art and connecting them to the Rio Grande Valley cultural art scene and to their own culture. Hopefully at the end of the program they will feel as stoked as I do.

Art is such a powerful force...powerful and beautiful and so often neglected and under appreciated but once your eyes open...it so overwhelming at times...almost unfathomable to process all at once....I kid you not...because if you look around you right now...just about everything around you has had input by an artist and if not has some sort of aesthetic connection...

Like the computer you are using now...the smooth casing had to be designed by an artist
the color of your wall (even if it is egg white)...the right amount of pigment and binder had to be mixed by guess who..an artist
the pattern on your curtain
the coffee mug
the paper weight
the paper clip
the shoes you wear
the book cover
the rug
the window
the doorknob
the fire extinguisher sign
the fire extinguisher!
the hotel art piece you have up in your bathroom or office
your hair cut

And this is just design...I know I am blurring the lines of what is artistic and what is functional...but isn't blurring lines what an artist is supposed to do? I mean most art becomes successful because it blurred lines and changed perspectives..even Michelangelo and Monet (figuretively speaking) had their moments of blurring.

Well anyways...I am stoked. Have a great week and get stoked about something too!