Garnering Good Vibes

Today was an incredibly inspiring day.

I’m currently living in Indianapolis for the next month teaching art camp at Butler, and today between teaching, my teaching pals and I wandered over to Clowes Hall to witness a 40 foot by 20 foot mural being painted by artist Phil O’Malley. This mural will be hung near the main entrance of Clowes, and it is incredible! Erin, Ali, and I wandered into the auditorium where Phil was painting the mural on stage. We explained we’re art students, and he kindly greeted us and proceeded to enthusiastically describe his inspiration for the piece, as well as the process for his painting. 

The artist at work.

The electricity and passion for which he holds in his craft was incredibly evident. His eyes lit up as he explained the field of the canvas he’s painted on so far. Each time he’d lead us to explore an area of the canvas, he’d discover a new way the colors he laid down played with one another, surprising himself. He credited the paint for the work so far, and personified the paint and canvas in a way that brought the whole piece to life. Phil talked a lot about the process in which he paints. He uses different layers of oil paint, spray paint, and turpentine, all of which he squirts onto the canvas in ketchup and mustard bottles, then lets drip. He allows the paint to kind of do what it wants, and he only controls the colors he puts down. He also plans on painting a good deal of the canvas with mops. He said he got this idea after he saw some people mopping up dust on the stage where he’s working. How cool is that?

Talking to Phil and having him show us his technique inspired me so much. The way his entire being lit up as he explained his piece, and observing him as he created, reminded me once again what I love so much about art (and artists in general). I love that art has so much soul in it. Anytime I speak to artists, they get so visibly excited talking about their work and inspiration, that it’s clear they truly love what they’re doing; that they’re creating not only because they love to create, but because they have to. They have to create in order to feel complete. That’s such a beautiful thing. I’m so thankful Phil shared his passion with me today, and helped remind me what I love about creating. 

A close up.

The piece should be up in August, but until then, Phil will be painting every day over the next few weeks, so feel free to stop by if you’re in the area.

Another inspiring note: Indiana legalized gay marriage today. This world is pretty cool.

Where I've Been

Happy Saturday to all! I haven’t posted in a really long time, and that is because I have been a tad busy. Let me fill you in on my life as of late.

If you follow me on Twitter, you would have seen I tweeted about writing for a blog called U lala. U lala is a fashion and lifestyle blog focused on college students and fun things to do around a college campus. I obviously write for the Butler branch, and am quite excited to contribute to this site. It is really pretty to look at and the posts range from music recommendations (like my Music Monday posts), to DIY crafts, to cool things to do around each school’s campus. Check it out. I promise you’ll like it. Here’s my first post for the site.

My student's sketch of me. #SoProud

I was also busy this past week because I was back at Butler teaching an art camp. The camp was through the Butler Women’s Volleyball Camp that was going on. The kids played volleyball in the morning and then I had them for art in the afternoon. I was incredibly nervous going into the week because I had never taught art to anyone before, let alone a group of 16 seven to ten-year-olds. Luckily, all of the kids were super well behaved and loved all of the projects we did. A few of the kids told me I looked like Carly Rae Jepson, one girl drew me in her sketchbook, and a few others proudly exclaimed they loved art. Needless to say, it was a great week.

Now I’m back at home and anxiously awaiting my trip to Lollapalooza next week. I will definitely blog about that, so watch out if that interests you at all. I have also read some good books lately, so I will blog about those later in the week.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend :)

A Trip to Indiana

Happy Saturday to all! Sorry I have not been posting too much on here. I have a lot of stuff I want to talk about, so I will most certainly get back to posting several times a week.

Earlier this week, I went to Westfield, Indiana to visit my (former) roommate, Ashni, as well as my good friends Katie and Brandon. It was so, so great to see the three of them because I missed them quite a bit. On the second day of my visit, Ashni, Katie, and I went out to lunch with my (former) RA, Kelly.

Katie, Ashni, and me

Ashni and I became great friends with Kelly this past year, and since Katie was always in our room, she did too. After we went out to lunch, we went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I went and saw the Ai Wei Wei exhibit, and it was glorious! I am going to blog about that next week, so keep an eye out for that!

After the museum, we took Kelly back to Butler where she is taking summer classes and being an RA for the other summer class takers on campus. Being back at school, even for a short amount of time, was really refreshing. I am quite enjoying being home, but I deeply missed my friends from school.

Kelly, me, and Ashni

Highlights from the trip: 1. When at lunch with Kelly, I had an allergic reaction of sorts to what I was eating. My throat and lips were really tingly and tickly. It was strange.
2. When driving home on Thursday night, I was caught in a treacherous rainstorm!! There was no rain for a very long time, then I drove under a little bridge underpass, and when I emerged, the downpour began! It was intense.

Have a righteous weekend, and thanks for reading :)

Music Monday: Alabama Shakes

Happy Music Monday to all! For any new readers, my name is Bekah. I blog for Butler University, but decided to start a different blog for the summer. You can check out my Butler blog here. Every Monday, I blog about music that I recommend to my readers, dubbing it Music Monday. This Music Monday is dedicated to the Alabama Shakes.

The Alabama Shakes are an American rock band from Alabama. They formed in 2009 and have released one album, Boys and Girls. The group was nominated for three Grammy's this year for Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance, and Best Recording Package. Their debut song was "Hold On," but some of their songs have gained notoriety as well. Their song "Always Alright" was featured in the film Silver Linings Playbook. Righteous.

The Alabama Shakes are incredibly soulful and just make me feel good when I hear them. I have not heard a huge amount of their music, but what I have heard is really good. A few of my favorites by them are down below. Check em out!

Thanks for reading and have a great week :)

Hold On

Always Alright

Boys and Girls