“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso
I love this sign I found on an adobe wall nestled in a side street of downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. My husband and I visited there last week. We make an annual pilgrimage to see his eldest son and to immerse ourselves in this fascinating environment.
Santa Fe is a magical place, and spending a few days there never ceases to relax, reinvigorate and inspire me. The weather is perfect; warm, sunny, dry days and soft, star soaked nights. The earth toned adobe buildings are human scale; all rounded edges that feel organic and inviting. The spirit of native peoples is palpable, and the art! Is exquisite.
We were in town for Indian Market weekend when master artists and craftspeople from around the country bring their best creations—paintings, jewelry, carvings, clothing, instruments and more for judging and for sale. The town is inundated, literally stall-to-stall and wall-to-wall with magnificent works—and some less pleasing to my eyes. I especially enjoyed the artists who took the time to share the stories behind their creations. But there was so much to take in that it became overwhelming; and I welcomed the afternoon spent in the open country at Georgia O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch, in Abiquiu.
During my travels I found myself pondering the nature of “inspiration”. I use this word freely in the ideation side of my business and design activities that I hope will bring participants to places in their imaginations that will lead to new ideas and business strategies.
Knowing how time “back in the office” can quickly diminish the clarity of sweet memories, I’m noting headline images of a few peak experiences from Santa Fe. Perhaps these will inspire you in some way too and serve as a stimulus for creative thought or action.
- A cooling summer breeze converged with bubbling heat as I immersed myself in a relaxing hot tub at dusk at my favorite spa, Ten Thousand Waves
- A handmade, carved wooden flute, adorned with red feathers, and the haunting tune played by it’s maker
- The majestic “Twin Chimneys” touched by puffy white clouds at Ghost Ranch; a scene often painted by Georgia O’Keeffe
- Dining al fresco at Luminaria fascinated by the contrasting flavors, colors and textures of a bowl of spicy red gazpacho soup surrounding a ball of frozen avocado sorbet
- The sweet smoky smell of sage smudge sticks
- The sculptor who shows me how she painstakingly brings texture to her Hopi woman statue
- A goofy carved wooden bird wearing bright purple sneakers
- Sign on a now defunct The Awakening Museum: “A heart on fire lights the world”
More later.