Peace One Day 2021

Drrrrrumroll, please !

Introducing the artists of this year’s Peace Day Celebration !

Honored to be working with these super talented individuals and so excited to share their creations with you.

International Peace Day is September 21st and we will be performing in Atlanta, the weekend prior, bringing you music, dance, poetry, and more.

When : Saturday, September 18th

Time : 6:00 PM

Where : Aatma Dance Studio, Chamblee

UPDATE : IN-PERSON TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT !! But you can still grab your virtual ticket and enjoy the show livestreamed. $10 via Venmo : @Rene-Nesbit

All ticket sales go directly to supporting the global Peace One Day movement. 

Find out how YOU can get involved, here -->

☮️ www.peaceoneday.org ☮️

Udemy Art Therapy : Prompt 4

 * vision board *

These are the things that matter to me : art, love, community.

And these are the skills that I feel empowered by—the ability to make good decisions, to believe in a better future, and to create change and connection through creativity.

The 4th prompt from @udemy in my art therapy course, this task was a little intimidating ! (Ooo, a whole “vision” board. Right now ? Like, I have to tell you what I want ??? Yikes.)

Lol It took me forever to get started, but once I began plucking those words and images from the paper, I really started to relax. Like, ah yes. This is what I’m meant for. 

And the video lesson was great at reminding the viewers of just that—the process is just as important as what you make. That answering these big questions of “What is a happy life to you ?” and “What are your goals for the future ?” really brings the mind home to your core values and helps you settle feelings that might previously have felt like mishmash.

Sooo if you’re needing some comfort and clarity, I highly recommend this exercise. All you need is some scissors and a magazine !

Find yourself in your art. 

~RN

Greetings ! in ASL

I love to share the things that I love to do with other people and signing is one of those things.

I’ve been meeting with Ms. Jordan Gonzalez of Arts First Creative Studios, virtually for the past month, going over vocabulary and grammar, so that SHE can share it with her wonderful students—the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, @young_singers_palm_beaches.

Jordan is the director of their awesome summer program this year and is giving the students a fantastic introduction into the arts—singing, theatre, dance, set design, and more.

I’m so happy that I could offer my ASL skills to her program and I can’t wait to see what these talented kiddos create with it. Find out more about their inspiring work at : www.yspb.org

And you can learn more about Jordan here : 😃👉
@artsfirstcreativestudios & @joybyjo_art

(Captions : “Hello ! My name is what ? René. (Sign name is an R on the heart.) I feel what ? So excited to be sharing ASL with you all. Thank you ! ILY. Bye.”)

West End Booth

👀 Here’s a few new elements added to our booth experience.

* Plastic sleeves for prints,
🖍 an interactive coloring table for artists of all ages,
[ ] and helpful signage !

Thankful for the support (and patience !) of my family on hot, sweaty days when set-up and breakdown seem to take as long as the event. (Not really. But yah. Phew. 😅)

And a big thank you to @cryptidcreatives and @westendpopups for hosting the artsy event on the 4th ! 

"The Device" at Art Is Motion

Epically proud of my students and the whole Art Is Motion team. You all rocked !

My modern dance piece, "The Device," premiered at our end of the year showcase, 

Midsummer Madness.

You can watch the live performance on YouTube, >here <.

The Producer

One of my favorite ways to connect with people is through producing a show. It's a great reason to bring people together--art, music, talent. It's a wonderful excuse to text someone and just say, "Hey, how are you doin ??! By the way, want to collaborate ?" It's bridged gaps between my friends in far places and helped create new forever friends right here in ATL, when they otherwise may not have met each other.

If you didn't already know it, I believe that art can change the world.

Join us, as we raise support and awareness for Peace One Day this fall, on September 18th.

This is an open call for dancers, singers, actors, poets, and painters--you name it. Share your story of why YOU think peace is valuable.

Submissions due by July 1st. 

Email canicolornowstudios@gmail.com

Much love,

René Nesbit

Founder of Can I Color Now Studios

Director of Cherish Dance

love is blind

You never realize how many letters are in a word until you have to stamp out every. single. one of them.

Here's a portion of my poem "love is blind" from 2020.

This was my first time using a stamp pad for actual fingerprints, but it's immediately what I thought of, after I finished the lettering.

ink on paper, 8.5 x 11

Original available. $10.

Diggers Antiques Art Fair

One of the best things about having a booth is getting to walk around and talk to the other vendors. I love my new earrings from @leatherunlimited and so enjoyed meeting their sweet family. 💞

We had a great time at Digger's Antiques Art Fair in Fayetteville and can't wait for the next event.

~RN

** Spring for Spring Dance Festival **

"Find the people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life." ~ Amy Poelher

A big hug and thank you to Loren McFalls for all of her time and dedication to my piece, "River." This was our debut performance together as Cherish Dance. 

We so enjoyed the beautiful weather and the chance to perform thanks to the Spring for Spring Dance Festival (a Fall for Fall Dance production).

You can check out the full recording, here : "River" at Spring for Spring

Udemy Art Therapy : Prompt 3

Ahhh..... mandalas.

I remember making these in my English class with my high school students as a way to investigate feelings and symbols. And they are so magical for that !

The 3rd prompt from Udemy in my art therapy course, this video lesson was great at explaining how to get started and they also provided a handy printable template. I found that I needed some more examples, however, for the specific doodles inside the circles, so I watched this YouTube video, as well (link below).

How to Draw Mandala Art for Beginners

Hope you get a chance to draw some soothing circles soon, too !!

~RN