What Inspires You?

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What Inspires You?

What inspires you?
Why do you continue to do the things that you do?

I've always considered myself as a go-getter, it's one goal after another. Life hasn't always been easy. My parents sacrificed a lot to get us where we are as a family; I'll always be thankful for that. In fact, that's probably one of the biggest reasons as to why I work as hard as I do...MY FAMILY.

I wasn't always close with my siblings, growing up as the eldest and eccentric one in the family; it was always hard for me to relate with them. I was too busy in exploring what the world has to offer for me. To travel and to wander at places I've never been to before. Overtime, what most would consider exemplary accomplishments became just another goal I've checked off the list...Onto the next one.

I've become so future oriented that I've stopped acknowledging the accomplishments that I've had in the past. I graduated university and am now a registered nurse, I've backpacked, danced, and vibed with amazing people in a decent amount of countries, I've been a part of awesome artistic productions, I'm still continuing to expand my artistic craft, I own a home and I'm growing a business while figuring it out...all before I'm 30! 

But with being so future oriented, I struggle with the present...and still stumble living in it day by day. It's true what they say, the dreams we have, become our reality! I dream big, an eternal idealist that lives in a fucked up system. Five years as a psych nurse taught me exactly how twisted and blinded humanity can become to our own comforts.

So comfortable in the security of our paycheques; that to illicit change for some human injustice becomes an unnecessary inconvenience called change.I guess somewhere inside of me, I feared comfortability because of my distaste of what it created. Hence,  I always felt that I have to strive...work...hustle...move! It's that can't stop, won't stop attitude.


But alas, this last few months have been a heck of a 180...With only a few days left before this year ends; I have come to a place where I've been forced to literally slow the fuck down... My body finally caught up with my hustle.

In the last 26 years of my life; I don't think I've ever felt such a wave of anxiety and I shudder to say feelings of depression cloud over me. I work as a mental health nurse, and I know how much "anxiety and depression" have become some of the biggest scapegoats in today's generation, so I'm very careful when I use these words. In a world where heightened expectations of false comparisons are as easy to breathe as the air we breathe; the unrealistic pressure we build on ourselves becomes inevitable. 
My accomplishments became air; and I stopped and forgot the nourishment of being grateful of the process.

In the process of wanting to build something, so that I can have time for what really matters to me... time with my family; Ironically, I had very little time I spent with my family, and little by little I became depleted until there was nothing left for me to give. 

I had my eyes set on how I was going to accomplish things, so adamant in controlling and planning the process, that when things didn't pan out the way I had envisioned it, and I had a roadblock.....I crashed; emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

So what do I do now.

I dance....

I dance with time. It's a constant dance; to find your rhythm and your flow and be consistent in it. A little push a little pull. Flowing and being one with time; never forgetting to be in that present moment and to embrace the tension that's within it. If time is your partner and you're dancing with it, you can't dance and be one with it without tension...otherwise, you'd get nowhere.

I'm not perfect, I'm still working on it and will probably continue dancing with it the rest of my life; but right now... it starts with gratitude day by day...

Giving God gratitude for the expected and the unexpected. 

What inspires me?

The Present...



 

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Surrendering to the Process

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Surrendering to the Process

Ever felt like you're running and running and it's as if you're going nowhere? Ever felt like you have this huge idea in your head and it's such a struggle to just bring it down to Earth because the idea is so big?!

I'm not really quite sure where I'm getting at as I'm writing this right now, but I do know that writing this is making me feel better. Bear with me, this is going to be a super tangential word vomit, but I really need this right now, just be able to organize my thoughts and sort through my feelings...This is okay! This is authentically where I'm at and this is therapeutic. 

Yesterday, I had an AHA moment with my friend Gillian as we were shooting the video for my poem "Created to Create". I didn't really go into that shoot having an agenda as per se. We had my friend Mark who is a speed spray paint artist and Shreba who was a painter. All I knew was that I wanted to capture their essence of creation...

Talking with Shreba, she talked about her collaboration with one of the artists she was working with and how their collaboration was so much more about the intention of the collaborative process as oppose to the final product. All of a sudden, I had a thought:

 "Hey Gillian, this is what we're doing I guess...want to just drag this process out and just see where this video project takes us...let's not worry about the deadline so much and let's just see what we can create?" 

To my surprise; she was really excited. After taking a step back from all of the "busyness" that I've endowed on myself... I realized, I was quite excited too!

Well, here's to a new adventure and uncovering what this looks like.

Little steps are often times the biggest steps that get us to our destination.

#createdtocreate
What do you create?

 

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R I A

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R I A

A BRIEF REFLECTION: A LETTER OF INVITATION

For a while, I was trying to figure out when to start this blog post. I can list a whackload of reasons why I didn't, but "didn't" is not really the space where I want to live. 

I'm a visionary with big dreams and I see possibilities when faced with obstacles. I like to "DO" things and something that my friends made me realize is that "moving fast" for me is a bit of an understatement... yes, I have issues with the patience department.

This summer was incredibly tough for me, because I feel that God placed me in a season of "wait and rest". Ironically, I've never been more anxious than when I "waited and rested".  

However, what I realize is that during this season, not only is God building my faith, but He's also allowing the grander vision to take form so that the pieces can fit together. The vision that He gives us is only given piece by piece as we build our character to be able to handle it; one day I hope to see it to its fullest extent. However, at this moment, I only have a small piece of it and I hope that you will take this invitation to journey with me and explore what this vision can turn into. 

Yours truly, 
Krizia Canvas (RIA Visionary)

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RIA: REFLECT. INTEGRATE . ACT

The RIA project is a new bi-annual conference consisting of collaborative community partnerships, which aims to enhance connection and build momentum for organizations focused on leadership, health and wellness, and innovation

The first theme of the conference, occurring September 23rd is about mental health and creativity!
As a mental health nurse and an urban artist, I have personally seen what the benefits of arts and creativity has in helping foster health and wellness in people. I've seen it as we build courage and resiliency with at-risks youths, and I saw it, the moment I sang a song entitled, "A Beautiful Day" with a patient that I was working with in the psych ward. This was a turning point for me, because at this moment, I realized that healing is a byproduct of creativity; for creativity is something inspires hope, by building empathy and community.

As people, I don't believe that we are meant to do life alone. I believe that we are created to create, and that we are meant to experience life with other people. I believe that true resilience and fulfilment resides in connection, in community and in purpose. The stigma of mental health is like a prison wall...it divides, it isolates, and it boxes people within an identity that can spiral into a negative self fulfilling prophecy when faced alone. 

Through experience and conversations from specialists in both the creative and health sectors, I wondered what it would be like to be in a room together to learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses. More so, what can we do to work together as we learn from each other? From this thought; the first theme of RIA emerged.

What would it be like to EXPERIENCE building empathy and community through the creative process?
How do we see creativity within ourselves and within the world around us?
What does it mean to be an artist, a warrior, and a healer?

On September 23rd; RIA is leading positive change in mental health. Inspiring creativity to foster empathy, collaboration and wellness.

JOIN THE EXPERIENCE. SHARE THE WORD!

EARLY BIRD TICKETS ENDS: SEPT 1st

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: 
www.riayyc.eventbrite.ca

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