Tagged with new year

Downtown Dame in 2012

Happy New Year! 2012 – woooooooooooooooo!

As my dear friend, “the landmark”, who is moving to Germany would say, “Let the games begin!”

First Friday in downtown Raleigh is loosely based on the idea of an art gallery walk. Most people that I’ve talked to, however, take it as an opportunity to do all sorts of things – hear a band, have dinner, drink margaritas, see and be seen, try out the new place around the corner from the usual place. It’s also dark so early these days (but the days are officially getting longer!) that unless you are able to head downtown between 4-5pm, it’s cold and takes more effort to get around.

So, for these winter First Fridays I like to implement a little extra planning to avoid the icey grip. First, figure out when you can head over and where you’ll be parking. Then, choose 3-4 spots from the list of art venues based on the general route you’d like to take (or base your route on the venues you’d like to go to, though in cold weather the former may be easier). From there, let it all go, shrug off the work week and see where the evening takes you. More than likely, I’ll see ~2 of these spots, have some dinner and find myself huddled by the nearest outdoor heater with a beer and the friends I’ve acquired along the way.

1/6/12: Tire Shop Gallery, Mahler Fine Art, Amplified Art

**leave a comment, suggest an art venue, check out pictures around downtown in 2011 on facebook

Tagged , , , , , , ,

the Downtown Dame returns…2011 style

It’s been a while…and with a new year comes new resolutions. I for one have never liked the idea of resolving to do something good for your self and life on January 1 of any year. It seems pretentious and doomed for failure. It’s as if you might not have given it any thought until New Year’s day approached and then you said to yourself, “Ya know I should really ____, everyone else is doing it”. So, I am of the mindset that we should always be searching for ways to improve ourselves and resolving to follow those paths, carpe diem style.

But I do have to admit, when it comes to resolving to quit vices and commit to any type of
regime, it does help to feel like you’re starting out with a bang. That you’ve been given a extra boost, a clean slate even. And it is just a feeling. In actuality January 1 doesn’t hold special powers to help you quit, start, stop, go – but if you believe it does, it does, right?

So, here at Downtown Dame, I want to encourage you to follow your creative passions in life. We all have something – whether it’s growing plants, long boarding, cooking in your own kitchen with a treasured cookbook, recovering chairs, making jewelry, the possibilities go on – and it’s searching these passions that lead to greater satisfaction and happiness. That said, if there is something standing in your way, keeping you from exercising and practicing a creative passion – sit down, close your eyes and figure out how to work around it, reschedule it, or get rid of it completely. I strongly believe that creating is one of the few things that can sustain us through the turbulence of life, that can be a place where we find peace – so, this year my resolutions are about clearing that path.

Tagged , , , ,
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.