Festival della Creatività

For four days this weekend, there was a Festival of Creativity in Florence. In the past, it's been held at Fortezza da Basso, near the main train station. I went to the festival several years ago, but at the time I didn't know much Italian, everything was presented in Italian and the affair seemed to be attended mostly by Italians, so I didn't get much out of it. The Fortezza, one of the first Italian citadels, is a big conference hall away from the center of town, and most tourists don't even know about it.

This year they decided to try something different, placing 33 exhibits in many areas of town, which proved to be much more effective in attracting not only Italians, but tourists as well. Fortunately for me, many of the exhibits were near my flat, so I had an easy time of getting to most of them.

This exhibit, offering spectators the chance to participate in creating African art, was in the piazza just outside my door.

These photos are from an exhibit that focused on art created from recycled objects.



The next exhibit, located in a yurt near the Duomo, was called "città infinita," (infinite city), which allowed people to "use waste materials (mostly wood) from industrial processing to create and recreate urban landscapes."

Kids of all ages enjoyed this one.

And here's a street artist creating a masterpiece.....on Friday:

And the finished work on Sunday:

Alas, it rained the next day, and the the masterpiece is gone. But in a few days, another marvelous creation will take its place.

Creativity is everywhere you look in Florence, and I enjoy being overwhelmed by it. I'm curious to see how that influence will direct my life in the future.

To see more art by some very talented street artists, click here: The road is our canvas

Honoring the Creative Process

Che onore! : What an honor!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to give a presentation about my theory of the creative process to a group of writers here in Florence. Since living here is an extension of my creative process, it seemed synchronistic that I had the chance to share my ideas about creativity while I am here. One of my major goals is to write books, and I started this adventure in Italy four years ago to further that goal. In the meantime, the journey has become so compelling that I'm distracted from writing books by the adventures I'm having. All in good time, the books will come...but for now, I'm attending to my writing life by recording parts of the journey on this blog.

Tonight I gave my presentation. On the one hand, talking about creativity was no big deal. I've done it many times before. I developed my theory in the 90's and have been writing and teaching classes about it for many years. Melinda, a woman that I know here, started a writing group called FLOW (FLOrence Writers), and invited me to participate in the group while I'm here. And once she heard that I had developed a theory of the creative process, she asked me to talk about it with the group. Like I said, no big deal. On the other hand, it IS a big deal...and it was quite an honor to be sharing MY ideas about creativity in Florence, one of le vere sedi della creatività (the true centers of creativity).

All dressed up for my night out with FLOW.

I spoke to a group of seasoned, published writers, and the presentation was a great success. We met for aperitivi (an alcoholic beverage with a small plate of snacks) at a nearby restaurant, and I had a Bellini (Prosecco with peach juice). I made connections with several of the group members, who will likely become new friends. I have to admit, it was a bit of a thrill for a gal from Kansas. Who knows what might happen next?

You can read more about Melinda and FLOW here: /2010/08/Almost there