Photo Credit: G.Forakis
OTOA Creative Life Practice In A Time of Chaos
Reflections from OTOA Founder & Master Teacher, Gia Forakis
It’s
been a roller coaster of events since the inauguration, and no matter whether you
perceive these changes as positive or negative, and no matter whether you like
roller coaster rides or not, many have expressed the difficulty of maintaining
focus before being distracted by the next media bomb.
In the search to find a productive path
through the chaos of this new political climate, I found myself turning towards
my Creative Life Practice (CLP)
with new questions such as:
What
is my call to action?
What
is my role as an educator, coach and artist?
What is the role of OTOA?
What is the role of OTOA?
And,
in these troubling times, is art a luxury?
What I hear from various news
and social media sources is a scramble to push against injustice with logic,
law, and fact checking in an effort to defend civil, social and constitutional
rights.
And this is good.
And this is necessary.
But it seems to me that the core
of the problem is not a fight against injustice,
but rather a fight against power.
Fighting power with logic quickly
begins to feel like going to war against a fire breathing dragon armed with
only a small plastic fork: a battle with woefully inadequate weaponry.
In a battle against power the
rules are determined by the rulers, and definitions for “logic,” “truth,” “fact,”
and “honesty,” are all up for grabs.
To many, myself included, it feels as if we've entered an era where "there is
no there there" -- as Gertrude Stein once famously said. And without a “there,” there are no rules ---outside of the ones we carry within us as our own
moral compass.
This is where our dedication to
a Creative Life Practice is even more
essential.
A dedicated Creative Life Practice replaces the plastic fork and re-establishes
a “there,” because a Creative Life
Practice is your “ field”.
A Creative Life Practice is the foundation upon which we connect with our true
nature.
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| Photo Credit: Unsplash, Courtesy of Pexels |
In sharp contrast to the turmoil
since the inauguration, I have been fortunate enough to visit art galleries, museums,
and attend dance concerts, films, and theater, as well as take walks in the park. However, I did so with a nagging
self-consciousness:
Was
I indulging in unnecessary luxuries during a time of upheaval?
Was
this irresponsible behavior when there are so many (social, political, environmental, economic, racial...) issues that need our support?
But engaging in the arts, and nature, reminded me that:
The
arts are where we encounter our humanity.
The
arts and nature nurture our civility.
Cultivating
the arts is where we fortify our connection to one another.
It's through the arts and the natural world that we foster something bigger than our quotidian sense of self.
With this revitalized awareness, I see that now, more than ever, is the time
to enrich and rededicate myself to my own Creative
Life Practice.
Similarly, teaching and coaching OTOA Creative
Life Practice (CLP) is more important today than it was 6 months ago.
Although CLP has proved itself
to be an essential tool in personal and professional enrichment, it cannot be
seen as a luxury.
CLP is not only a tool it is nourishment:
nourishment for our souls, our fulfillment of purpose, our health and for the “battles”
ahead, even if the battle is simply how to remain civil and generous towards those you
disagree with.
Citizen-participation is necessary, and it is essential to do
whatever we can to petition, protest, protect and contribute to the
preservation of our democracy [Side
Bar: I have committed to one political action each day; whether it is making a
phone call, sending an email, signing a petition, contributing a $1.00,
picketing, marching, or listening with generosity to someone whose political
perspective is different from mine; e.g. Practicing Observation & Receptivity as one of The 6 Points of Creative Influence ].
HOWEVER, we must also dance, go to museums, galleries, concerts and
performances. We must, sing, laugh,
read and write, paint, play or listen to inspiring music, and engage in nature...
Because it is through the arts and nature that we stay connected to a higher resonance of integrity and to the light of our humanity—connected to something bigger than ourselves.
The necessity for
connection, beyond our pedestrian needs, is how we build a relationship with our true nature and our
moral compass.
And a dedicated Creative
Life Practice is like the magnet that points us towards true north.
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| Photo by: G.Forakis |
Those of us who work in the arts
and/or with higher consciousness do so to hone our skills so as to help others
find connection.
Cultivating and engaging in OTOA CLP helps
us to stay energized, and to light a path that aids others to advance One Thought
and One
Action
at a time.
When darkness falls, people can
only see what's right in front if them. In that scenario the light of
generosity can be difficult to find. CLP
is a practice for carrying that light for yourself and for others. It’s a
little bit like the airplane emergency instruction:
“If
the plane loses pressure oxygen masks will drop down …If you are seated next to
someone who needs assistance put your own mask on first, then assist the other
person.”
This spring, 2017, we will be
embarking upon new formats for the study, and development of OTOA Creative Life Practice, with monthly drop-in classes in our new Brooklyn
Studio.
Please check back for details.
Or email us at: GiaForakisandCo@gmail.com for more
information or to be put on our Mailing List for regular updates.
With Light & Inspiration
Gia Forakis
Brooklyn, NY (Snow Storm) 2.9.17
OTOA was founded in 2007 by New York City,
Stage Director & Theater Artist, Gia Forakis. Gia Forakis is recognized as a professional
Theater Artists, Visual Artist, Educator, and OTOA CLP & PTT Coach. She is the Founder & Master Teacher of One-Thought-One-Action
(OTOA)™, and the Artistic Director of GIA FORAKIS
& COMPANY (GF&CO): a company dedicated to the development
and application of OTOA as a tool for experimentation and education through
art, ritual, and performance and Creative
Life Practice. She holds an MFA from Yale University, YSD and a BFA
from New York University's TSOA, Conservatory Program. Photo Portrait Credit: GF&CO. All Content by Gia
Forakis ©2017
