AvoleenWrites

Welcome to episode 7 of my weekly snippet series. I can’t believe it’s already mid-November. Where is all the time going? Anyways, let’s jump right in!

Attending the Lumiere Festival 

Over the weekend I attended the Lumiere Festival in downtown Vancouver. It is a series of public artworks inspired by light and artistic expression. It’s a free and family friendly event.  I went to see the installations in Downtown Vancouver and Gastown. I didn’t get to see the other two locations because of time. This was my first time attending this event so overall it was a good experience for me. It was also a busy night. Lots of people were out, enjoying the festival as well. I kinda had to rush through most of the art installations because of how busy it was. The highlight of the whole thing for me was a performance by a local group called Ember Arts Fire Society. They were literally playing with fire. It was cool to watch them perform.

My Thoughts on Art

Lately, I have been thinking about the importance of the value that art brings to our lives. I personally couldn’t imagine a world without books/literature, music, theatre, paintings, dancing and all forms of art. Art can be defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Without art, life would be so boring. I think creating and seeing/consuming different forms of art is a fun and good way to deal with the winter blues. 

Art to me is simply all about self-expression. You don’t have to create art for others to enjoy. It can be just for yourself. In fact, I think we should all create art that we like and if we feel like it, we can share it with the world. Self-expression is so important for mental health. Last week I hand knitted a chunky blanket and I am obsessed with it. To me, it’s the most beautiful chunky blanket I have ever seen. I feel a sense of accomplishment as well because it’s something I can use. Then there were some paintings that I created a while back that I didn’t quite like enough to keep. But that’s not going to stop me from trying my hand at painting again though. So keep creating your art, whether you choose to share or not. 

 Trying Out Red Quinoa 

I haven’t always been a fan of quinoa until I recently tried red quinoa. I mixed it with white rice and I found it very filling. I used 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of red quinoa. Initially, I was hesitant to try it by itself, hence why I mixed it with the white rice. Later on, I was reading up on some of the benefits of red quinoa and found out that it is a complete protein. A complete protein is a food source that contains all nine essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce on its own. Red quinoa is high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is also a great source of protein and naturally gluten-free. It’s also classified as a pseudocereal meaning that it produces seeds like cereal grains, even though it is not a grass. I will definitely be experimenting more with it and seeing what I like. 

I hope you enjoyed this week’s blog. Goodbye for now! The quote for this week goes like this: 

“An artist can show things that other people are terrified of expressing” – Louise Bourgeois