In the first of a new series of Do What You Love interviews, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Christina Sbarro, a woman who is on a mission to truly do what she loves. Christina is all wrapped up in the creation of 'A Field Guide to Now', a book which combines her beautiful writing and mixed media art, stitched together with the love of a community of supporters. Watch this gorgeous intro to her story here:
Here's what she has to say to you all...
1. What roads have you travelled to become the artist that you are today?
Dirt roads, mostly. I live at the end of a long dirt road in Vermont right now, and the process of coming to this place reflects my journey toward becoming an artist. It hasn’t been straightforward or effortless, and truthfully, I haven’t arrived yet. Right now I’m poised with my little family on the brink of so many things. We’re at a place of possibility. Of reinvention. Of risk. Of opportunity. Who knows where we’ll end up? I have a restless heart. This much I know: being a writer/artist continues to be the only true North towards which the compass of my heart is drawn. And also: I make maps more often than I use the ones already made.
2. How would you describe yourself in 5 words or less?
Intuitive. Passionate. Gutsy. Unconventional. Driven.
3. Who inspires you?At the moment I am inspired by the construction of Jenny Boully’s book: The Book of Beginnings and Endings and by Maira Kalman’s book, The Principles of Uncertainty. Also: TED (Note from Beth: this website sends out 'riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world' - check it out, it's an awesome resource)
My little boys inspire me too, in the moment. I love watching them be in the present effortlessly and entirely. They remind me again and again that there is only this: whatever this moment holds.
4. What energizes your creative spirit?
I’ve found that I am hungry for images at the end of a day working with words. I am drawn to blogs with a beautiful or unusual aesthetic or striking photographs. I am also energized by running (a thing I do almost every day.)
5. Where is the most unusual place you have created art (and what did you create there)?
I bring my notebook almost everywhere. Some of the best art—and by art I also mean words, paragraphs, stories—I’ve ever created has come from boredom: from being someplace and having to wait. I love the challenge of looking then; of listening; of noticing.
6. Why is ‘A Field Guide to Now’ important right now?
This is a book about a life in progress. It is a messy, multimedia exploration of the tangible moments of now and of what lies just beyond; it is about myths and grief and love and loss, and also about windows and ledges and eating figs with honey in the early summer sun. It is a manifesto for living with gusto right now, in the small, ordinary, moments of your life. It is a heart-felt guide for the novice. For those at the beginning of their lives, in the thick of sleep deprivation and responsibility, where uprooting and upending aren’t options. It’s an attempt to get as close to reality as possible. It’s about trying to reach out and grab hold of this life, and to live it with as much awareness and understanding as I can.
Link Love:
Blog: {My Topography: The Shape Of Daily Life}
A Field Guide To Now on Kickstarter
(Note: Christina is part-financing her dream through the awesome Kickstarter mechanism which allows you to help her bring the book to life, and win delicious rewards for yourself. If you become a backer now, you’ll be guaranteed a reward as the funding goal has been met~ Every little amount is still enormously helpful, needed and appreciated. This is such an unusual opportunity to be a part of something in progress!)
Thanks so much Christina - can't wait to hold a copy of your book in my hands.
Wishing you everything you need to keep doing what you love!
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