How was your 2026 Art Break Day?
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Lauren 0:02
It poured rain um on my site. And so I was only I was only able to do artbreak day for um an hour, but that hour was pretty magical. So magical that um one of my artbreakers was at a table where I put out plastic shapes and people make uh sculptures and designs and things like that. And he didn’t even realize it was raining um and until like his entire and I thought it was funny because he made a fish um and uh it was soaking wet by the end of it. So it was not uh it was not something I could salvage, uh unfortunately. So I had to kind of close up shop a little bit early. But um I, you know, it sometimes that happens. Uh and I like to do my world art break days outside, and that is sometimes the price you pay um when you know you do that, when you make that choice. But uh all in all, it was it lasted, let’s say. So yeah. Um so I just wanted to uh I want to welcome all you all of you to um this kind of podcast conversation about your world artbreak sites and just um hear from each of you about how it went, um you know, the the good and the bad, all of it. Um, and we can just kind of go from there.
Lisa 1:35
Who wants to begin? Uh Veleska from Bolivia.
Valeska 1:41
Thanks. Well, it was our first uh event hosting this year with uh Cynthia Molotov’s team, and it was amazing. We spent like four hours in the event. We had many people we host this event in a cultural space with games for kids. So our main public was kids, but also their parents felt drawn to draw and make art. It was a beautiful experience, and the space uh uh became a little uh too tight for all the participants. So yeah, next year we want to make this grow and hope we can reach more cities in Bolivia.
Lisa 2:30
Welcoming Cali Gilbert. So Sarah, you were um with the octagarians, how was that?
Sarah 2:42
It was amazing, they’re so wonderful. I feel like we this is our second community kind of art event, and I always because I come from an art facilitation background and artist background, I always want people to make things, not just to look at things and also to challenge what is considered art and who gets access to call themselves an artist. So we were drawing and painting, and a really special moment happens when you know our favorite seniors will bring grandchildren. And so we have these beautiful intergenerational moments. So we had like one artist who was drawing, and then her um granddaughter was like coloring in the work, so they’re making these beautiful collaborative kind of like movements. I know it was really great. That’s awesome.
Lisa 3:35
Lovely, lovely. Callie Gilbert, how are you? How was your artbreak day site?
Cali 3:44
Oh, it was so great. Um, hi everyone, I’m Callie Gilbert. Currently in San Diego, slip my time between San Diego and LA. Um, so here in San Diego, I’ve been hosting these barefoot beachwalks with my girlfriends on Friday mornings, and it’s been amazing. And it’s just a time to really ground and unwind and really just go at your own pace, slow things down, slow life down. And I was so happy that it coincided with our beachwalk and arts break day. And so after our walk, we got together at a park area that was overlooking the ocean. And one girl brought her watercolors. I brought these little uh black canvases and acrylic markers, and just allowed people to create, and we had the best time. It was wonderful. Everyone was so happy afterwards, and like, this is so great. And even the ones were like, I don’t know where to start. I’m like, get out of here, get into here, and just allow what’s inside of you to come out. And it was beautiful. We had a wonderful time.
Lisa 4:58
Lovely, lovely. Krupa, how are you?
Krupa 5:03
I’m great, it’s so nice to be with all of you and to hear how this movement keeps expanding and changing each time. And um, Lauren, I really resonated with what you said about kind of the element of the unexpected. Yeah. Um, when I registered, this is my 13th year hosting, and mostly I’ve been doing it in India. That’s where I’ve been based for the last 16 years, and I think 11 of those I’ve done there as kind of a hub site. And life took me on a different path this year, and so I’m in New York City, and I decided to just, you know, grab as much cybalk chalk as I could at the end of the summer from like the dollar store, you know, and lug it around on the subway. And I took it to Washington Square Park in the city, and it, you know, it was Labor Day weekend, so there were so many people passing through. I actually found a little bit of a quiet corner, but just these simple materials, the encouragement, the permission, you know, I’m I don’t know, I it was so affirming of how you don’t really need much and how much people benefit from it. It was incredible to do it in New York City, this like hyper capitalistic place, and for free offer this, you know, opportunity. Um, and a lot of magic, of course, ensued, and so much beautiful connection between people. It just crossed all barriers. Um yeah, I’m just inspired. And I have chalk left over, so I’m kind of thinking to do it again.
Lisa 6:33
Yeah.
Lauren 6:34
Yeah. That it that’s so great. Yes, I know. I think that um we often when we because World Artbreak Day is a huge event, and a lot of times we can get into our own headspace and think, oh, it has to be it has to be huge with like canopies. And I do that to myself. Like I’d love for my city to to get involved with like I’d love to create a map and you go to each store because I’m in downtown, and like you could collect an art supply from each store, and of course that’s a dream, and maybe someday it’ll happen. But sometimes I have to remind myself that what I’m doing is still amazing, you know. Um, and that it is like it’s these little moments that add up to something bigger and bigger and bigger, you know, that it it all does matter. So I love that you said that, Krupa. Thank you.
Lisa 7:25
Yeah, Joy’s with us.
Lauren 7:28
Hi, Joy. Maybe technical issues.
Lisa 7:33
Yeah, someone else. Hi, let us know how your site went and what happened.
Manaali 7:39
Hello. Um, yes, a lot of the unexpected. Can you hear me okay?
Lauren 7:44
Yes.
Manaali 7:46
Um I was quite unwell the whole week up, and it was a lot about me trusting the process on my own. Um, but it turned out to be such a wonderful evening. Um, so many different people came. Um, it was in like a cafe kind of a setup on the floor, tables, cushions, that kind of thing. And it just was like this buffet of art materials and people that didn’t know each other, new people joined, couples joined, they had cute little couple moments, they would all, you know, hang their art up. I had the privilege of my grandmom joining us as well, lady, six years old, probably, yeah, um, really pushing it. Uh, but you know, Whoppel Din, all of us helping her, and um what an honor to see her create art too. She, you know, it’s hard for her to to use that materials holder to do it, but talking about the memories of you know, hibiscus flowers and shoe flowers and doing some shading, and she’s complimenting these other artists and saying, Oh my goodness, your art is amazing. Her um her carer came as well, and um, just to see, she was so nervous about how to create art, you know, the nervousness about how do I start with this white sheet of paper, and she encouraging her to do some kolam, so some South Indian art, and she got into that. Um, people by the end of it were just so involved. So there was painting, drawing, um, and some people were painting Jenga with messages on it. Um, some people um even connected with different parts of the city that they came from and said, Okay, we’re gonna catch up again in this spot and we’re gonna go for this dance class. And no one wanted to leave the cafe. I had to push people out. The cafe kicked us out, and we went went and hung out at another cafe till 8 p.m. So it was a lovely day.
Lisa 9:42
That sounds nice, awesome. Festive, I love it. Tessa, how are you?
Tessa 9:49
Hi, yeah, I’m great. Thank you guys for hosting this. And um Artbreak Day this year was definitely very needed, I think, for me and for the community. Um, I’m in San Diego as well. Uh Callie, I think you said you were in San Diego. Nice to meet you. I’m over in Ocean Beach. Um, yeah, it’s, you know, it was Labor Day weekend. So here there’s a really high homeless population um in the plaza where I usually set up. It’s a really big community space. People will set up there a lot. Um, but because of the homelessness at holidays, the cops will set up like a whole station right next to the plaza. So I started off the day with the police coming through and you know, they’re marching around and kind of checking to make sure everything’s kosher before families come through. And I he saw me chalking on the ground and I was writing, uh, what has art done for you? And I asked the officer, I was like, What has art done for you? And he didn’t know how to answer. He immediately was just like, Yeah, I don’t know. Art’s art’s great. I guess there’s a mural I like. And I was like, that’s great. I was like, what does it do for you? The mural? He’s like, Well, you know, I think art brings order to the chaos. And I was like, I ah, interesting. So I started off by writing that on the ground. Art brings order to the chaos, SDPD. I love that. It was an interesting way to start the day.
Lisa 11:12
So I love that. I love that. Let’s try Joy once more. Joy, are you there? She is there, but she’s she’s here in spirit. In spirit. So I’ll I’ll tell you about mine, and then I have a question for the group. Um, mine was trust to process too, completely. I had big visions, but it turned out not to um not to manifest. So I just took um art supplies and I walked in the park and I approached people and I offered them art supplies and um just kind of sat down and created and offered people very, like very um gorilla style. Um, I was on the move. And then I approached one guy and he was creating, and I gave him uh um an artbreak little packet, and he’s like, Oh, thank you. And he’s like, every day’s artbreak day. And I said, Yes, it is. And I said, But you are creating with the rest of the world. How does that feel? And he’s like, it should be every day. He was just saying that it should be every day, and so that was cool. Um, so mine was really minimal, and then um I was supposed to go to the Hollywood Bowl and that didn’t manifest. So it was a very trusted process. And then later in the evening, I created with my boyfriend just at the table, and we just sat and chatted, you know, about life and art and this whole movement that’s been going on for 16 years.
Lauren 12:37
So yeah, I definitely had a similar vibe. So I was like soaking wet, packing up all my supplies, and so they were soaking wet. And so I just came home and they were they were just in my living room to like air out. And that’s when I realized how wet they got, you know, and like I actually started to worry a little bit about it. So I everything was like out on its own towel and everything. And then my kids came home from school, and my youngest was very, very, very sad because they usually um get picked up from school and they come straight to artbreak day and they just spend the rest of the day there. And so I was like, Well, there’s art break day in your living room. And so he just went to town and he picked him all the supplies that were still um like any supply that wasn’t wet, and he made um he made this little monster face that was a perfect representation of sort of how I felt, which was like this like kind of face, you know. And it really helped me like realize that, you know, it’s just someone still got to make art and we were still making art with the world, and um, and he got to do what he wanted to do, maybe not in the same place or the same way, but like I don’t know. I feel like the theme this year is like work with what you got, you know, and like let’s just keep going. We can do this. We’re just we’re just gonna keep trucking along and because it matters, and even if only, you know, you’re only gonna be able to uh talk to a couple people on your, you know, on your walk. Um that’s that matters, you know. Let’s just keep doing that. So I yes, you’re right.
Lisa 14:22
I think it’s um Joy said she’s listening, um, but she got a new computer, so she’s trying to figure it out. So she’s here in spirit. Um I think it’s just showing up. And what I’d love to pose to the group is that question, because we’re from all over the world. How does this one act of creation connect us with other communities, with other people? You know, it’s kind of like um in the quantum reality, maybe say, how does, you know, do you feel it? And how do you think that happens? And we know, I mean, we know it’s really, really important now in this day. So um anyone, jump in because I want to have a nice conversation. Callie, go for it.
Cali 15:02
Yeah, so um I mentioned that I split my time between here and uh LA. And in LA, I’m in the Palisades. And in the Palisades, of course, for those who are not familiar, they experienced that massive fire in 2025 in January. And so they’re in the process right now of rebuilding. And they actually set up a really nice program through their community council and they’re rebuilding um groups called Art for Healing. And so what they do once a month is they invite the community to come and they have facilitators, and it’s basically just create art from what you’re feeling after, you know, post-fire. And it’s so, so amazing. And I love that they’re doing that. And my dad is also an artist, and so we went and spoke, and they’re like, Oh, you need to come and be part of this and and really, you know, help these people. And so stuff like that, it’s it’s so important, right? We create every day, you know. I loved when you said it should be every day because we do it every day, you know, and it’s always in some respect we’re creating art, and and I love it, and just the importance that it can be for more, you know. I’m also a filmmaker, and my dad and I are working on a film called Warrior’s Canvas. He’s a 20-year military veteran, and the focus is on how art and writing can be used as healing modalities for veterans, right? So there’s so many ways that art can be crucial to healing and just growing as a person overall.
Lauren 16:44
Yeah, I so what I love is that every every year that you have anyone who’s hosted a World Art Break Day event has heard um, you should do this every day. And I think that, I mean, it’s like, yes, I would love, I would love to do that. Like, let’s as a world decide that art should be like intertwined into our daily lives as a society. I mean, that is definitely something I’m advocating for. And um, and I do think that World Art Break Day is sort of an awareness campaign for that. And I think that’s probably why we’re really focusing on this idea that we’re making art with the world on that day. Because Callie, you mentioned, right? You were you didn’t really change much of what you do, but the fact that you knew that you were doing it sort of simultaneously as other people. How did that feel for you? Because that’s that’s it’s I don’t really know how to describe it in words because I’m not yeah.
Cali 17:39
And I’ve been doing it for many years now, and it’s amazing. And something just pinged when you were speaking about maybe we start a campaign on how to incorporate life into your daily life.
Lisa 17:52
Or art, art into your art, art into your daily life.
Cali 17:56
And then how, and then maybe at Artbreak Day, it’s that culmination of what did you know that do for you by incorporating art into your daily life, right? It’s like that almost kind of like the New Year’s Day celebration, right? It’s like, okay, now that you’ve done this for the last 364 days, what did that do to your life? What how did it change your life? Yeah, I love that. I love that. That would be interesting.
Lauren 18:22
See, we got a note from Joy. You want to read that, Lisa?
Cali 18:24
Uh yes, let me get the chat.
Lisa 18:26
Uh it keeps on. Can you read it, Lauren? Because mine keeps on. Let’s see. It says my computer’s acting weird too, because when I yesterday, oh, I exhibited my healing art of the Stockton art night world. One of my thoughts.
Lauren 18:49
Yeah, so yeah, it says yesterday I exit I exhibited my healing art at the Stockton art night. One of the thoughts I had is how does art heal? My answer is by existing.
Lisa 19:00
Oh, okay.
Lauren 19:01
Simply by existing, art heals. I love that idea. So anyone else have any thoughts, ideas, comments?
Krupa 19:11
I have so much that I could say. I’ll try to keep it succinct, but I think doing this so many years in a row, there’s something just about that, the ritual of it that I find really grounding for myself personally. And then um seeing what unfolds, of course, in the process with the people and how they meet and the kind of collective unconscious that occurs within these spaces when you give a bit of structure, but freedom within that. Um, in my particular situation this time, there was a whole series of cat warriors. Everyone became really protective of the space, and so kids and even adults they were all like talking about their pets, but the cats had swords and all kinds of weapons on the door that this space would stay safe and like people could keep creating. And I just thought that that was so interesting. I never could have planned that, you know, it came from the people who were there. Um, so on that level, it was already really interesting. Um, I think that it’s just really important to do in-person, you know, connection. Like it’s great that we can connect like this, but coming out of COVID, we’re all in a strange place, I think. Um and with AI and technology, like just keeping the handmaid alive also feels really important. So these are all the benefits that I see. Um, and then as you were talking about how art break day should be every day, I was kind of thinking, like, what if it were opposite? What if we had like an adulting break day and everything else was art? Like that would be that much better.
Lauren 20:41
Um because like what are we doing? You know, yeah, yeah. No, I I think that like I totally agree. It’s that it is, it’s like a it’s a per it’s a practice and perspective of like, and that’s what I think that like you go to something like uh any of your world art break. I can imagine a stranger approaching one of your world art break day events and being like, we should do this every day, and then thinking about that in terms of their own life, why am I not doing this every day? And I’ve definitely witnessed someone go through that process, like as a single individual, and be like, and that’s usually people that run up to you and and say that they almost want to shake you. I’ve had people and they like they’re controlling themselves and they’re like, I’m gonna go get a sketchbook. I haven’t sketched in such and such, you know, and we just forget, why do we, you know, we do that to ourselves? We for we we almost forget to take care of ourselves in the like wheel of life that we are running on. I’m not, I’m not sure. I mean, I’m I’m guilty of that, you know.
Krupa 21:45
Yeah, yeah. I think the break is for us as much, you know, as for everyone else. And I think, yeah, also a lot of people about this point of everyone doing it together, like whenever I mentioned that, they were like, What is this? What’s going on? And when I told them the large Context. I mean, it just blew people’s minds. Like just to know that feeling of solidarity and connection. I think we have the illusion of connection with technology and like social media, and it’s all very strange now. It’s curated for us. So this is real. Like we are all actually creating art on the same day, and we’re doing it with our hands, and we’re meeting new people and we’re being surprised. And that’s just magic. Yeah.
Lisa 22:25
Pure magic. Yeah. I love that. Anyone else have some insights?
Valeska 22:31
Valeska? Yeah. Here in La Paz, we had a great experience because we had people coming from other cities or their rural area. So it was amazing to see all these people coming from different parts of our same country and thinking so different and having the time to connect with each other and with art. That’s why we thought about expanding it.
Lauren 22:57
Yeah.
Valeska 22:57
So more people can reach this experience. And also see how the different generations can join together. Because we had a little girl, I think she had about four years. She came with her grandparents, and the three of them started drawing together. And the vision in life or the things they wanted to paint was were so different, but they shared this experience. So it was awesome to see. Yeah.
Lisa 23:30
Yeah.
Valeska 23:31
I love that.
Lisa 23:32
Connection, pure connection. Joy says at Artbreak Day, I found that the more I gave, the more I received. So that’s really beautiful. Yeah.
Cali 23:43
I think another thing too is that it allows you to really tap into what’s inside of you and bring out things that maybe you didn’t think you were capable of doing. Right. I wear many, many creative hats. And one of the most recent ones that I had no idea I could do was draw fashion. Right. And I was like, literally, it was like it came to me like you’re going to be a fashion designer. And my first instinct was, I can’t draw a stick figure. You know, how is this even possible? But I realized, well, I can learn, right? And so I started researching and I looked at a lot of YouTube videos and I looked at a lot of books and you know, and I started slowly sketching and created three designs. And then with the help of AI, I took those designs and I created my vision that was in my head. And it was amazing to see. It was like, that’s it. Oh my god, that’s it. You know? And so now it’s just like, holy crap, I have 12 designs and I’m launching my fashion line next spring. It’s it’s crazy. Wow. Yeah. But it began with, you know, the intuitive call of there’s something more in there. And even though initially I rejected it, it was like, well, what if, right? What if I learn how to do this? Because we can learn to do anything. Yeah. Right. So it’s just a matter of taking that first step.
Lisa 25:22
I like that. I agree. I think it’s like what I found. Um, I meditate, and when you close your eyes and you go inside, um, that’s where that’s where the magic is. You keep them, it is magic. And I think um, I think art, I don’t know how it does that, but when you create, it’s like a meditation. It’s like you’re going within and you don’t know you are. It’s like, because everything is so external in our lives. And it’s almost like, I don’t know. I always when I do the art break day and I’m with a crowd of people and they’re they’re all creating. It’s just amazing how people connect. And I think it’s because they’re coming from their heart space. They’re coming from with when it’s almost like it’s almost like art break day for me. World is this type of meditation where people have a chance just to go inside a little bit and then show themselves to people. And then that’s true connection. And I think that’s how we are connected with everybody around the world when we’re creating.
Cali 26:22
Yeah. And I think too, it can lead to like this morning, for instance. Um, so my whole fashion thing came where about two months ago I decided to experiment with digital art on Canva. And I wanted to create a piece for my room that was, I’m a mermaid, so anything to do with the sea. Um, I wanted the mermaid, the dolphins, the underwater, colorful coral, all of that. And I created this three-piece, it’s 20 by 60, but I split it into three canvases. And this morning I’m sitting on my bed and the sun was coming through the window, and it hits just perfectly where it illuminated the mermaid and the dolphin. And I’m sitting there, and all of a sudden, ideas start to flow for this avant-garde fashion piece. Right. And so I grabbed my camera and I went and I took a picture of just where the sun was focusing and I’m like, okay, remember this, right? And so that’s the thing, you never know where the ideas are gonna come from. It’s just a matter of, like you said, getting quiet, right? Allowing that magic to come out, right? And then it is, it really is magic when it comes out. It’s just like, whoa, you know.
Lauren 27:38
Yeah. Go ahead. Manali, you had something?
Manaali 27:43
Oh no, I was just gonna say, um, in relation to that isolation and connection bit, and um even just talking to people that had come for Outbreak Day and how like their eyes just lit up, knowing that people in Bolivia, in different parts of the US, in different parts of the world were creating uh at the same time, you know, it just magnifies the impact of wow, me creating a mark on this piece of paper alongside someone in a different part of the world makes such a difference. And yeah, I think it made them feel like it matters so much more, you know. The the challenge of how do I start? I haven’t done art since childhood. I’m nervous, I don’t know what this event is going to be like. Um, and even actually, friends that I asked to come to help me out, they sat down, they cut out one of these delivery bags to start coloring in something, and they didn’t get up after that. I had to do everything because I just got so into it. Can you pass me the paint? Can you pass me the paint breakfast? Um people, you know, asking for things across the table, moving to different parts to do art. Some, you know, observations about how I brought in fresh flowers as well. And some people made these 3D mandala-like things, um, gluing together things and flowers and things in a way that I never thought was possible. But elements of culture coming in, elements of divinity, elements of connection. Some people even um painted these Jenga blocks and said, Oh, here’s chocolate for you. So they painted a type of chocolate on the Jenga, and I’m pretending to eat it, and my grandmom is giving me these strange looks because she didn’t know what’s going on. Lots of laughter, and yeah, they’re just like, Can we please do this again? When is the next one? Even the cafe owner, the fact that it’s free, just could not understand. Yeah, why are you doing this free? Like you should be charging people, don’t expect people to pay for the like you know, to. And I said, No, this is the point. This is the whole point. Um, and this is the point of the movement. So it was a good way to share about art is moving, artbreak day, and just the value of art.
Lauren 30:00
Yeah, yeah. Let’s talk about that for a second. The the idea that it’s free, because Krupa mentioned being in like a capitalist center of a world and offering something to people. I mean, Lisa in the past has tried to um give give out stuff, you know.
Lisa 30:17
Free stuff, free art supplies, just take it.
Lauren 30:19
And they’re like what if what do you want for me? And people are very um cautious when you try to give them something for free. I’ve had, I actually had like a local um printing company donate something. They they donated color wheels to my site, and I’ve had them for like five or six years because I’ll be like, would you like a color wheel? And uh people just are like, no, no, no, no, you know, and I’m like, it’s it is free. I’m not I’m not gonna make you even put your email on anything. So what is yeah, I mean, and I think it is a very important element. Like keeping your site free is is an important element to it because I at the very beginning it was about accessibility. You know, we wanted art to be accessible to everyone. That was another part of sort of the awareness that we were trying to bring forward. Um, so what have people encountered um offering it for free, or what insight do they have in from that aspect?
Lisa 31:19
Well, isn’t there that quote, there’s no such thing as a free lunch? You know, they’re always like, what’s going on? What do you want from me? You know, so there’s there’s that. It’s uh a paranoia that’s uh conditioned within us on some level, right? Yeah.
Krupa 31:35
Yeah. Yeah. I think it has a lot to do with trust. Sorry, I’ll go ahead. Um, with trust, like everything has become so transactional, right? And so we’re out of the habit of just being able to have free experiences where it’s not focused around money and and money ties into accessibility and the ways that the world is divided. And to kind of break through that, I think challenges like all the oppressive systems of the world, you know. I mean, it’s revolutionary really to offer in this way and to not expect anything in return. And of course, we still get so nourished just by offering it. But um yeah, I think it’s really an act of trust and and perhaps reviving that for some people, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Lisa 32:26
And that’s maybe why they are like, uh, we want this every day. We want to feel we want to feel trust again. And I love that this concept of why why don’t we, yeah, this adulting, why don’t let go of that? Just let go of it. Yeah, yeah.
Lauren 32:42
Let go and trust. Yeah, let go and trust. Yeah, I think I definitely think that um it’s really interesting to think it is this is such a simple yet complex idea. And to think that it really does um when you start to peel away the layers, it we’re really talking about a lot of things. Um, and um, I just you know want to extend my gratitude to you all for sort of inherently understanding what we’re trying to do. I know not everybody does, everyone here does. And you just kind of roll with it and you understand it and you let people kind of discover it for themselves as they do it. And I think that’s a really important element of it. They might, you know, it’s sort of like art. You kind of don’t even know what you’re doing when you’re doing it. You don’t know how powerful it is as you’re doing it. You don’t know that you’re actually really, really helping yourself as you’re doing it and how important it is. And like Callie was saying, she’s sort of like an example of someone who started and then can’t stop because it’s like the more you do it, the more you have to do it, and the and the more you see in yourself and your capabilities. Um, so that’s that that’s such a also an important element. Beautiful.
Valeska 33:57
Yeah, yeah. We think uh art shouldn’t be a luxury for a few people. We think all should have the the time and the materials for doing art. So it was uh I don’t know, it was kind of I felt kind of off because many people uh thought that okay, the activity was free, but they had to uh lend us their art, and we were like, no, it’s yours, it’s completely yours.
Lisa 34:32
Oh, that’s fascinating. Because when Lauren and I used to do Artbreak Day in San Francisco, we were just like surprised that people would love to, we thought they were just gifting their art to us, so we would start a gallery, but that’s potential they didn’t think they could take it. Yeah, they couldn’t receive it. That’s fascinating.
Valeska 34:51
But uh of course, most of them took their their art to their homes and were so happy to have that piece for their personal, I don’t know, achievement.
Lauren 35:04
Yeah, no, I think that’s great. It’s evidence of what they’ve done, you know, a representation of what they did. Yeah.
Lisa 35:11
Joyce says a lot of people want to be able to give in return for what is given to them. So maybe that’s the the power of the free art movement is they’re they’re they’re remembering they want to and they just want to give that’s why they want to leave the art potentially. Yeah. Wow. Tessa, you have any any insights?
Tessa 35:34
Yeah, I uh like the the give and return thing. I had a similar, I had a similar experience this year at Artbreak Day. I passed out little tiles um for people to decorate. I just had a whole bunch of them and um similar people created something on it and they said, Okay, what do I do with this now? Like, do I have to leave it here? Do I put it on your table? And I’m like, well, it’s yours. You can take it home, you know, like do what you want with it. And they were like, oh, like they didn’t know what to do. I had a few people that did just leave them there. They’re like, Oh, I’ll put it out here for to share with people. And you know, maybe it was that maybe they wanted to share or give something in return. Um, there was another elderly woman who came through and she was she had explained to me how she grew up in Ocean Beach and she was so happy to see like the art and the colors, and she felt she was like, This is what I have been missing. It’s so refreshing to see you out here. And we chatted for a little while, and she came back around and she was like, I wanted to give you this gold coin, and she gave me a golden dollar, which was such a treasure. I was like, Oh, I haven’t seen one of these in so long. Thank you so much. And I think she felt, you know, she wanted to give something back for that for the time or that exchange that we had. And I think it’s funny how you know, it is it is political, what we’re doing, in a sense, you know, like we are we’re challenging the systems that be by offering free things in that way. And I think the reason that they enforce transactional things so much is because they fear that if we give things for free, that it won’t circulate. But how ironic that when we give things for free, it circulates almost immediately, you know, it comes back immediately. So I think that’s a really cool point that you guys brought up there. Yeah. Yeah.
Cali 37:19
I’d like to say something right off of that, which just came to me, and that was that I feel in a way we’re kind of leading towards that as we’re moving into this newer, new creation period, whereas it’s gonna be more of I’ve been doing it for years, a barter system, right? Rather than monetary, where we each have our own individualized gifts and talents, and someone else, you know, can say, okay, you know, what can I do to be of service to you and vice versa. And so with the art, like the woman that’s so perfect, right? It’s like you were giving her something that brought back memories of another time that made her happy, and this was her returning that gift to you via the gold coin, right? And I think that in time we’re gonna see more of that just because of the direction that we’re going. And this movement, I think, is really at the forefront of creating that moving forward. So it’s exciting.
Lisa 38:25
Artist moving.
Cali 38:27
Yeah, absolutely. Great.
Lauren 38:30
Um, anyone else have any final thoughts that they want to share?
Cali 38:34
Oh, by the way, Tesla, I’m in o I’m in oceanside.
Manaali 38:38
Love that. Oh, I just wanted to say, um, oh wow. Tort completely gone from my head. It is 9 40 p.m.
Lauren 38:51
Um thank you for being staying up staying up late for us.
Manaali 38:56
No, of course. Um I think just in the land of side hustles and you know, inflation and everything that people are talking about, like we were saying, having something for free and passing that on, whether it’s in terms of someone gaining more capacity, um, you know, more space, they’re externalizing what’s happening for them in these art pieces. Some have created five pieces in a row and going home or going into their lives with um more inspiration, more of a smile on their face, more sense of connection that I may not know all these people, but I’ve created art alongside them. And I think for me, my first artbreak there was complete inspiration from Kooper because the one she organized was huge, and just seeing all these kids come through and you know, creating art for free and being able to take it home, they just can’t believe that they get to take it home and create. And it’s like, what are you getting from this? You know, um, I’m not even like uh there’s no no business card exchange, there’s no, you know, there’s nothing about that. And it’s just really I love people coming together just to make art and connect, and that’s it. Um, yeah.
Lauren 40:08
Yeah, I mean, I think it’s interesting, right? Because there it’s not as though it’s not transactional, it’s just intangible, it’s intangible. Like the transaction is is that you know, art makes people better and better people make a better world. That is literally the reason. It’s joy. The transaction is joy. The reason I do it is because I mean, you could call me selfish. I’m trying to make my world better, you know. Like I’d like to be around people that have discovered a way to um process their emotions. And so anyone I get a chance to talk to about taking an art break, whatever it may be, it doesn’t, you know, I try I try to talk to people about the fact that because a lot of, you know, well, I can’t draw and I can’t paint. And I’m and I’m like, yeah, neither can I. That’s not what I do, you know. I bake, I make things, you know, um, and I take photographs. Um, I improv with my children, you know, uh there’s so many things you can do. I sit on a bench and I what I watch people and pretend that it’s a play, you know, it’s so so many things you can do, and it’s really about just kind of snapping you out of that camster wheel and real and seeing the whole world for what it really is. And I think that’s the that’s the payment, is you get to see a person, you get to see the real them in a way, you know.
Lisa 41:29
A lot of it we’re disrupting the the system. We’re all disruptors, so bravo.
Krupa 41:38
Yeah, I just want to acknowledge Osaminali because that was the biggest year that I have managed to facilitate as part of all of this. And I think there were 300 people over two days. There’s a team of volunteers. I mean, it was really something very memorable, and I’m so glad you were part of it and that you’re carrying it on now in your own way. It’s like it’s it should be exponential like this, you know. It’s just really touching to see how it keeps growing. Um, and I I think as a last thought, I really wanted to share what touched me this time is the longing, which speaks to the need for this. So I saw children like running away from their parents, gravitating to the space, just desperate to make a mark and like ready, you know. Um, I saw adults think about it, you know, feel like they’re too busy to stop and then get stuck, you know, for hours. Um, and I also saw a lot of people who were at the periphery who just stood there and witnessed and and would even come over and thank me and just say, like, we we all really need this. Like, thank you. This is so beautiful just to even see, even if I don’t. And usually they would at least come and, you know, like put down their favorite sports team or something, you know. Um yeah, the longing was really present this year, and it just felt like just very satisfying to see how it’s meeting a need.
Lauren 42:58
Yeah, yeah.
Krupa 43:00
Yeah.
Lisa 43:01
Beautiful.
Lauren 43:04
Anyone else? Anyone else?
Lisa 43:08
Sarah, any final thoughts?
Sarah 43:15
Well, I mean, I agree with everything that we said. Uh I just feel like it’s a really special way for us to reconnect with ourselves. And I really, I feel very passionate about the fact that um I think it was mentioned earlier, you know, like this should be something that we do every day. I feel like art is a form of convention and it’s a bridge towards our humanity. And I feel like we just need it as much as we possibly can all the time. So I appreciate you all for this and thank you.
Lauren 43:41
Yeah, yeah. Um, I love that. A bridge to our humanity. That’s beautiful. Um that’s you. Yeah, just one, I mean, one final thank you. I could say thank you over and over and over and over. Um, because literally uh it would not happen without you guys, for sure. So thank you. Thank you. It’s it’s really incredible. Um, yeah, so uh look forward to next year and um all of the things. And uh if we can help along the way, obviously we’re here to help. So just let us know and we look forward to it.
Lisa 44:16
All right, thank you so much. Yeah, thank you, everyone. Till 17th Art World Artbreak Day.
Lauren 44:25
Yep. 17th next year. Woo! That’s it’s almost two decades.
Lisa 44:30
All right, thanks guys.
Lauren 44:32
Have a beautiful one. Thank you.
