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There is a new approach to finding balance that may help artists who face obstacles to sustaining their creative expression: Psychedelic Integration. The work is to integrate spiritual experiences into daily living. The key elements apply to the artist mindset as well, with or without psychedelics. When I discovered this emerging field at a recent Plant Spirit Summit, I felt a journey inside me come to completion. I’ve grown accustomed to disillusionment disrupting my flow of creativity but I never before considered integration as a solution. After hearing how psychedelic integration can balance transformative experiences, I realized that is what’s been missing from my own plight as an artist. Surviving NYC for almost 20 years really leaves a jaded mark on an individual who refuses to play dirty, blur ethical lines, and/or trade favors for opportunities. And yet trying to overcome ethically questionable practices turned into somewhat of an addiction for me. “New York City is a Drug,” says punk band The Dirty Pearls, a relic of the Lower East Side in times past. The city of dreams has shown me several lifetimes' worth of opportunities. There is always #AnotherWay. The city is alive with deviant art, desperate passion, and magical moments everywhere you turn. For years I consumed the energy around me, including all the exploitative practices that suffocate artists. It was just a matter of time before that took its toll. Everyone handles disillusionment differently because it’s a personal experience. I sought metamorphosis at an Ayahuasca retreat in Peru and reclaimed a creativity that had fallen dormant. But how to sustain that upon my return to an exploitive environment? Integration! Most people I’ve encountered in big cities don't speak the language of psychedelic love, the oneness of all things, living and not-living. That kind of thinking doesn’t jive with hustle culture. Unique dreams that find their way to NYC expect to break hearts, trample the competition, and “do what it takes” to succeed. That’s often what it looks like just to survive here. Integration work teaches survival without the sacrifice of deviant sensibilities or artistic expression. Post Peru I was asking, “Do I lower my vibrations to match those around me or call attention to a higher path?” Integration asks, “How do you find balance with integrity?” One side effect of my psychedelic experiences has been to turn away from the spotlight I once craved. Reflecting the light that shines from others feels more aligned with my purpose. But what I’ve discovered is that not everyone can handle their own light. Especially artists, who can feel more comfortable lost in a self-effacing ethos that culture often demands from them. (See my blog: Which came first: the exploited artist or the insecure artist?) Succumbing to a dark ethos isn’t the answer, but neither is imposing ideals. There is a third option: integrating balance. Working in the Arts as long as I have, I’ve seen a lot of artists come and go. Finding sustainability for one’s creative flame faces the same roadblocks across mediums, across disciplines, and across industries. So integration for me has three paths: integrating psychedelic 5-D learnings into my 3-D daily life, integrating a new mindset into communities that see deviant thinking as a threat, and integrating the artistic sensibility into business savvy. That’s #ArtsMeetsBiz! Integration is what I’ve been seeking all along and just knowing there was a path for it turned my spiritual void inside out. This is a calling for me, the latest “Call to Adventure” that makes sense out of the conflict I’ve survived. To that end, I’ve started a new MeetUp community to support artists seeking their own integration. The same struggles I faced as a creative in a city that’s more hustle than flow can manifest uniquely in every artist. Disillusionment is very real. If your experience of it is one and done, you’re one of the lucky ones. People need supportive communities now more than ever. So please join us virtually to share and engage in a constructive dialog around what it means to be an artist today. Whether you’ve discovered your creative talent after a psychedelic experience or are reconnecting to a flame that was extinguished by exploitive practices, your story needs to be heard, recognized, and either celebrated or composted to build a better tomorrow for the Arts. #OneArtistataTime Emileena is writing a book on artist development called ANOTHER WAY. If you are an artist looking for development, consider Emileena's E-Velop program. Original Artwork by Dave Law, freelance visual artist and illustrator. For more, please visit www.davelawart.com.

As a self-identified artist, I want to believe I’m pretty in tune with my emotional intelligence. After all, art is what people turn to to make sense of their own feelings. My favorite music, film, literature, visual art, and even live performance usually derive from the emotional depths of personal experience, even if it’s deeply implicit. But a rather poignant little secret I’ve unearthed in my artist development research is that while creativity feeds off emotions, the artist can rarely control it. Just because someone can express it doesn’t mean they’ve learned to manage it. American conceptual artist Glenn Ligon speaks for artists when he says artwork is, “the way that we figure out who we are, rather than express who we are. …the making of the work is an exploration of what we are.” There is something to be said for the power of releasing that which has been swimming around in your embodied experience unconsciously. When you can name that which you feel, the feeling loses some of its unrestricted reign over your life. But making your emotions conscious doesn’t immediately translate to mastery over them. In some cases, those emotions can take on a weird life of their own. That’s why some kind of mindful, holistic practice is essential to sustainable artist development. #DevelopmentNeverEnds I know this, but I also have an artistic sensibility that can get lost in the intricate poetry of emotions. Sometimes that comes at the expense of my own conscious, sustainable living. This phenomenon is described beautifully in Pixar’s Soul, in the scene where Joe learns that souls can get lost in “The Zone.” So when I shared my Ayahuasca journey recently on the Mamas Boys Podcast, I was caught a little off guard by some buried emotions that surfaced. Having never spoken publicly about my experience with plant medicine, I was blissfully unaware of how much of it had gone unprocessed. There is something transformational and somewhat magical about putting words to buried emotions. What I learned from this process holds valuable lessons for artists regarding unexamined thinking patterns. Here are my three biggest takeaways: 1. Some experiences defy description, and that’s what art is for. Mere words can not fully contain the bizarre world of Ayahuasca and I have still not yet settled on the best way to explain it cohesively. I have, however, been able to touch it at one time or another through various mediums such as literature, song, dance, image, and more. I realize now that my book on artist development is meant to express this experience - it’s my creative process. Maybe I’ve always known this on a subconscious level, but it’s only now that I can articulate it: my book is an artistic representation of the lessons I’ve learned from plant medicine, as told through the mediums of literature (Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey specifically), image (with some help from Dave Law Art), song (follow me on Apple Music), and other multi-media (still in development). 2. Our life experiences are framed by our state of mind. So much of my Ayahuasca Journey was tainted by the jaded disillusionment I felt from navigating the concrete jungle of New York City. Although I have composted most of that in my head, I was surprised by how negative my memories sounded when I recounted them out loud. I was physically ill for most of my stay in Peru, which was easy to write off as altitude sickness, food poisoning, and the dieta I was on pre-retreat. I felt hopeless while Ayahuasca was drawing me into the oneness of Love. The moment I was able to let go and truly embrace this LOVE, all my physical symptoms lifted. It now seems so clear to me that my negative judgements were simply manifesting into my physical experience. 3. Insecurity is a distraction from staying present. After the podcast, I felt immobilized by a familiar insecurity: I tend to get stuck in the past at the expense of moving into the future. In this case, I scrutinized every word I said, fearing it would be misinterpreted hereafter. Hello, ego! As a Daoist, I recognize that the wisdom of the Tao lives in the present, a perfect balance of duality (yin/yang). That means I try not to dwell too long on one side over the other, the past versus the future. But what sometimes happens, as a result, is that I can get lost bouncing between perspectives. I'm not changing the past, I’m not moving forward, and I'm definitely not present. This happens in the second stage of The Sustainability Cycle, which I also call “The Bounce.” In my book I explain that the further you go in your awakening journey, the faster the bounce of perspective happens. But it can also be an intellectual trap that is easy for visionary artists to get lost in (back to “The Zone” in Pixar’s Soul). I’ve been feeling more like Alice Through the Lookingglass. Maybe the Cheshire Cat is right, “We’re all mad here.” In those moments I turn to my box of tools to ground myself back into presence. I like to remind myself that we are all exactly where we need to be. And since Time is Relative, you can’t fuck up your own journey. This helps my anxiety when my ego is making a lot of noise. #DevelopmentNeverEnds ---- Perhaps I’ll never be able to capture Ayahuasca in its majesty and it will keep swimming around unexpressed as I stumble through life. Who knows what hidden emotions will be revealed if and when they do surface. But grounding into presence, being here now, feels more manageable than worrying about what will be or what has been. So now that I’ve processed the recounting of my Ayahuasca experience, there is still the wisdom of the plant medicine left to digest. The love that I felt, and now know I hold inside, can consume any and every negative experience past, present, or future. I can even love myself, which feels strangely radical to say out loud. But that simple takeaway is worth all the disillusionment that came before. So while I continue integrating these lessons into my life, one day at a time, I can never erase the visceral messaging I received atop that mountainside in Peru: Love is always the answer. Listen to The Mamas Boys Podcast: Ayahuasca, Creativity and Artist Management Emileena is writing a book on artist development called ANOTHER WAY. If you are an artist looking for development, consider Emileena's E-Velop program. Original Artwork by Dave Law, freelance visual artist and illustrator. For more, please visit www.davelawart.com.

Artists love to complain about the squeezed funding dedicated to the Arts, an unpleasant reality that has seen decreased spending on the Arts starting, arguably, with Reaganomics. I’ve shared that narrative in almost every presentation, workshop, and event I’ve produced. But what I’m starting to see now is that more than the lack of funding, it’s the very system itself that is broken. Specifically, non-profits that are created to fund under-served artists simply cannot keep up with the demand. There are just too many people awakening to the artist within. I think we’re finally starting to see that the answer to the squeezed Arts industries is not to find more money, nor create more organizations. All that does is replicate the same problems. In an increasingly diverse environment (which was always diverse, society is just now starting to embrace it), what we need is more diverse systems! But the point of this article is not to offer a solution. There will always be #AnotherWay, which means no one way will ever be a cure-all for everyone equally. Instead, I’d like to suggest that we are in a time of unpreceded opportunity precisely because our systems are collapsing. The events that have transpired since 2020 have catalyzed interest in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Most notably, integration of the BIPOC, BLM, and LGBTQ perspectives has been given a greater weight inside the workplace. Both corporations and non-profits have increased their efforts to ensure representation. This in turn supports inclusive narratives that will propel the organization’s footprint into a post-pandemic environment. This all sounds very forward-thinking, exciting, and…modern. It seems we are in the season of the “individual.” Time’s Person of the Year in 2011 was “The Protestor,” so it seems appropriate, in my mind, if “The Individual” assumed the prestigious title for 2022. In a recent New York Times article about the Global Culture Wars, David Brooks writes that the idealized vision of globalization that the majority accepted in the 1990s, has since devolved: “This was an optimistic vision of how history would evolve, a vision of progress and convergence. Unfortunately, this vision does not describe the world we live in today. The world is not converging anymore; it’s diverging.” Western thinking was built on patriarchal views that strived for a unified ideal. We are the United States, after all. But in the Year of the Individual, it seems to me that the very concept of unity is flawed. And while some people may be upset about the splintering of our collective, I see this moment as having tremendous potential. We are sitting in a liminal time in history. That means that buried in the chaos of broken systems is the opportunity to create #AnotherWay. Creativity thrives in the liminal space. As many people still have one foot firmly planted in the comfortable, predictable way of life that was pre-pandemic, we are simultaneously stepping into a new reality. It’s a paradigm shift where technology is a deity, to be worshipped or crucified, and temporal unpredictability is the new normal. We’ve lost favor for those in dominant, wealthy positions of power, such as government officials, religious leaders, and even educational institutions. Allegiance seems to lie, more so than ever, with an individualized identity. So I leave you with a prompt to consider in your own life: How can you build a new narrative that doesn’t attempt to unite, but also doesn’t suppress? Your answer is the creative thread that you carry in this time of chaos. According to mythologist Michael Meade, if we each carry our own thread, we can collectively weave a new reality. Be the change. Emileena is writing a book called ANOTHER WAY, the Dao of Artist Development. If you are an artist looking for development, consider Emileena's E-Velop program. Original Artwork by Dave Law, freelance visual artist and illustrator. For more, please visit www.davelawart.com.

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Cultivating the meta and making it physical... through Evolution, Inclusion, Exploration. #AnotherWay #RebrandingArt #ArtsMeetsBiz Submit my Art! Contact Us ANOTHER WAY ARts FESTIVAL ​ We are searching the country for Arts entrepreneurs and artists who have the talent to BE the example; to remind the country why the "creative win" in business means nothing without an artistically expressive component. ​ ​ The Internet enabled a whole generation of businesses making fast money. We’ve forgotten the lessons learned by our predecessors: the value of markets growing, failing, and re-building, and the opportunity that arises from it. Honest innovation comes from the hunger and drive of entrepreneurs, outside of existing systems. ​ Since the dot-com boom in the ‘90s, corporate entities (like the banking system) and/or economic bubble are no longer allowed to explode. Instead, the system gets manipulated and bastardized to only support growth – this is big business! ​ It means the people already in power creatively twist laws, bend rules, and embrace exploitation. This "creative" pursuit promotes financial mobility over Art. It is increasingly crushing big ideas and teaching a new generation to value the dollar and the creative ‘win’ over the process of artistic expression. ​ Innovation has become the business of pushing evolution onto the consumer instead of letting society incubate and speak for itself. Corporate America is speaking for us now. ​ And we get a society where the Arts are under-appreciated due to lack of exposure. When funding deteriorates marketing suffers and programming disappears. Kids are growing up without Arts education so they don't know how to support them or pursue artistic careers practically (i.e. in a way that is financially sustainable). This is exasperated by Big Business’ view of the Arts as financially unstable. When we don't see or understand something, it's hard to remember the value in it. If a tree falls... ​ Arts are NOT fast money. Artistic endeavors by nature take time to develop. They need that incubation time to become anything of value. Outside of struggling non-profits, fighting for diminishing grants and dependent on financially squeezed consumer donations, there are no commercials centers for Arts businesses and individual artists to develop their craft. The Problem ​ ​ Cultivate the meta and make it physical. ​ The vision: A sustainable safe space to develop, incubate, showcase, and launch artistic ideas that are out-of-the-box in a non-traditional manner; where loving intentions flourish. ​ The mission: To host live events in a festival-type eco-system across artistic disciplines embracing alternative ideas. We also cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit with development programs and resources. ​ Let us together disrupt the current de-evolution of the Arts through Exploration, Inclusion, and Evolution. ​ Exploration Meta Fiziks means freedom, space, and time to develop within financially savvy models that will allow artists to make money alongside, and often in partnership with, the creative businesses making waves under the same roof. ​ Inclusion Art does not discriminate - it does not belong to an exclusive elite. Art can be found in the hearts of the beaten and downtrodden, in the minds of the lonely cool kids, and most importantly on the walls of the soul; Inside the wealthy businessman and the poor high schooler alike. If it's honest and pure, Art is everywhere. Meta Fiziks is a non-traditional, multi-use, flexible venue offering sanctuary to any artistic idea in search of an authentic truth. Evolution Meta Fiziks offers the public an inside view of the artistic process as a way to educate the next generation on #WhatisArt. Our programming includes business seminars alongside artistic events curated to promote non-traditional ideas. Small business needs help more than ever from the artistic community to combat the momentum of corporate and governmental corruption. The Solution