Dream
Back in the tea garden at Fly Awake, it is better than ever. The tea garden still exists. Meet me in the garden. Portland, Oregon. Dream journal, dreaming, lucidity. Grounding, change.
Dream: I am back at Fly Awake Tea Garden, my former business. Instead of the dry, rocky, driveway path, the path is a moist, as in fertile, cobble road. Flowers are growing between widely placed stones, where the pavement used to be. Along the path there are large stones, one stone is a large polished labradorite, about the size of a backpack. I looked at the stone from different directions to see past the shadowy gray to the rainbows. I stay in a squat, close to the earth, looking at the path and rock. It is so much more beautiful now.
A Space
Fly Awake, art installation, developed into a community engagement project through my former business, Fly Awake Tea Garden, in Portland, Oregon.
Through this space I facilitated explorations of dreamtime, manifestation, and expanding consciousness from 2011-2016.
In a magical garden, we share dreams around the fire.
Magical, experimental music weaving through grandmother maple and fairy gardens.
Trying not to frighten fairies…alas, missed again.
Ganesha and chocolate cosmos at the entryway.
Collective
Community-based art and community-building projects led by Lily Ananda Michaud of Portland, OR. Intersection repairs, street paintings, little libraries, interactive neighborhood.
As an extension of Fly Awake Tea Garden I began organizing events to build community. Studies show it is harder to get people together to do positive collaborative action than to protest or fight. So, how do we build or transform community? Have a vision, hold it in your mind as a goal, take direct action, and be responsive to group feedback. Simple actions for coalescing neighborhoods include borrowing tools, eating together, and making passageways in fences. Another fun way to build community is collectively making a street painting, also known as “intersection repair”. It is called a repair, because it brings the space back into the domain of pedestrians and friendly interactions instead of just being for cars. When I host an intersection painting there are lots of opportunities to share paint brushes and supplies, donate food, and joyfully take food breaks while not caring about looking grubby. Planning street paintings is a great way to get to know the neighborhood through decisionmaking about the images, and getting consent from residents. In addition to street paintings, we planted pollinators and native plants on curb strips (the bees were over the moon, especially enjoying catnip and Douglas aster). We built a bench with repurposed stones and concrete, and installed several “little libraries” (that can also be used for art and education). Painted intersections are a fun space to have neighborhood potlucks and require maintenance, ie repainting parties.
Letter images and add short descriptions. Add pics of little libraries, etc?