Making Space: |
As many of us do now, I struggle with some anxiety in public. Because of this, I went from walking various neighborhoods, busy parks, and popular trails to roaming through my own neighborhood, where I could retreat indoors if anxiety got the best of me. At first this was great, because I was exploring parts of my environment I had never seen before. But Highland Park is only so big, and I needed to find a way to change up my walks.
As an artist, I find the way we interact with urban settings fascinating, and I like to contemplate what makes people choose what they do in terms of design and aesthetics. This lends itself to changing up my regular walks, and I hope it inspires you to do the same: what I see and think about might be completely different for you!
On trees
If you are interested in plants like I am, you might take note of trees. They're everywhere in urban and suburban landscapes, sometimes shoehorned into spaces in ways that are very different from what you see in the woods. What do you notice about trees in your neighborhood? When you look at a tree, can you tell where human interventions have changed the growing pattern? Can you see places in the bark where bottom branches have been cut? Is the tree shaped? Can you tell if the trees are old? Are there parts of the tree that are dead, or yellow growths on new trees? Do you notice the patterns of bark growth? Is the tree out of place (like palm trees typically found around Pitt’s campus in the summer), and how does its location affect the tree's growth?
As an artist, I find the way we interact with urban settings fascinating, and I like to contemplate what makes people choose what they do in terms of design and aesthetics. This lends itself to changing up my regular walks, and I hope it inspires you to do the same: what I see and think about might be completely different for you!
On trees
If you are interested in plants like I am, you might take note of trees. They're everywhere in urban and suburban landscapes, sometimes shoehorned into spaces in ways that are very different from what you see in the woods. What do you notice about trees in your neighborhood? When you look at a tree, can you tell where human interventions have changed the growing pattern? Can you see places in the bark where bottom branches have been cut? Is the tree shaped? Can you tell if the trees are old? Are there parts of the tree that are dead, or yellow growths on new trees? Do you notice the patterns of bark growth? Is the tree out of place (like palm trees typically found around Pitt’s campus in the summer), and how does its location affect the tree's growth?
Observations from my walk
Walking around Highland Park, I began to really take note of trees around power lines. People have very precisely shaped these trees to keep them from interfering with the lines, but beyond that there seems to be no care for the trees' aesthetic, which makes for weird and whimsical creations. My favorite was one with a single branch directly under the power lines, which made it look like it was holding the line up.
Trees in sidewalks also have some interesting root growth. It’s strange to see such large roots aboveground, as the tree tries to expand beyond the little space it was given between sidewalk and road. I also found one where the root split the sidewalk in half, and while it isn’t uncommon for roots to grow under the sidewalk, you don’t often see them clearly breaking through on smaller trees.
Walking around Highland Park, I began to really take note of trees around power lines. People have very precisely shaped these trees to keep them from interfering with the lines, but beyond that there seems to be no care for the trees' aesthetic, which makes for weird and whimsical creations. My favorite was one with a single branch directly under the power lines, which made it look like it was holding the line up.
Trees in sidewalks also have some interesting root growth. It’s strange to see such large roots aboveground, as the tree tries to expand beyond the little space it was given between sidewalk and road. I also found one where the root split the sidewalk in half, and while it isn’t uncommon for roots to grow under the sidewalk, you don’t often see them clearly breaking through on smaller trees.
There was one tree at an extreme tilt that looked like it was looming over the cars. One tall tree looked like it had had all of its branches chopped off, only to rebel and sprout new growth from the bottom, with one very prominent branch at the top. It was very striking and resembled a rebellious power line pole itself.
We probably don’t think of this much, but so many power line poles are former trees. You can see the notches that use to be branches, and how it tapers toward the top. It’s also a reminder of when paper flyers were used a lot more often; if you look closely, you can often see a lot of staples.
We probably don’t think of this much, but so many power line poles are former trees. You can see the notches that use to be branches, and how it tapers toward the top. It’s also a reminder of when paper flyers were used a lot more often; if you look closely, you can often see a lot of staples.
Something else I observed are the prevalence of Japanese Maples! I swear you can’t walk a block in Highland Park without seeing one in someone's yard.
People use a wide variety of trees for landscaping, but because I didn’t grow up in an area where a lot of people planted ornamental trees, these red trees stand out a lot (just like Pitt's palm trees). I managed to find a dracaena, another variety of tropical tree, planted in someone’s yard; it presumably hasn’t survived over the winter and was planted just for the season.
Try taking a walk through your neighborhood with a fresh, focused, and creative eye. What do you observe about the trees there...?
- Mike Campbell, Center for Creativity Assistant. Find Mike's work on Instagram.
People use a wide variety of trees for landscaping, but because I didn’t grow up in an area where a lot of people planted ornamental trees, these red trees stand out a lot (just like Pitt's palm trees). I managed to find a dracaena, another variety of tropical tree, planted in someone’s yard; it presumably hasn’t survived over the winter and was planted just for the season.
Try taking a walk through your neighborhood with a fresh, focused, and creative eye. What do you observe about the trees there...?
- Mike Campbell, Center for Creativity Assistant. Find Mike's work on Instagram.
I’m proudly Jamaican. My entire family is from Jamaica. The last time I got to visit was over Christmas break during junior year of high school; we had just finished building a new house on my family’s land.
The typical routine is that as we drive from Kingston airport, we stop at the Juici Patty factory on the way to Saint Elizabeth. (I’ve never seen what it looks like, cause I’ve slept through it every time, and not one person decided it would be nice to wake Kami up so she can see what the factory looks like.) I usually wake up groggy 30 minutes later, but then I get a patty and a carton of sorrel (a drink made from hibiscus flowers) to eat during the ride.
Then we get home, drive past the mango tree in the front yard that my mom’s parents are buried under, and see the house she grew up in slightly down the path (bright lavender, with a cross painted on the front door).
In the morning, my mom makes me run down the road to grab a bag of flour so we can make fry dumpling for breakfast to eat with our ackee (the national fruit), and my aunt comes over with a whole bunch of mangoes and soursop from her tree. We head to the beach — my uncle drives us — and in the middle of the day, he surprises us with a big block of ice from the back of his truck, shaving some ice that we top with fruit punch syrup. My mom points out where she went to school and where she bought oranges right outside the school gate. I meet so much family I didn’t know existed, and get three times that number of mosquito bites. And then when we leave to come back to the states, we buy a box of frozen patties and stock up on white rum and red label wine at the airport duty free store.
My mom didn’t grow up in the states at all. American history is not her strong point. But despite that, she raised my sister and I to be so aware of Black American history as well as our own culture. In third grade, she gave me The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. I read Sojourner Truth’s Autobiography, and made her out of a potato for a class project. If there was a new Black History movie, best believe my family was in the movie theatre. Or buying it on DVD and BluRay. (We didn’t even have a BluRay player.) Every MLK Jr. Day, my mom would sit my sister and me down (under our dining room table: our house had a weird set-up), and we would watch his speech start to finish.
Now I take my mom out to watch The Color Purple (my favorite Broadway show of all time) and August Wilson plays, to try and return the favor. My mom did such a great job of raising my sister and me to be so educated and aware of blackness growing up in a society where we were taught to hate ourselves more than anything. Despite everything being stacked up against us, the mental tax that comes with existing in this oppressive system on the daily, I’m so happy every day to wake up and be black. There isn’t a more resilient group of people, despite those trying to stomp out our existence and dehumanize us. The power of black joy is unmatched: the music, the art, the poetry and writing and thought, the culture, the food, and the laughter.
It feels weird to tack a recipe at the end of this, but I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you use it as a moment for some self care. (If you read 30 minutes of Audre Lorde, you may have these as a treat.) I took a pic and sent them to my mom when I first made them (isolating alone in my apartment), and she approved and said the crust looked good. Just like a patty from the store, it made a huge flaky mess whenever you took a bite. So it’s the real deal.
Always keep reading, keep learning, keep listening.
The typical routine is that as we drive from Kingston airport, we stop at the Juici Patty factory on the way to Saint Elizabeth. (I’ve never seen what it looks like, cause I’ve slept through it every time, and not one person decided it would be nice to wake Kami up so she can see what the factory looks like.) I usually wake up groggy 30 minutes later, but then I get a patty and a carton of sorrel (a drink made from hibiscus flowers) to eat during the ride.
Then we get home, drive past the mango tree in the front yard that my mom’s parents are buried under, and see the house she grew up in slightly down the path (bright lavender, with a cross painted on the front door).
In the morning, my mom makes me run down the road to grab a bag of flour so we can make fry dumpling for breakfast to eat with our ackee (the national fruit), and my aunt comes over with a whole bunch of mangoes and soursop from her tree. We head to the beach — my uncle drives us — and in the middle of the day, he surprises us with a big block of ice from the back of his truck, shaving some ice that we top with fruit punch syrup. My mom points out where she went to school and where she bought oranges right outside the school gate. I meet so much family I didn’t know existed, and get three times that number of mosquito bites. And then when we leave to come back to the states, we buy a box of frozen patties and stock up on white rum and red label wine at the airport duty free store.
My mom didn’t grow up in the states at all. American history is not her strong point. But despite that, she raised my sister and I to be so aware of Black American history as well as our own culture. In third grade, she gave me The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. I read Sojourner Truth’s Autobiography, and made her out of a potato for a class project. If there was a new Black History movie, best believe my family was in the movie theatre. Or buying it on DVD and BluRay. (We didn’t even have a BluRay player.) Every MLK Jr. Day, my mom would sit my sister and me down (under our dining room table: our house had a weird set-up), and we would watch his speech start to finish.
Now I take my mom out to watch The Color Purple (my favorite Broadway show of all time) and August Wilson plays, to try and return the favor. My mom did such a great job of raising my sister and me to be so educated and aware of blackness growing up in a society where we were taught to hate ourselves more than anything. Despite everything being stacked up against us, the mental tax that comes with existing in this oppressive system on the daily, I’m so happy every day to wake up and be black. There isn’t a more resilient group of people, despite those trying to stomp out our existence and dehumanize us. The power of black joy is unmatched: the music, the art, the poetry and writing and thought, the culture, the food, and the laughter.
It feels weird to tack a recipe at the end of this, but I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you use it as a moment for some self care. (If you read 30 minutes of Audre Lorde, you may have these as a treat.) I took a pic and sent them to my mom when I first made them (isolating alone in my apartment), and she approved and said the crust looked good. Just like a patty from the store, it made a huge flaky mess whenever you took a bite. So it’s the real deal.
Always keep reading, keep learning, keep listening.
Jamaican Spinach Patties
A Jamaican Patty is a flaky pastry, usually tinted orange, filled with meat or veg.
Makes like 16. Recipes usually lie, but this time I’m not kidding, I promise. (This is a perfect recipe when your pantry is running low: I got so many meals out of the recipe. Plus, the ingredients are pretty cheap.)
Ingredients for crust:
- Kami Beckford, Center for Creativity Student Ambassador. Find Kami's work on her website.
A Jamaican Patty is a flaky pastry, usually tinted orange, filled with meat or veg.
Makes like 16. Recipes usually lie, but this time I’m not kidding, I promise. (This is a perfect recipe when your pantry is running low: I got so many meals out of the recipe. Plus, the ingredients are pretty cheap.)
Ingredients for crust:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 cup unsalted butter, as cold as possible, cut into cubes
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 3 packs frozen spinach, defrosted (usually this would be callaloo, which is similar to a collard green. My mom grows it in our backyard. 3 packs sounds a lot, but I promise it shrinks down to nothing.)
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, or anything to bring hear
- seasoning salt
- pepper
- Mix all the dry ingredients together.
- Start cutting in the butter. Add the butter to the dry ingredients, and take two forks and start incorporating the butter until the mixture is crumbly: you should be able to pinch the mix and have it stick together.
- Mix all the wet ingredients together separately, and then incorporate into the flour-butter mixture.
- Work the dough as little as possible, but form it into a ball and wrap it in plastic. Let it chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
- Let about 2 tablespoons oil heat up in a pan. Once heated, add garlic, scallion and onion. Let the onion caramelize, but make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Add the spinach, thyme, scotch bonnet, and season generously. Don’t be shy. Taste as you go.
- Let everything cook together for about 5 minutes. Don’t overcook. When done, remove the thyme sprigs.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You’re gonna want to keep the dough as cold as possible. Take the dough out the fridge, cut into quarters, and only work with a quarter at time. Each quarter should give you about 4 patties.
- Divide the dough further: roll each piece out into a circle (or if you have a large container to use as a circle cookie cutter, that also works). Fill with 3-4 spoons of filling. Brush the outside of the circle with water, fold over, and crimp with a fork. Brush with an egg wash.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they look golden brown.
- Eat after letting cool, chill them, or freeze them.
- Kami Beckford, Center for Creativity Student Ambassador. Find Kami's work on her website.
Making Space:
Caroline Kulczycky
Center for Creativity Student Ambassador
Tell us about yourself. What do you make?
I’m a rising senior at Pitt, and over the past three years, I have become particularly interested in digital artmaking (whether using Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, or other apps). I also have a background in illustration, acrylic painting, and zine-making.
How do you describe your workflow/process?
Usually, I work in spurts — whenever inspiration hits me, I like to capitalize on it. Thus, my artmaking process tends to start very spontaneously. Then, I usually get into a deep creative flow, and work until I am creatively exhausted. Or hungry.
I’m a rising senior at Pitt, and over the past three years, I have become particularly interested in digital artmaking (whether using Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, or other apps). I also have a background in illustration, acrylic painting, and zine-making.
How do you describe your workflow/process?
Usually, I work in spurts — whenever inspiration hits me, I like to capitalize on it. Thus, my artmaking process tends to start very spontaneously. Then, I usually get into a deep creative flow, and work until I am creatively exhausted. Or hungry.
How do you record your ideas?
I record new ideas in my Notes app on my laptop or phone. One day, I’ll look back through them all. I also have a couple sketchbooks that I doodle and draw in whenever I feel particularly imaginative.
Describe your environment? What’s the vibe?
Dynamic. Quarantine has temporarily changed my artmaking environment, so my current workspaces are a bit different than what I’m used to. I’m a guest in my current home, and I haven’t had a chance to construct a creative sanctuary of my own. Because of this, I am constantly changing creative spaces. My roommate’s desk (which I’ve commandeered), my bed, and various couches around the house are where you can usually find me making art during quarantine. But since my laptop is my most-used creative tool, I can pretty much go anywhere!
How do you set the scene for making?
Headphones and Spotify. I also need to have water, tea, and/or a little snack next to me at all times.
I record new ideas in my Notes app on my laptop or phone. One day, I’ll look back through them all. I also have a couple sketchbooks that I doodle and draw in whenever I feel particularly imaginative.
Describe your environment? What’s the vibe?
Dynamic. Quarantine has temporarily changed my artmaking environment, so my current workspaces are a bit different than what I’m used to. I’m a guest in my current home, and I haven’t had a chance to construct a creative sanctuary of my own. Because of this, I am constantly changing creative spaces. My roommate’s desk (which I’ve commandeered), my bed, and various couches around the house are where you can usually find me making art during quarantine. But since my laptop is my most-used creative tool, I can pretty much go anywhere!
How do you set the scene for making?
Headphones and Spotify. I also need to have water, tea, and/or a little snack next to me at all times.
How is it organized and arranged?
Since I have a few different workspaces, they are arranged differently. “My” desk is organized bit haphazardly — I stack papers, books, and art supplies on it wherever there’s room. I have an affinity for slightly disorganized workspaces — they boost my creativity somehow.
How long have you been in this space?
Around two months and counting!
What’s one thing you’d change?
I would like to work outside more often. Changing physical locations when I’m making art helps me feel reawakened and refreshes my creativity, and there’s no substitute for good old-fashioned sunlight and fresh air. Especially during quarantine, being outdoors (in a safe way) only does me good.
Since I have a few different workspaces, they are arranged differently. “My” desk is organized bit haphazardly — I stack papers, books, and art supplies on it wherever there’s room. I have an affinity for slightly disorganized workspaces — they boost my creativity somehow.
How long have you been in this space?
Around two months and counting!
What’s one thing you’d change?
I would like to work outside more often. Changing physical locations when I’m making art helps me feel reawakened and refreshes my creativity, and there’s no substitute for good old-fashioned sunlight and fresh air. Especially during quarantine, being outdoors (in a safe way) only does me good.
Any art objects around that inspire you?
I have this small poster that I got from the Carnegie International exhibition last year. On a pure white background, in black hand-inked calligraphy, is the name “Giovanna.” Now, I don’t know anybody named Giovanna, but every time I look at this minimalistic poster, I feel a sense of beauty and elegance flowing me. This piece really helps me clear my mind, regain focus, and inspire me to create beautiful things.
What’s your favorite piece of equipment?
My laptop is my most important piece of creative equipment. I never used to be technologically savvy, but now that I’ve learned to utilize the Internet and software (lookin’ at you, Adobe Creative Suite!) to create art, I am constantly learning new ways to explore the world of digital artmaking.
What tool is always on your person/do you never leave home without.
My phone and a pen/pencil. I am always doodling on my math notes or my homework.
What’s your favorite piece you’ve worked on lately?
Lately, I’ve been using Photoshop to create a portrait of my best friend. Hopefully, I’ve captured her essence!
I have this small poster that I got from the Carnegie International exhibition last year. On a pure white background, in black hand-inked calligraphy, is the name “Giovanna.” Now, I don’t know anybody named Giovanna, but every time I look at this minimalistic poster, I feel a sense of beauty and elegance flowing me. This piece really helps me clear my mind, regain focus, and inspire me to create beautiful things.
What’s your favorite piece of equipment?
My laptop is my most important piece of creative equipment. I never used to be technologically savvy, but now that I’ve learned to utilize the Internet and software (lookin’ at you, Adobe Creative Suite!) to create art, I am constantly learning new ways to explore the world of digital artmaking.
What tool is always on your person/do you never leave home without.
My phone and a pen/pencil. I am always doodling on my math notes or my homework.
What’s your favorite piece you’ve worked on lately?
Lately, I’ve been using Photoshop to create a portrait of my best friend. Hopefully, I’ve captured her essence!
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