The art of trying

by Paulo Coelho on March 14, 2012

 

Pablo Picasso once said, “God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style. He just keeps on trying other things.”

When we start working on our dreams, we always feel afraid. We wonder if there are rules to follow. Who comes up with these rules, while we all live such different lives? If God created the giraffe, the elephant and the cat, and we try to learn from his example, then why would we try to follow one rule or another?

Sometimes rules help us avoid the mistakes others have made before our time, but more often than not a rule will only make us repeat what someone else has already done.

Rest assured. Trust the universe, and look forward to surprising yourself. The apostle Paul said, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” The wise know some actions repeat themselves. They regularly encounter the same problems and situations they have dealt with before. Knowing that makes them sad. They start to think they’ll never be able to grow, since whatever they experienced before is happening again.

“I’ve already been through this,” they complain to their hearts.
“That may be true,” their hearts reply, “but you haven’t mastered it yet.”

The wise understand that repetition has a cause: to teach the lesson that still needs teaching. Repetitive situations require different solutions every time. The one who fails must not see this as a mistake, but rather as a step toward greater self knowledge.

It’s like Thomas Watson said, “Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.”

Soft Sculpture Exhibit to Open At Bliss Cafe

by Sarah Mae Sabado

Mica Cabildo, artist of works like Tawasman and Metaphysical Sickness, Kadua and Regret is Useless is coming back to Baguio to open her solo exhibit entitled Seeline Woman. The exhibit features crocheted craft about dreams and myths.

Cabildo’s works reflects her deepening understanding of society, man and his many dreams and beliefs. She describes the Seeline exhibit as an exploration of “Joseph Campbell’s idea of dreams as personal myths”. In this view, dreams serve as a reflection of a person’s perception of himself – his success or failure depends on what he believes are his strengths and weaknesses.

Seeline woman is a song by Nina Simone. In the song, the woman changes her clothing and through this change, she creates different effects on men. The song is based largely on the seal wife folktale where the seals turn into women when they remove their pelt.

Using the title Seeline Woman, Cabildo hopes to merge art and mythology through her soft sculptures and show the different factors that influence an individual’s personal myth. It depicts the need for an individual to identify his beliefs and ,worldviews and the importance of transforming them so that they serve the society as a whole.

Cabildo, born and based in Manila works as a graphic designer for Team Manila Graphic Design Studio. She has participated in a number of exhibits including the 1st AX(iS) Art Project held in Febreuary 2011. Her work was also featured in the WAPAAK (Women's Artistic Production and Action Kickstarter) exhibit held in VOCAS last August 2011. She has been a member of the Pointe Foundation since November 2010.

Seeline Woman opens on October 15 and runs until November 18, 2011 at Bliss Cafe, Hotel Elizabeth, J. Felipe cor. Gibraltar Road, Baguio City. Proceeds of the exhibit will benefit MISSION (Movement of Imaginals for Sustainable Societies through Initiatives, Organizing and Networking).

First UP Baguio MISSION Workshop Courage

By: Sharmaine de Guzman

“It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult.”- Seneca

Indeed, one cannot know hardship if one will not dare overcome it.

February 4-5, 2012—MISSION Workshop Courage was held among members of Philosophy Circle in University of the Philippines Baguio co-facilitated by Andy Veridiano and Francis Caguioa. The workshop was full of burning insights and challenging questions which led the group to very interesting debates especially on the first day of the workshop.  However, difficulty and disappointment came in when on the second day, only one was left to participate.

With initially seven participants on the first day, only one came back the next day to finish the workshop.

Armed by critical minds and thought-provoking insights, the group shared their ideas about the meaning of life. Shaded by the existentialist way of thinking, they defined life and individual existence as a medium of potentiality and freedom of actions and as itself a means to know its essence. Also, everyone shared interesting ideas about their view of the Philippine society re-echoing the downside of our corrupt politics and culture. A striking thought eventually summarizes their views about society as they recognized and presented the idea of inter-relatedness among social structures and individual actions.

A culminating idea also stands out as each participant recognized the fact that everybody has his or her own creative moment/s and that creativity for each individual is unique, boundless, timeless, and somewhat magical. The energy during the discussion about their individual creative moments was very high that nobody in the group can deny that every single human being experiences its magic.

At the end of the first day, everyone seemed to be excited and astonished by the thought of the workshop. Although only one of them came back the next day, we feel that each member of the group was touched by the wonderful ideas and concepts the workshop presented. On the second day, with the insightful questions of the lone participant, the energy stayed high as we responded to her questions and thoughts attentively. The discussion on the lemniscate journey was for her very interesting and challenging.

We end the workshop with content as we know that eventually, considering their great thoughts and performances, the participants will be the seeds of a better future. Also, we feel very thankful that we were able to have this kind of experience that really challenged us. The experience helped us recognize some weaknesses of the workshop framework especially as it somehow overwhelmed minds that are just on its way to knowing a larger social reality. Also, this experience helped us evaluate our ways and preliminary means in conducting the workshop. Hopefully, through this experience, we would be able to incorporate our new learnings in designing and initiating our next Workshop Courage.

Tuburan holds Steiner Education Seminar facilitated by RStEP

Question: What's the first sign that a child is ill? Answer: s/he isn't playing. The lifeblood of a healthy child is natural, self-directed free play. And they do not need many toys for this; just a few simple ones made of cut up wood, for instance, that can be transformed into a boat, a car, a house, or a plate.
Next question: What should a teacher do if his/her students are uncharacteristically unruly? Answer: The teacher should ask himself/herself first, "How am I today?" Wouldn't that be just wonderful - schools where teachers continually assess themselves and asking, "Am I thinking kind thoughts?" "Am I feeling happy?" "Am I being gentle and kind?" Steiner teachers are exactly like that. They understand that young children are like sponges, absorbing their surroundings as sense impressions. Young children don't just copy the teacher outside but also mirror the teacher's feelings, attitudes, and thoughts - even if these aren't "transparent."
Creative indoor and outdoor free play and kindergarten teachers' great personal mastery - these were some of the things discussed by more than 50 parents, teachers, administrators during the two-day Steiner Education Seminar held on March 3-4, 2012 at the Food Cove Conference Room, 2nd floor NCCC Mall, Davao City. Guest speakers Bella Tan and Jake Tan from Rudolf Steiner Education Philippines (RStEP) also talked about the twelve senses; the image of a willing, feeling, thinking human being; the development of a child from conception, pregnancy, to birth; educating the willful child; nurturing the dreamy consciousness of the child; creating the best learning environment that optimize children's creativity and imagination and draw out their full potential; etc.!

Aside from the potential Tuburan parents and teachers who came, there were colleagues from various schools in Davao City and Koronadal City: Ateneo de Davao University, South Point School, Tender Years, Green Valley School, Notre Dame of Marbel University, Values School Davao, Beacon Learning Center, Assumption College of Davao, Jose Maria College, LCB Performing Arts Center, and Circular Home Child Development.

Thank you Tito Jake and Tita Bella and all those who came!




Because of the success of this Steiner Education Seminar, Team Tuburan is inspired to bring more facilitators, mentors, and experts to Mindanao for trainings, workshops, seminars, and lectures - which will be open to all!

Quantum Leaps in Farming

A part of Nature, A Part of Ourselves

To see a part of nature
is to see a part of ourselves.

To understand a part of nature
is to understand a part of ourselves.

To love a part of nature
is to love a part of ourselves.

To share part of nature
is to share a part of ourselves.

To help a part of nature
is to help a part of ourselves.

-Rick Lougren-

What we do to nature we do to ourselves…

Modern Agriculture has cut our ties with mother earth.  Most of our farmers are frustrated by low yields despite the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides.  It was such a relief to find out that there are so many things that we can do to bring back soil vitality and multiply its yield a thousand times using quantum techniques and practices in Agriculture.
Let us heal mother earth and be healed. Let us enrich our lives and the generations to come by engaging in effective farming practices that will ensure more and healthy harvests with just minimum input and effort. This was the challenge posed at the “Quantum Leaps in Farming” orientation that was organized and offered by MISSION Cebu and was led by Pam Fernandez of the University of the Philippines, Los Baños. The workshop was held last January 20, 2011 at the Pagtambayayong Office in Private, Cebu City.
The orientation was opened with the above prayer read by Gingging Balisacan, followed by a touching and inspiring introduction by Mario Gasalatan and an information-rich and passionate presentation by Pam. It was a well attended event not only by farmers and farm enthusiasts but by people from different walks of life – a medical doctor, an ex-councilor, students, community organizers and a nun -- who left so amazed and hopeful to know that more and more farm owners and farmers were transforming their practice towards the sustainable framework of agriculture and were rediscovering the ancient, time tested methods and practices in farming like biodynamic farming and agnihothra.



Time was too short to digest everything that had been presented but much had been learned and much more are yet to be done. A few new connections to start biodynamic farms in Cebu together were made and there was a lot of interest and energy towards having a second, more intensive and hands-on experience with quantum leaps in farming.

MISSION Sends Off Workshop Courage Soldiers

Seeing MISSION reach the tipping point in two years’ time does not seem to be an elusive feat with twenty more members committing to propagate MISSION Workshop Courage all over the country and the world. Apart from the workshops that Nicanor “Nick” Perlas himself is conducting to open twenty new nodes in the country before the year ends, the newly-formed global node and the existing Philippine nodes are bound to grow in numbers with more facilitators ready to conduct the workshop in their respective nodal territories.
Nick shares his excitement about the meeting of the different representatives from the different nodes who come from different sectors of society—business, government, civil society, activists, students, teachers, and young professionals—in the Facilitators’ Training. “I can remember exactly how each of you has manifested and continues to manifest your imaginality in so many different inspiring ways,” he said in e-mail sent to the participants a few days before the training.

The participants share not only MWC-related insights but also their knowledge on group dynamics, relationships and conflict resolution manifesting the emergence of a collective intelligence—"the wisdom of the whole." It is critical for everyone to participate, otherwise, “we won’t have an overview of the different ideas sitting in this room,” Nick explains in reference to drawing out input from the participants in a Workshop Courage.

What does it take for a facilitator to be ready? "Clone Nick,” the group offers. The joke proves to hold a rather profound meaning as the discussion goes along. It is evident in the questions, reflections and group interaction that facilitating Workshop Courage is “laden with responsibility” and “a sense of service.” The group resolves that one must have the right inner condition and must be constantly in touch with his imaginality. They coin the phrase “charismatic facilitation of Nick.” The group bursts into laughter. The best way to prepare, somebody says, is to be creative. The group agrees.

Being able to listen and being present in the true sense of the word are two critical points being highlighted in order for a facilitator to connect with the participants and be able to draw out their truths—thoughts, feelings, experiences. Workshop Courage, after all, is about the emerging realities and system of causes that create them as well as tapping into the True Self, sometimes called the Real Self, Higher Self and Creative Self depending on the input from the participants. Writing down what they say and using their language is essential, Nick emphasizes. He also cites some scenarios where the facilitator will have to reinforce the rules or simple agreements made before the workshop has started in order to keep the imaginal mood alive.

The profoundest of the discussions in the training is, probably, on the Journey of the Birthing of the Imaginal Self that is captured in the Lemniscate Process. It captures the same metaphor in the Inverted “U.” In that “gap” between Chaos” and “Enlightenment,” the group falls silent.

“All profound things and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence,” wrote Herman Melville.
Silence, said Pico Iyer, is "something more than just a pause; it is that enchanted place where space is cleared and time is stayed and the horizon itself expands." It is in the gap where the self communes with the authentic, with the real, with the creative. It is where the self taps into a Higher Source, a Higher Creativity, a Higher Purpose. It is where we start to feel the oneness—the non-duality of existence. It is where we clarify our intentions. Questions came after the silence—like, what of people who choose to go on retreat, in the mountains or in any higher place or dimension, to live a meditative life and not come back to the world? One of the participants believes that there are people whose duty is to pray for the world. “If you don’t return, you become irrelevant to the world,” Nick asserts. The I.O.N. in MISSION stands for Initiatives, Organizing and Networking. It is the container of imaginality. It is the image of the creative self.
Workshop Courage facilitation is a sacred task. It is where one realizes that change is possible— that there is a creative power to make it happen. It is a place where one realizes that true purpose has nothing to do with the self and that Providence moves when one commits to it.

The newly-trained facilitators committed to conduct the workshop within a month from the Facilitators’ Training last February 28, 2012 at Brgy. Libongcogon, Zarraga in Iloilo. They are: Corinna Zuckerman, Peter Crowe, Christian Gmelin, Philip Burroughs, Mirka Hurter and Louisa Mittmann of the global node; Asela Delariarte-Pe, Jose Pepito Pe, Jason Gonzales, Sam Prudente, Aurora Hugo, Frances Lacuesta, Joseph Teruel and Atho Dela Cruz of Iloilo; Felcon Rivera, Jude Cabangal and Ritchie Mortillero of Bayawan; Rico Colayco of Manila, Ma. Clara Rowena Ebdani of Cebu and Nerieza Suyom of Koronadal.

As of writing time, Corinna, Peter and Christian have already conducted their first workshop in Alegria, Cebu; Philip, Mirka, Louisa and Rowena in Cebu City and Ritchie and Jude in Bayawan.

PONCE SUITES, Kublai's Artwork is Awesome!

 PONCE SUITES, Kublai's Artwork is Awesome! 

by: YanYan Simba 

 PONCE SUITES, Kublai's Artwork is Awesome! 

you can check also in youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAxeRM5qdHQ

It was March 08, 2012, when I visited, on the first time, the artworks of KUBLAI MILLA in Davao City. It is really awesome and great to have MISSION Davao "Kamustahanay" with Kate Estember, Tina Suelto, Avvy Silva, Kristine, and Monica. Plus, ofcourse, I took pictures since I really appreciate Arts in any form! whew! 

Kublai Milla

Kampilan

the phenomenal Davao Artist Kublai

One of the most volatile workers in the art trade of Davao is a young man named Kublai Millan...Kublai's energetic sculptures generate their own energy that necessarily affects the viewer.
For one thing, they are larger than lifesize and have no timidity about it.
They are fantastic also for their range of subject matter. We are of the opinion that if these Millan pieces were placed strategically throughout the city—at the airport grounds, at city parks, public playgrounds, mountain resorts, or in front of public buildings, that people from other cities and environs would take trips just to look, touch, paint, and photograph them.

The Durian at the Davao International Airport

There is for instance this giant, partly open clam shell with a family of eagles looking out at the viwer through the opening.
And where are they situated? A small hotel called Ponce Suites...is now hemmed in by several pieces of Kublai's sculpture, appropriating the sidewalk on two sides of the island on which the hotel is situated.

As a matter of course, NGO meetings converge there, and poets and writers and yuppies of the first water, singers and musicians who come in from Manila, and strange folk who are attracted by this unusual burst of artistic energy.—Birds and Bees: Kublai's Energetic Sculptures by Tita Lacambra Ayala / Mindanao Times

Kublai perched on his giant eagle sculpture

Kublai Ponce-Millan, who created all these giant works, was born on July 8, 1974 in Cotabato City. He finished schooling at the University of the Philippines with a degree of Fine Arts. After which, he dedicated his life back in Mindanao, sculpting the culture from which, where which he grew up, as a human being and as a soul. The massive pieces magnify calm, passion and grief proportonately in the stone-grain finish accomplished with the five-year technique developed through various weathers accompaning their inceptions and growth, from steel and wiremesh underpinnings above and below ground, to the finishing of the last detail of the gesturing hand.

Done in classic proportions, they exude grace, vigor, elegance, compassion and dignity of the human spirit. So much lightness and beauty from so much mock and sweat and strain. The everlasting irony of the making of art.

Mebuyan

Kublai's sculptures feature the current tendencies and involvements evolving in the receptive imagination of the elfin sculptor. Looking at some of them, one is apt to wonder whether these are not spirits of all the huge ancient fallen trees that have disappeared into the rivers of commerce, recaptured and come to life again in a different form, to oversee the natural landscape and remind us of the lost presences that had wandered through the dead rivers and forests: the diwatas, the babaylans, the ninunos, the spirits of land, sea and air that have been banished by a new wave of culture and religion in the history and mythology of Mindanao, embraced into a resurgence of memory and identity. —Sculpting Culture: Kublai Millan Sculptures in Mindanao by Tita Lacambra Ayala / Road Map Series

Kublai and his Dragonfly

Kublai....makes these works of art hoping to "create a spark" in Mindanao—to start the fire burning so that the young ones can strive harder and move forward...He wants to inspire those young artists to pursue their love for their craft.

Kublai now sculptures (sic) in every city in Mindanao. His most recent project...is the biggest church in Mindanao located in Tagum City. He will make the main sculptures of the church, including a 50-feet risen Christ...

So far, Kublai's tallest creation is the sword or ikampilani of Sultan Kudarat located in Sultan Kudarat Municipality, Maguindanao Province...The huge piece of art stands 50 feet! And would you believe he finished it in 16 days? Amazing!


source: http://www.poncesuites.net/artist.htm
check in youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAxeRM5qdHQ

by: Casper_Cute