Experiences Of Art, Nature And Spirituality May Help Prevent Disease, Study Finds

February 4, 2015, 2:19 pm

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Taking in the glory of nature at the top of a mountain peak, joining in a song of worship or viewing a breathtakingly beautiful piece of art are some of the experiences that fill us with awe and make us feel most alive. And according to new research, moments like this are both spiritually invigorating and good for our physical and mental health.

A University of California, Berkeley, study, published in the journal Emotion in January, suggests that the feeling of awe we may experience during encounters with art, nature and spirituality has an anti-inflammatory effect, protecting the body from chronic disease.

The researchers found a correlation between feelings of awe and lower levels of cytokines, markers that put the immune system on high alert by triggering a defensive reaction known as inflammation. While inflammation is essential to fighting infection and disease when the body is presented with a specific threat, chronically high levels of cytokines have been linked to a number of health problems, including heart disease, Alzheimer's, depression and autoimmune conditions.

“That awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions -– a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art -– have a direct influence upon health and life expectancy,” Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner, a co-author of the study, said in a press release.

In a previous paper, Kelter defined awe as a feeling "in the upper reaches of pleasure and on the boundary of fear," that is often inspired by encounters with the beautiful and the sublime. Study co-author Jennifer Stellar told The Huffington Post that experiences of awe are most commonly inspired by being in nature, followed by witnessing the impressive feats of others, participating in spiritual and religious events, and engaging with art and music.

To test the effect of awe on physical health, Keltner's team asked two separate study groups of young adults how much they experienced positive emotions such as awe, amusement, compassion, contentment, joy and pride on a given day. On the same day, the researchers took samples of participants' gum and cheek tissue to measure cytokine levels. The samples revealed that in both groups, those who had experienced awe, wonder or amazement that day had lower levels of cytokines, and therefore less inflammation, in their bodies.

While awe is relatively under-studied compared to other emotions, previous research has found that feelings of awe can also boost creative thinking, help create a sense of having enough time in the day, and inspire profound personal transformation.

The UC Berkeley study's findings join a growing body of research suggesting that positive emotions play an important role in promoting physical health. Studies have linked positive emotions with improved heart health and longevity, and some research has suggested that mindfulness practices -- which are known to improve emotional well-being -- can reduce inflammation.

"Rather than seeing a walk through the park or a trip to the museum as an indulgence, we hope people will view these kind of experiences as important ways to promote a healthy body in addition to a healthy mind," Stellar said. "Folding these kinds of positive experiences into your daily routine may be more important for health than we previously realized."

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Goodbye Tomorrow's 'Jay Z' Is 'A Dissertation On The Diaspora Of The Black Soul'

February 4, 2015, 2:55 pm

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Other than hailing from Chicago, there is very little known about new artist Goodbye Tomorrow. Premiering his/their debut track on Monday, "Jay Z" plays more like a Kanye West track, perfectly balancing hard-hitting bass drums with melody. “Girls on the floor goin’ crazy / In a Mercedes, feelin’ like I’m Jay Z,” Goodbye Tomorrow sings on the hook, solidifying it as the perfect turn up track.

If that weren't enough, the song is paired with a video that will have you stuck on replay as you try to decipher this "Dissertation on the Diaspora of the Black Soul." It opens with a black man pounding away at a drum hooked up to a pair of floor-standing speakers, as two men who appear to be colonial slavers and two white cops approach and envelope the man in a thick fog of tear gas. About halfway through a computer reboot screen pops up, prompting you to "Repair Your Consciousness," with the simple, but thorough description: "Start living with only the core values and services. Use when you can see through the illusionary comfort of materialism." Immediately after, Goodbye Tomorrow lays out the unavoidable strobes of "We were kings before they made us ni--az," word by word.

We can't wait to see what Goodbye Tomorrow brings out next, but until then, we're going to be watching the video above on repeat. You can purchase "Jay Z" on iTunes.

When Is Artist-On-Artist Theft Okay?

February 5, 2015, 6:25 am

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This post originally appeared on artnet News.
Brian Boucher


Jamian Juliano-Villani, Animal Proverb, 2015,
acrylic on canvas, 36 by 24 inches.

New York artist Jamian Juliano-Villani is being accused by another artist of having sticky fingers. Brooklyn's Scott Teplin sees too much similarity between a small painting by Juliano-Villani, now on view at West Village gallery Gavin Brown's Enterprise, and a painting of his own.

It all started with a peeling mural on the wall of Brooklyn public school PS130, which Teplin's kids attend. Quoting John Lennon in block letters above some Miró-like abstract shapes, the mural read, “Imagine all the people living life in peace." Teplin repainted the text in 2013 with 3D-modeled letters, some of which are painted to look as though they were made from glass and partly filled with water. (The original mural was painted by the school's art teacher, Gerry Moorhead, who was once included in a Metro Pictures group show. Teplin left the Miróesque section untouched.)

Juliano-Villani Instagrammed a picture of the mural a few weeks ago, without identifying Teplin. Soon after, she posted an image of a detail of her own painting, Animal Proverb, which shows a busty, sphinx-like creature sitting atop a plinth decorated with the Miró-like iconography, above which are the John Lennon lyrics mentioned above in block lettering half-filled with water in the style of Teplin's mural. This is where Teplin drew the line, claiming the lettering was lifted from his own work.

“Everything is a reference," Juliano-Villani told artnet News in a phone interview. “Everything is sourced." Artist copyright seems like a thing of the past.

“It's a fucking John Lennon lyric," she said several times. When we pointed out that Teplin, for his part, is claiming ownership of his lettering, not the lyric, Juliano-Villani repeated, “But it's a fucking John Lennon lyric."


Scott Teplin's mural at Brooklyn school PS130.

The debate came to life last week, when Teplin was tagged in a comment on the mural photo by L.A. artist Russell Etchen, asking if it was Teplin's. He acknowledged that he had painted the mural and offered a link to a site documenting its creation.

Then began the sniping.

Juliano-Villani shot back, “I guess we should tag john Lennon and give him credit?"

“I was paid nothing," Teplin retorted. “How much of the $12,000 that Gavin Brown sold your painting for are you planning on giving to PS 130? The PTA could really use it." (The gallery told artnet News that “that's the retail price for the painting" but declined to specify whether it sold. Brown also declined to comment.)

“What about the typeface you used in the mural?" Juliano-Villani asked. “Do those designers get credit?"

Teplin asserts in a page on his website that he's been working on the water-filled lettering since 1999.

Juliano-Villani explained her thinking in a Facebook comment:

It's important to realize that all visual culture is fair game for artistic content, ‘appropriation' isn't a ‘kind' of work, it's almost all art. When making a painting or a print or a sculpture, it's nearly impossible to make something without thinking of something else. A good reminder that when dealing with images 1) once an image is used, it isn't dead. it can be recontextualized, redistributed, reimagined. 2) It should have several lives and exist in different scenarios.

The lettering in Teplin's mural.


Newark-born Juliano-Villani, 28, was recently featured in Forbes's “30 Under 30" (see Which Artists Made Forbes' 30 Under 30 List?). Her work was also showcased in the inaugural exhibition at Zach Feuer and Joel Mesler's Retrospective gallery, in Hudson, New York.

L.A. art collector, dealer and advisor Stefan Simchowitz has taken an interest. “I like her a lot," he told artnet News by email (see Christopher Glazek Annotates His NYT Stefan Simchowitz Story). New York Times critic Roberta Smith, writing about the Gavin Brown show, referred to the young painter as one of the “unfamiliar names [that] impress."

Her trippy acrylic paintings combine cartoonish imagery from far-flung sources, some of them actual cartoons from artists like Chuck Jones. She calls her use of other artists' work “simultaneous exploitation and homage." She mashes up a bicycle wheel with some fish out of water against the backdrop of a barnyard in Russell's Corner, 2014, which will be included in her first museum solo, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, opening February 6.

Teplin is 42, and his works reside in the collections of the New Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Walker Art Center and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others. Since his first gallery solo, at Seattle's Howard House in 1999, he's had solos with Adam Baumgold Gallery (New York), g-module (Paris), and Ryan/Lee Gallery, New York, which now represents him. (For the record, I own a Teplin drawing, which I received as a gift from a friend several years ago.)

Juliano-Villani then posted a photo of her own painting on Facebook, crediting Teplin in the comments and offering a link to his website.

Funny enough, it's not the first time Teplin has been robbed, as it were. In 2013, Brooklyn artist-curator Adam Parker Smith mounted a group show at New York's Lu Magnus Gallery with objects he stole from other artists during studio visits. (I wrote about the show for Art in America's website.)

Picasso is supposed to have said that good artists borrow, while great artists steal, and in our phone conversation with the artist, Juliano-Villani stood by the belief that pretty much everything is in the public domain. Artists like Jeff Koons and Richard Prince, who have lost or settled high-stakes copyright cases, might see it otherwise.

Teplin's mural is especially free for the taking, Juliano-Villani said, since it is outdoors.

This is hardly a David vs. Goliath story, like a postcard maker suing Jeff Koons, as happened with his sculpture String of Puppies (for the latest copyright infringement suit against Koons, see Jeff Koons Sued for Plagiarism) or Richard Prince taking imagery from photographer Patrick Cariou (see Patrick Cariou Drops Copyright Lawsuit Against Richard Prince). Twelve thousand bucks is hardly the tens of millions that Prince's Canal Zone paintings are reported to have fetched, and the case is unlikely to go to court any time soon.

But the row highlights the varying takes on what's proper by artists of different generations, and pits an artist on the rise against an artist who's been in the trenches for well over a decade.

“I like some appropriation art," Teplin told artnet News via phone. “I don't do it myself. But where do you draw the line? I don't want money from her. But this feels bad."


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San Francisco Artists Daniel Green Proves The Insider/Outsider Art Binary Wrong

February 5, 2015, 6:38 am

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This is Daniel Green. Born in 1985, he's one of the youngest artists to have exhibited at San Francisco's Creativity Explored, a studio space and gallery for artists with developmental disabilities.


Daniel Green

This is Green's work. Created with ink on wood, the dizzying drawings are jumbled catalogues of contemporary life, bubbling concoctions mixing politics, sports, soap operas, song lyrics, personal dates, family members and friends. Text plays a major role in Green's artwork, with lines from "I have a dream" to "Turkey Burgers $6.00" sprinkled across the wooden canvasses. The artworks are vibrant depictions of everyday life, static images charged with as much momentum as a television screen flittering through channels, flashing a motley assemblage of images and words.


That’s the Star Trek by Daniel Green © 2009 Creativity Explored Licensing, LLC, colored pencil, ink, on recycled wood, 18 x 25.25 inches.

Green's current exhibition, titled "Days of Our Lives," presents a combination of images created over the past four years. The work was selected collectively by his teachers, and curated by Creativity Explore's Eric Larson. The title references soap operas -- an ongoing motif throughout Green's work. But rather than titling the show "As The World Turns" or "General Hospital," Larson selected "Days of Our Lives" because, in his words: "the artwork is really that -- he's writing the story of his life."

"Daniel started coming here at Creativity Explored when he was still in high school down the street, and one of the teachers brought a group of students by from Mission High School," Larson explained in an interview with The Huffington Post Arts. "We knew within a week or two that Daniel was special. He had this great drawing ability and this mysterious text, this combination of images, lists, text and logos that was both unique and extraordinary."

Green began working with Creativity Explored around 2007, and his work has maintained a relatively contiguous style and flow thought his work at the studio. This is, in part, Larson explained, because Green came in with little to improve upon. "Some people have very little experience with art and need the basics as far as drawing or painting or working with clay -- whatever medium they're drawn to -- and we'll give them the basic techniques and ways of working. But there are other artists such as Daniel who are very sophisticated and we recognize there is very little we can teach them. We just provide them the materials and the space and the mental space to do what they want to do."


Basketball Team by Daniel Green © 2011 Creativity Explored Licensing, LLC, mixed media on wood, 20 x 17.25 inches.

Creativity Explored works with artists to help strengthen their sense of self, explore their potential in the world and supply the tools to establish themselves as working artists. Providing artist mentors, space, materials, art loving peers and the opportunity to exhibit professionally, the art sanctuary lives up to its mantra "where art changes lives."

For artists such as Green, Creativity Explored also provides a space for communication, for those who prefer storytelling through images rather than words. "When Daniel first started here I didn't hear him speak at all. He was very quiet, very shy, kept to himself. I've known him now for seven or eight years so I've heard him speak a little bit but usually when he speaks it's in this very jokey way. He doesn't really communicate in a conversational way. You really learn more about Daniel from reading his work and spending time with his images."

Larson delved deeper into the collaged network of influences and characters in Green's tangled visual web. "You'll see lists of television shows, movies, dates, streetcars and buses, street names in San Francisco. You'll see friends and teachers from previous schools and ones that he works with now. You'll see images of his family when they were born and sometimes when they die."


Untitled (Black Police in Texas) by Daniel Green © 2014 Creativity Explored Licensing, LLC, mixed media on cardboard, 13.5 x 20 inches

Although Green is now an officially exhibited artist, he has little awareness of the mechanics of the art world and the art historical trajectory. "This is just what he does and how he spends his days," said Larson. Though he often overlaps in style or technique with earlier artists, it's more of happy a coincidence than a conscious allusion. "I was just thinking about the idea of the cut-up, you know, William Burroughs' idea where you cut up disparate pieces of information and put it together in a collaged way. If you look at Daniel's work it's right there, but I don't think he would have any concept of what that is. But he mashes together information in a way that's kind of disparate and creates these odd juxtapositions. It may be intentional but not with the baggage of art history or anything."

Although by some definitions, an artist working reasonably removed from the artistic institution would be deemed an outsider artist, Larson prefers not to use the (often contested) term. "In terms of him being outside the mainstream art world, yeah. But I just consider him an artist. He's got a very unique and strong vision."

When pressed on his aversion to the term outsider art, Larson elaborated on his hesitation. "I understand there needs to be a term for it, but it implies that inside/outside dichotomy. On a certain level we're all just artists. Some might have more attention than others but there is a real democratic view of what art is here at the studio. I don't necessarily have a problem with it, because you need to have a label on it in some way, but especially with a disabled community it implies they are somehow outside the mainstream. And I think Daniel's work is actually very contemporary. You look at it and it captures the spirit of the times as far as multiple screens competing for your attention: video games, TV shows, computer screens, he naturally kind of represents that in his art."



"Days of Our Lives" runs until March 4, 2015 at Creativity Explored in San Francisco. See a preview below.

These Masculine/Feminine Hybrids Show Gender Is Always More Complicated Than We Think

February 5, 2015, 6:44 am

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"From a young age I have been aware of both my female and male side," artist Daantje Bons told The Huffington Post. The Dutch photographer channels aspects stereotypically associated with both genders in her series "Features of Femininity," thus breaking down the rigid boundaries often thought to separate the two.



"When I was around 14 years old and started to develop my womanly form, I didn't feel fully comfortable in this 'new' body, mainly because I couldn't deny I was a so-called 'tomboy.' This made me extra conscious about this female malleability. I became especially aware of the choices I could make towards looking or acting feminine. I find it interesting to question gender roles, ideals and expectations. My inspiration comes from my own experiences, and I research these through creating images intuitively."

Bons' images are surprising, funny and often risqué -- like a guide to puberty mixed with an untrustworthy recipe book with a surrealist twist. One photograph captures a breast with hairs sprinkled across the areola, an image that many of us see in our own showers or bathroom mirrors, but rarely encounter in a printed image. Another depicts a chili pepper splayed open to resemble a vegetal labia, the spilling seeds hinting at the spiciness waiting within. A third image captures a sloppy pyramid of used makeup remover pads, dirty Q-tips, empty pill packets and clumps of hair, revealing all the effort that goes into (and the junk that comes out of) achieving the seemingly inherent state of "femininity." Although Bons' images are far stranger than most of the feminine depictions we encounter day to day, they are, in reality, probably even less fabricated.



"'Features of Femininity' is about the struggle I experience concerning the manufacturability and staging of femininity," Bons continued. "In my idea, femininity as I know it in Western society, is limited to a simulacrum, a construct. It's not just about what the media show as the ideal image, but also the implicitly taught rules that are considered to constitute female identity. With my work, I like to provoke and make people think."

Most of all, Bons' series shows how femininity is a gesture, not a way of being. And often it exists in close proximity to its masculine counterpart. "I want the viewers to question themselves, how they relate to my subject. I get a lot of conflicting comments about my work, there is often a debate whether I should show this 'male' and 'unladylike' side of mine, as if it should remain secret. These reactions and discussions tell me that there is a reason to continue my work. I also think it's important to incorporate humor into my pictures, it lightens the subject matter and it gives me a fun way of combating the 'narrow-minded' idea of femininity."





h/t Ignant

Photographer Captures 100 Female Artists In Their Homes And Studios

February 5, 2015, 6:51 am

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A great portrait is more than just a frozen reflection of the subject's appearance. It's a chance moment, blanketed in natural light, in which the subject's authentic self is visible in her expression, her stance, her aura. A great portrait blurs the line between a subject and her surroundings, all contributing equally to the overall impression of a singular human being.

Photographer Barbara Yoshida captured not one great portrait, but 100. And to make it all the more glorious, her subjects are all female artists, groundbreaking in their own right.


Louise Bourgeois, 1911-2010. Photographed 28 February 1992. Sculpture, installation art and painting, France © The Easton Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, NY.

Beginning in 1990, the Portland-born photographer began documenting female artists, ranging from well-known art start to emerging newcomers, those working in feminist performance, biomorphic sculpture, found object assemblage and West African textiles. Yoshida travelled to destinations around the world, from Tunisia to Gambia, entering these women's studios and homes, incorporating their natural habitats into their very essences.

With each woman, Yoshida would engage in conversation with the artist, discussing details and memories of her life and work. She then, using a 4x5 large format camera and black-and-white film, would snap a particular moment of the interaction, a genuine encounter when the artist's spirit comes to the surface for a split second, a spontaneous moment. Whether it's Louise Bourgeois pointing a finger at the camera, her clenched fist coincidentally mimicking the clamped hand of the statue behind her, or Kim Dingle possessively holding one of her "Priss" statues as if it was her own child, each subject is draped in her life's work -- an extension of herself.

Finally, Yoshida always asks for her subjects' permission before publicly releasing the photographs, believing strongly that every woman should have control over which of her images are spread throughout the world. With a process as respectful as it is revealing, Yoshida documents the pioneering, and all too often under-acknowledged, female artists of our generation. Her trusting and intimate portraits document the inner worlds of the art world's greatest female heroines, some of whom are no longer alive today.

Yoshida's "One Hundred Portraits: Women Artists" will be on view from March 3 through March 27, 2015 at the Salena Gallery at LIU Brooklyn, in honor of Women's History Month. See a preview of the exhibition below and stay tuned for (way) more coverage in honor of our favorite month of the year.

Opera Star Joyce DiDonato Honors Anti-Gay Hate Crime Victims With Stonewall Performance

February 5, 2015, 7:09 am

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Opera diva Joyce DiDonato took to the most appropriate stage possible -- New York's Stonewall Inn -- to honor victims of hate and intolerance in a heartbreakingly beautiful performance.

In this NPR Music "Field Recording" clip, the Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano returns to the birthplace of the modern lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights movement to perform Henry Purcell's tender aria, "When I Am Laid In Earth," before an intimate crowd that includes playwright Terrence McNally and marriage equality pioneer Edie Windsor.

"If there's intolerance and injustice being waged against people, we feel that," DiDonato, who has been an outspoken LGBT rights advocate for quite some time, tells NPR. "Because in the end, we're all in this together."

Backed by students in the Juilliard School's period-instrument ensemble Juilliard415, DiDonato said her performance was, in part, inspired by the memory of Mark Carson, who was fatally shot in Manhattan's West Village neighborhood in 2013 in what has since been deemed an anti-gay hate crime.

Watch The New Trailer For 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2'

February 5, 2015, 8:00 am

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"Paul Blart: Mall Cop" was a surprise hit in 2009, and six years later, here's the sequel. Kevin James returns to the title role, which finds America's best known mall cop going on vacation in Las Vegas with his daughter. There, Blart winds up trying to spoil an "Ocean's 11"-ish robbery. Hijinks ensue.

Watch the new trailer above. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2" is out in theaters on April 17.

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Comic Book Fan Chops Off Nose To Look Like Captain America Villain Red Skull (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

February 5, 2015, 8:57 am

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We're really more into Batman.

But this guy is really into Red Skull, the supervillain from Captain America.

As the Daily Mail reports, 37-year-old Henry Damon of Caracas, Venezuela has undergone several procedures, including cutting off a part of his nose, to make himself look like the villain Red Skull from the popular comic book.



Damon has already had "several subdermal implants on his forehead" as well as several facial tattoos.

His end goal is to get silicone implants on his cheekbones, chin and cheeks and then tattoo his face red to complete the look.



Emilio Gonzalez, Damon's surgeon, said the huge comic book fan is perfectly healthy.

"Henry, aka Red Skull, is a physically and intellectually healthy person," Gonzalez told the Daily Mail. "He's an excellent son, husband and father, who has an extreme taste for body modification."



The Daily Beast provides some background on the comic book character's origin story:

Throughout seven decades of Marvel Comics lore, the origins of Red Skull’s visage have varied from a horrific mask gifted to him by Hitler to skin-searing disfigurement from his own favorite poison. In Mark Millar’s 2009 Ultimate Marvel comics reboot, Red Skull carves off his own face with a kitchen knife to spite his father, revealed to be Captain America himself.

You can see photos of Damon before his transformation below:

This guy will do anything to look like the Red Skull. Except, apparently, shave. http://t.co/H7SCr7zXeb pic.twitter.com/TMF0Owfwml

— Evil Genius (@EvilGeniusEnt) February 5, 2015

What the?! Comic book fan chops off nose to look like Marvel comic super villain http://t.co/jMqEEaWmNj pic.twitter.com/TVzKmWh9lk

— Herald Sun (@theheraldsun) February 5, 2015

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Amy Pascal Leaving Sony Pictures Role To Launch Own Production Company At Studio

February 5, 2015, 9:30 am

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Weeks after the Sony hack reached critical mass, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Thursday that co-chair Amy Pascal would leave her position to launch a "major new production venture at the studio." According to the release, Pascal will move to the role in May.

"I have spent almost my entire professional life at Sony Pictures and I am energized to be starting this new chapter based at the company I call home," Pascal said in a statement. "I have always wanted to be a producer. Michael [Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment] and I have been talking about this transition for quite some time and I am grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to pursue my long-held dream and for providing unparalleled support. As the slate for the next two years has come together, it felt like the right time to transition into this new role. I am so grateful to my team, some of whom I have worked with for the last 20 years and others who have joined more recently. I am leaving the studio in great hands. I am so proud of what we have all done together and I look forward to a whole lot more."

According to the release, Pascal has a four-year agreement with Sony, and she'll "retain all distribution rights worldwide to films financed." Her offices will be located on the Sony lot in Culver City, California.

"Amy's creativity, drive, and bold choices helped define SPE as a studio where talented individuals could take chances and push boundaries in order to deliver outstanding entertainment," Lynton said. "The studio's legacy is due in large part to Amy's passion for storytelling and love of this industry. I am delighted that Amy will be continuing her association with SPE through this new venture, which capitalizes on her extraordinary talents. In recent months, SPE faced some unprecedented challenges, and I am grateful for Amy's resilience and grace during this period. Amy has been a great partner to me in heading the studio and I am looking forward to a continued close working relationship with her in her new role on the lot."

Pascal came under fire at the end of 2014 after her emails were leaked online following a massive security breach at the studio. In one highly publicized correspondence, Pascal and producer Scott Rudin mocked the film tastes of President Barack Obama.

"The content of my emails were insensitive and inappropriate but are not an accurate reflection of who I am," Pascal said in a statement last year. "Although this was a private communication that was stolen, I accept full responsibility for what I wrote and apologize to everyone who was offended."

Pascal was also part of a thread with Rudin where Angelina Jolie was heavily criticized.

The 56-year-old executive's new position was first reported by The Daily Mail. According to the site, Pascal's current contract with Sony Pictures is up in March. Per Deadline.com, it's unclear who will replace Pascal at this time.

Artist Red Hong Yi Makes Massive Portrait Out Of 20,000 Tea Bags

February 5, 2015, 9:35 am

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Making a portrait from thousands of tea bags would find most artists steeped in frustration. Not Red Hong Yi.

The Malaysian artist created an installation called "Teh Tarik Man" out of 20,000 teabags for the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. She says it took about two months to build the 10-foot by 7-foot piece, which ended up weighing more than 440 pounds.

Hong Yi stained the teabags in 10 different shades of brown, a variation she achieved by steeping them in an assortment of water temperatures for different amounts of time. She added brown food dye for the darkest tones.

A photo posted by Red (Hong Yi) (@redhongyi) on Jan 21, 2015 at 11:50pm PST

A photo posted by Red (Hong Yi) (@redhongyi) on Jan 22, 2015 at 9:14am PST

"I wanted to create a piece that reflected an everyday scene in Malaysia that reminds me of home," Hong Yi explained in her YouTube description. "Teh Tarik (which means 'pulled-tea' in Malay) is a drink served in local coffee shops (or kopitiams) that is sweet, frothy and milky, and is frothed up when tea is poured between two containers."

"Perhaps more important than the drink itself is the underlying culture. Locals gather in kopitiams and mamaks, and here they talk about where to buy the best durians, the traffic, politics, weather, soccer... It is a drink that brings people together and I hope that I get to share a bit of my country through this piece!"

A photo posted by Red (Hong Yi) (@redhongyi) on Feb 1, 2015 at 6:17am PST

A photo posted by Red (Hong Yi) (@redhongyi) on Feb 3, 2015 at 4:35am PST

If Hong Yi's art looks familiar, there's a reason: She's also made a portrait of Jackie Chan out of 64,000 chopsticks, and created another work out of 750 pairs of socks.

You could say she had this in the bag.

H/T Digg

Is The New Harper Lee Novel A Mistake?: Author Idolatry And 'Go Set a Watchman'

February 5, 2015, 11:03 am

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If Twitter can be seen as representative of broader cultural attitudes, the news surrounding Go Set a Watchman, a novel Harper Lee penned before To Kill a Mockingbird but guarded closely for decades, was received positively -- at first.

Most enthused responses weren't elicited by the content of Lee's story, which will be told from the vantage point of an adult Scout -- Mockingbird’s brave young protagonist. Instead, cheers sounded for the author, and for her first book, which so many of us associate with the halcyon days of summer reading assignments.

Tweeters responded to a BuzzFeed Community callout for "funny #MockingbirdSequelTitles," indicating that the site's editors might not've been aware that the story -- more of a prequel than a sequel, according to Lee's editor at HarperCollins -- had already been written and named.

"Our idolization of authors often leads to a greedy quest to absorb everything they’ve produced, regardless of their personal wishes and, perhaps most importantly, the best interest of their storytelling legacies." Our collective knee-jerk reaction to the news is indicative of a larger problem in the publishing world: Our idolization of authors often leads to a greedy quest to absorb everything they’ve produced, regardless of their personal wishes and, perhaps most importantly, the best interest of their storytelling legacies.

The cult of the author can be seen on Pinterest boards and dating profiles. Loving Joan Didion is a signifier of a certain identity, so is quoting Hemingway. These habits are fine! Of all influential figures to enshrine or model oneself after, an author is far from the most egregious. The act becomes detrimental, though, when liking an author -- that is, how she is talked about, how he makes you feel -- eclipses the value of his or her work.

Elena Ferrante, the famously media-shy writer behind the Neopolitan novels, addresses this in a preview of her first-ever public interview: "It’s not the book that counts but the aura of its author. If the aura is already there, and the media reinforces it, the publishing world is happy to open its doors and the market is happy to welcome you. If it’s not there but the book miraculously sells, the media invents the author, so the writer ends up selling not only his work but also himself, his image."

Plenty of other literary behemoths have shirked from the spotlight for similar reasons; Thomas Pynchon said ‘recluse’ is code for “doesn’t talk to reporters,” and J.D. Salinger mostly kept to himself. But, in spite of his attempt to protect his unfinished or otherwise personal works from posthumous publication, we’ve allowed our fandom to get the better of us, and have released previously unseen short stories and a garish documentary about his life. Of course, not all posthumous works are the result of invaded privacy (although, notably, Kafka’s The Trial was). The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain, though cobbled together from unfinished works, provides insight into his views on morality, and The Pale King by David Foster Wallace was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in spite its assembly by Wallace’s editor.

"While posthumously published novels are granted room for error, Lee’s work has ostensibly been given her seal of approval, bringing her ability to judge literary merit into question if the book isn’t up to snuff." But while posthumously published novels are granted room for error -- even the best of them are usually publicized as collector’s items tragically left unfinished -- Lee’s work has ostensibly been given her seal of approval, bringing her ability to judge literary merit into question if the book isn’t up to snuff. In the unique case of Harper Lee, author worship isn’t offensive only in its undermining of her work, but also, potentially, of her personal wishes. Until very recently she was of the Ferrante camp: publicity-avoidant to the point of being deemed a recluse. In an interview given to a friend just four years ago, Lee dictated that she will not release further materials, stating, "I have said what I wanted to say and I will not say it again." Why, then, is her publisher now claiming she's "happy as hell" about her unearthed earlier work? An interview with Lee's editor, Hugh Van Dusen, raised more questions than it answered.

Though Van Dusen was only made aware of Go Set a Watchman this week (he's yet to read the book), he confirms that Lee is "getting progressively deafer and more blind" after suffering a stroke in 2007. He suspects that she "just never told anybody about the book and then forgot it existed," and says "it’s very difficult to talk to her." This hazy ethical decision has led a writer for the Atlantic to conclude, "Perhaps Lee, alive but ill, is being treated in the way so many deceased authors are: as ideas rather than people, as brands and businesses rather than messy collections of doubts and desires."

So often works of literature begin with a seed of inspiration that grows into something barely reminiscent of its source. Of his most recent novel, The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides said, the idea of casting protagonist Madeleine as the story's nexus began when he was working on an entirely different book. So goes the writing process. But to treat the paths authors chose not to follow as completed works rather than pleasurable fan trivia devalues their artistic authority, and often disrespects their wishes.

Madonna's 'Living For Love' Video Is The Singer's Best Work In A Decade

February 5, 2015, 12:36 pm

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Madonna dropped off the music video for "Living for Love" on Snapchat's doorstep Thursday afternoon, inching closer toward the (official) release of her 13th studio album, "Rebel Heart," on March 10.

The clip finds Madonna playing matador to a host of men dressed as bulls in a red arena that glitters like a Latin-infused "Moulin Rouge!" Its imagery matches the anthemic heft for which many applauded the track when it hit iTunes in December. For a song that carries the torch of "Express Yourself," the singer dons a leotard reminiscent of 2005's iconic "Hung Up" and emerges victorious amid an army that stands no chance against a warrior who "picked up my crown [and] put it back on my head" -- a sentiment especially potent in the wake of the multiple leaks that have plagued her new music.

This is Madonna's theater, after all. Football players fawned over her in "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and she gyrated her way through a callback to the provocateur years in the black-and-white "Girl Gone Wild," sleek videos whose self-referential undertones did not double as suitable extensions of Madonna's legacy. Here, no matter the aforementioned comparisons to her 33-year career, she channels the new breakup anthem for something else: Madonna presents herself as queen of the big top without relying on allusions to her own résumé to prove she is the master of the postmodern pop scene. She uses her ongoing prowess to vanquish the beasts who grunt and shove their way across her stage. This is the Madonna video we've waited a decade for, and it hails from what sounds like the makings of the Madonna album we've anticipated for just as long.

As of now, you'll have to head to Snapchat's Discover page to watch the "Living for Love" clip, which was directed by French duo Julien Choquart and Camille Hirigoyen, otherwise known as J.A.C.K., and edited by Danny B. Tull, who worked on "4 Minutes" and several other Madonna videos. HuffPost Entertainment will embed the video here as soon as it appears online.

You can also catch Madonna performing "Living for Love" at Sunday's Grammy Awards.

George Takei To Make Broadway Debut In 'Allegiance' Musical About Japanese-American Internment Camp

February 5, 2015, 1:22 pm

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"Star Trek" icon and outspoken lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocate George Takei is Broadway-bound.

The 77-year-old star will make his debut on the Great White Way in "Allegiance," a musical about Japanese Americans imprisoned during World War II, the Associated Press reported.

Featuring a score by Jay Kuo and a book by Marc Acito, Kuo and Lorenzo Thione, "Allegiance" weaves dual love stories with a Japanese-American war veteran's memories of his family's time in a Wyoming internment camp.

The show will begin previews on Oct. 6 and open Nov. 8 on Broadway at a yet-to-be-announced Shubert theater.

Takei, who has been attached to the project since its 2012 premiere in San Diego, called the show his "legacy project." The actor spent part of his own childhood in a Japanese-American internment camp with his family.

Check out a clip from San Diego's Old Globe production of "Allegiance" below:


In a 2014 Huffington Post interview, he likened “Allegiance” to “Les Misérables,” in that both musicals grapple with a “very dark chapter” in history.

"Ever since I was in my late teens, trying to raise awareness of the internment of Japanese Americans has been my mission in life," he said at the time. As to how the topic would translate in musical form, he added, "We have big production numbers, uptempo dance numbers that use the idea of internment ironically, as well as heartbreaking love songs ... with a musical, you can hit [an audience] emotionally."

The San Diego run of "Allegiance" also starred Tony Award winner Lea Salonga ("Miss Saigon") and Telly Leung, best known for his stints on "Glee" and Broadway's "Godspell." No official word on if Salonga and Leung will reprise their roles in New York, but Takei told the AP "we are working to recreate that."

Incubus Releases New Single 'Absolution Calling'

February 5, 2015, 1:53 pm

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Incubus has released their first new song, "Absolution Calling," since 2011's "If Not Now, When?" The single comes off their upcoming four-song EP, "Trust Fall: Side A," which is scheduled to drop on March 24. A second EP -- presumably "Side B" -- will release later in the year, date yet unknown.

The band stopped in on the "Kevin & Bean Show" on KROQ-FM in Los Angeles this morning for an interview, where guitarist Mike Einziger explained how the song came about. “Actually, Brandon [Boyd] was in Bali, in a land far away. He had to leave on this trip so we were like, let’s just try to make studio magic while he was gone so we started sending him idea. All four of us were in the studio jamming. That song just came out of us all in the studio improvising. It was like, oh wait, what’s that? Oh, cool. And it just evolved," Einziger said.

You can watch the lyric video for "Absolution Calling" below. It will be available for purchase on iTunes on Friday.

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The Truth About Sluts

February 5, 2015, 3:07 pm

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"Boys will be boys, and girls will be sluts.”

That's how author Leora Tanenbaum sums up the sexual double standard.

Tanenbaum has spent the past two decades researching the word "slut" and how the label is used to shame and police young women, and female sexuality as a whole. Her first book on the subject, Slut! Growing Up Female With a Bad Reputation was published in August 2000. Nearly 15 years later, she re-examines what has changed -- and what hasn't -- in I Am Not a Slut: Slut-Shaming in the Age of the Internet, published this week.

I Am Not a Slut focuses on how digital culture has shaped the ubiquitous nature of the "slut" label. "Today we’re constantly on display," said Tanenbaum in an interview with HuffPost Women, "and certainly men feel that pressure too, but the pressure on girls and women is really inescapable, because so much of our feminine identity is connected with looking sexy and looking sexy all the time."

We spoke with Tanenbaum about the history of the word "slut," what it means for girls and women today, and how we can employ concrete measures to stop slut-bashing.

Why do you think the word "slut" holds so much power?
The word "slut" and synonyms like "ho" are remarkably confusing insults. I think a lot of their power comes from the fact that they’re fluid and often ambiguous. For most people, "slut" means a woman who is disgusting, shameful and out of control sexually. And it stems from the sexual double standard. Men are expected, even encouraged, to be sexually active -- even in an uncontrolled manner -- while women are expected to be minimally sexual.

What is the history of the word “slut?” How far back does its current meaning go?
The very first usage of the term that we know of is from 1386 from Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” It appears as a noun, “sluttish,” and it refers to a man who is dressed in dirty and untidy clothes. Over time, "sluttish" became a noun, “slut,” and eventually it was used exclusively to refer to women -- always a slovenly white woman from the poor or working class. From the very beginning, you can see the intersection of race, class and gender in the word "slut." Over the centuries, it came to refer to a white woman who is low-class and who also is inappropriately sexually forward. Untidiness over one’s home or attire morphed into a sloppiness over one’s sexuality.

Why was the word “slut” historically only used to refer to white women?
The idea that femininity equals sexual restraint has historically been connected to whiteness. For so many centuries, white people regarded women of color as inherently slutty. So at least in the U.S., black sluttiness didn’t trigger a negative reaction among whites, because black sluttiness didn’t deviate from the white idea of what black femininity was.

What has changed about the way women and girls interact with the term “slut” between your first and second rounds of research?
Digital culture and social media. In the '90s when I was first interviewing girls about the “slut” label, it was before texting, sexting, Snapchat, Facebook. Digital culture and social media have ramped up this unspoken rule of femininity: You’re always supposed to be sexy, but you’re not supposed to be slutty. And today we’re all living in this world of wall-to-wall surveillance. When your female body is being tagged, tracked, liked, it creates all this pressure to present yourself as this sexy -- yet never slutty -- person. But that can backfire on you.

It used to be that, in my observation, every school had one or two girls that were the “school sluts,” and everyone knew who they were and they would be treated horribly. But now, pretty much everybody gets labelled a "slut" at one point or another. I have not met anybody under the age of 25 who has not been called a "slut" or a "ho" at some point in her life. It is ubiquitous.



What is the difference between "slut-shaming" and "slut-bashing"?
"Slut-bashing" is a word I coined in the 1990s to describe a very specific phenomenon: repeated acts of harassment, usually verbal, conducted by peers in junior high and high school who are basically ganging up on a fellow classmate and labeling her as a "slut." It was a type of repeated harassment with malicious intent in this closed environment -- the school. And that still absolutely exists.

But it’s interesting what has been added to slut-bashing. [Today], a lot of [the “slut” name-calling] is more casual, more diffused. It may not even have hostile intent. Sometimes it’s positive or neutral, like somebody’s calling you a "slut" because you look good. You’re left confused -- “Am I being shamed or am I not being shamed?” I did not coin the term "slut-shaming," but I think whoever did was very smart. It’s a good catch-all term.

In your opinion, is it possible to reclaim the word "slut"?
My central argument is that it doesn’t matter what the intent of the name-caller is, because the result is always negative. It always leads to policing and judgment and shame, even when the initial intent is lighthearted or neutral.

There certainly have been good-faith efforts to rehabilitate the word. Kathleen Hanna in the band Bikini Kill, famously scrolled the words “slut” in lipstick on her stomach, and would lift her shirt during concerts. That was a snarky retort to guys in the audience who were thinking she was a slut. There’s a literary blog called BookSlut, which is using the word in a cheeky way to imply that reading promiscuously is a good thing. And then of course we’ve got the SlutWalk movement, which reclaimed the word "slut" to raise awareness that wearing revealing clothing or behaving in a sexualized manner is never invitation for sexual assault. I absolutely recognize that for many individual women, embracing the label "slut" or ho can be empowering for them. And I’m not trying to minimize their personal experience.

I’m more interested in the large-scale feminist strategy. I want to pause and [think about] whether this strategy on a mass scale is a good one. Will it actually reduce slut-bashing and slut-shaming? After speaking with girls and women who have attempted, on an individual level, to reclaim the word "slut," I conclude that, right now, this is not a safe or effective strategy. My concern is that until we get closer to sexual and racial equality, calling ourselves "sluts" and "hoes" could open up new opportunities for harassment and assault for all women.

So what can we do to combat slut-shaming and slut-bashing?
I think it’s up to us to lead by example and be role models. [We need] to talk about the power of slut-shaming and why it is harmful and damaging -- not just for the girls who are labelled, but for all women and girls.

There’s a new movement called the Stop Slut movement, and it’s centered around an excellent play called “Slut: The Play.” But what’s even more exciting is that around the play adult mentors are paired with high school girls who then learn to develop tools themselves to go into their high schools and talk about these issues and to form clubs with their peers.

Also, I work for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and I feel that we need to do what Planned Parenthood does best which is to talk about female sexuality without any judgment. Planned Parenthood does things every day to show that women are sexual and there’s nothing shameful about that. [They] provide comprehensive sex education, birth control without interference from bosses and politicians, and abortions without judgment. These are concrete ways to destigmatize female sexuality which then leads to diminishing the culture of slut-shaming.

How does our slut-shaming culture contribute to a culture of violence against women?
One theme that I’ve found over and over again, is agency. Even if the girl who’s labelled a "slut" or a "ho" isn’t sexually active, or not more sexually active than her peers, she is perceived to have done something active that provoked the reputation. There was a landmark study done at Duke University, called the Women’s Initiative Study. There was one student who said that femininity is all about “effortless perfection.” The slut is somebody who never understood that or understands it and is disregarding it. She’s being sexy in a way that is considered overt or too attention-seeking.

The element of agency gives ammunition to people who want to judge, shame and police the slut or the ho. Because they say, “Well, that girl deserves to be called a slut, because she chose to do something wrong.” It’s that mentality that always dovetails with the mainstream response to sexual assault. When woman comes forward and says, “I was sexually assaulted,” the default mainstream response is to accuse her of exerting agency to provoke that.



If being labelled "slut" is so undesirable, why is it that being perceived as not sexual is also so undesirable?
That is so true. You don’t wanna be a prude and you don’t wanna be a slut. It’s really impossible. We are evaluated and judged through a sexual prism no matter what we do. Either we’re not sexual enough or we’re too sexual. It’s just tiring, man.

It’s god damn exhausting!
There’s really no way to win. And I’m so glad that you raised that issue, because so many adults are judgmental about the way young women present themselves in public. They just don’t understand how these young women have to walk on this razor-thin tightrope to not be a prude, not be a slut, be sexy but just the right amount, not show that they’re exerting any effort -- you just woke up looking sexy in this very understated way.

It’s impossible for anybody of any age. That’s why we’re in this muddle. Because just existing while female puts us at risk of being evaluated on a sexual scale.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

'Game Of Thrones' Almost Had A Shocking, Weird Love Triangle

February 5, 2015, 3:08 pm

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A leaked letter written by George R.R. Martin to his agent reveals the original, different plan for A Song of Ice and Fire -- the seven-book saga that inspired hit HBO series "Game of Thrones." British book retailer Waterstones tweeted images of the three page letter in which Martin detailed his intended plans for the book series. The tweet has since been deleted, but all three pages can be read here, here, and here.

The letter was apparently displayed in Harper Collins' new London Bridge office, which has a George R.R. Martin room. Waterstone attributed the letter to HarperCollins UK who, according to Vanity Fair, corroborated the tweet before it was deleted. Besides the fact that the book series was first envisioned as a mere trilogy (Martin only planned to write A Game of Thrones, A Dance With Dragons and The Winds of Winter) the letter reveals some pretty major plot and character variations, including a shocking love triangle. Here's what Martin apparently originally planned for:

Some book and show spoilers follow.

There was love trial between Arya, Tyrion and Jon Snow

Image via Wikia

We know, weird. Apparently Tyrion would fall for Arya after getting exiled by Jaime (more on that below). It wouldn't be a mutual romance though. Then Arya and Jon Snow (her half-brother) would fall in love, sparking a rivalry between Jon and Tyrion. The romance would "torture" the half siblings, until ...

Jon's true parentage would be revealed
This is something fans are still speculating over.

Sansa would have Joffrey's baby

Rob would die in battle
Martin planned for Rob and Joffrey to fight on the battlefield (almost nothing sounds more hilarious than imagining Joffrey in battle). Rob would "maim" Joffrey, but eventually Rob would be defeated by Jaime and Tyrion.

Jaime was originally a super bad guy
Martin wrote that Tyrion would "remove" Joffrey, thus making way for Jaime to take over the throne. Then Jaime would turn against Tryion, kill a bunch of people, blame his brother, and then get Tyrion exiled. (This is why Tyrion apparently grows fond of Arya.)

Daenerys would kill Khal Drogo

Image via Tumblr

Even more shocking is that she'd do it to avenge him killing her brother, Viserys (LOL).

Only five characters would survive the series
Martin's original five were Daenerys, Arya, Jon, Bran and Tyrion. Will he stay true to it?

Daenerys would invade the Seven Kingdoms a lot sooner
While of course we don't know where the books are headed with Dany's storyline, there's lots of foreshadowing that she'll use her dragons to take over Westeros. Martin originally planned for this to happen in the second book of his trilogy.

Catelyn didn't die in the Red Wedding
The infamous slaughter scene isn't even mentioned in Martin's letter and the author instead planned for Catelyn to travel North of the Wall, with Arya and Bran, only to be killed by Mance Rayder's Free Folk (in the letter just described as "the others").

The last paragraph of the letter is sadly blacked out, so we'll still have to keep reading and watching to find out how Martin plans to end his series. HuffPost Entertainment reached out to HarperCollins UK, Waterstone, and Martin's rep for comment, and will update this post if any new information is received.

For more, head to Variety.

10 Art Therapy Techniques To Get You Through That Lingering Winter Gloom

February 6, 2015, 7:26 am

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This post goes out to all our readers who have just about had it with winter. Whether you've been in hibernation since pre-Winter Storm Juno, watched everything on your Netflix queue, or just can't wait for avocados to come back into peak season, we're here to help. The following art therapy techniques are designed to stimulate the imagination and warm the soul even in the coldest of temperatures, with easy exercises for anyone from age five to 100. What better way to stay locked up in your apartment than bundle up and let the creative juices start flowing?

Art therapy is a form of therapy predicated on the belief that artistic expression has the power to help us in healing, in self-esteem or simply in chilling out. It's unique in that most other forms of therapy rely on language as the foremost mode of communication, whereas art requires something different, something harder to define.

We're not art therapists, and the techniques below are only suggestions based on practices familiar to the art therapy community. But for those hungry for a creative outlet to relieve the tension that tends to build up this time of year, the practices below may help. They require few materials and no artistic background -- in fact, the less art you make, the better. The following suggestions are less about the final product, and more about the transformation that occurs along the way.

1. Craft your own dream guardian



You've heard of a dreamcatcher. We're tweaking the tradition a little bit, thus freeing up the possibilities of what shapes your new dream guardian can take. Create a dangling sculpture to hang above your bed that will watch over you while you sleep. Feel free to use the traditional willow hoop with feathers and beads, or veer off track and get experimental with fabric, bells, photos, or whatever brings you peace of mind. Soon you'll have a new friend to keep an eye on you as your dreams sweep you off into another world.



2. Make a painting with no tools but your body



Don't have the time (or the funds) to invest in a new batch of art tools? No worries, all you need to get creative is your own beautiful body. Explore the possibilities of your own anatomy -- the plush curves of your fingertip, the sharp edge of your nail, the capabilities of hand and foot and even hair, if you're feeling bold. Not only will your canvas end up looking unexpectedly magnificent, but you'll probably resemble a work of art yourself.



3. Revamp a stuffed animal



We've been dying to give this one a go since we caught a glimpse of Jenny Ottinger's latest exhibition, in which she conducts slightly botched surgeries on stuffed teddy bears, producing jumbled creatures at once adorable and creepy. We'd recommend a less frightening version for a therapeutic result. Take a beloved childhood toy and transform it into a work of art, either by patching its holes, replacing its ragged parts or going a more avant-garde route. You'll finally be able to return your beloved teddy to its rightful spot on your bed, while proudly displaying an original objet d'art.



4. Craft a memory rock



Next time you have a special day, take a home a free souvenir in the form of a rock -- or a receipt, or a brochure, or a leaf; anything will do the trick really. Call it your new canvas. Decorate your new keepsake with memories from throughout the day -- however abstract or concrete your creative self desires. If you're feeling painter's block, use the natural creases and edges of the rock to guide your aesthetic decisions. A few memory rocks down the road, you'll have a rock garden that instantly conjures recollections of your most joyous days, to help with the glum ones.



5. Channel Guiseppe Arcimboldo



Brief art history primer: Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a 16th century Italian painter primarily known for his surreal self-portraits made from painted objects like fruit, veggies, books and fish. Channel good ole Giuseppe with objects that mean something to you. Whether you draw, paint or collage, create a version of that precious punam of yours made from the objects that help define you or make your heart flutter -- whether it's your dog, sunflowers or the In-N-Out logo.



6. Make an ephemeral artwork



Practice the art of letting go by creating a work of art with an expiration date. Work with a material that erodes with time -- whether it's a sand castle that washes away in the sea, a chalk mural that fades in the sun, or a drawing attached to a balloon and set into flight. You know what they say, f you love something, set it free!



7. Paint a mirror or window



Overhaul the concept of a blank canvas by selecting a surface that already tells a vivid story. Apply pigment to a mirror or window, and let your brushstrokes mingle with whatever's already gracing your uncanny canvas -- be it a snowy day or your own reflection. Just think of it as makeup's way artsier second cousin.



8. Turn a journal entry into a work of art



Whether you're drawing inspiration from last week's misadventure or your third grade trials and tribulations, why not creative a visual adaptation of your own first-person narration? Take an old journal entry -- one that was especially poignant, difficult, joyous, or totally arbitrary -- and recreate the text as imagery. Feel free to draw, paint, collage, whatever can best express the atmosphere of that one day.



9. Design your (artsy) spirit animal



Do you have a spirit animal? Have you never been quite satisfied with the classic genus and species currently available to you? Here's your chance to craft the imaginary hybrid creature of your wildest fantasies. From a liger to a jellyfish-dragon to a pegasus-zebra, the only limit to the wildlife available to you are the zoological limits of your mind.



10. Make a morning drawing (every morning)



What do you do first thing in the morning? Check Facebook? Chug coffee? Read the paper? Change things up a bit by creating a morning drawing before you even get out of bed. Recreate last night's dream or draft out the day's intentions, either way, you may be surprised by what you can create in the first moments of the day, in that rare time spent transitioning from sleeping to waking.



For more art therapy suggestions, check out our previous posts here, here and here.

Beyoncé, Pharrell, Beck & Ed Sheeran Best Album Mix Should Win Its Own Grammy

February 6, 2015, 8:10 am

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In honor of the upcoming Grammys this Sunday, Berklee College of Music put together a really fantastic mashup of four of the five Best Album of the Year nominees: Beyoncé, Pharrell, Beck and Ed Sheeran. (Sorry, Sam Smith.)

According to Berklee's YouTube account, the school's alumni worked with all four stars as engineers and producers.

We wouldn't protest a joint Beyoncé-Pharrell-Beck-Ed Sheeran performance come Sunday. Just saying.

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow On How All The Grammy Collaborations Come Together

February 6, 2015, 8:51 am

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With just a few days until Sunday's Grammy Awards, the roster of performers continues to grow. Specifically, it's being loaded with more of the unusual A-list collaborations for which the Grammys have become known. The latest include Beck and Chris Martin, Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige, and Ed Sheeran and a slew of others. Before any of those combos were announced, HuffPost Entertainment chatted with National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences president Neil Portnow, who's overseen the Grammys since 2003. Here are excerpts from our conversation about how the show's all-star moments come together:

The Grammys have become known for all-star collaborations. How did that start?
When I got the job, I met with our producers at the time, including Ken Ehrlich, and one of the things I said was that the one thing that always really appeals to me are those moments where you’ve got interesting combinations of artists, whether it be about different generations or different genres or different genders or different biographical backgrounds, and also the fact that there’s an educational component to it because there’s something to be learned about the relationship between some of these things historically. We came to the conclusion that one of the signature elements of the Grammys should be what we call "Grammy moments." Over the years, obviously we’ve stayed true to the philosophy, and the way that they get put together isn’t cookie-cutter or by any particular book.

How do you put together the unusual artist combinations that we see on the telecast?
It comes from a few places. No. 1, I am formally a musician. Ken wasn’t exactly a musician, but he has an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music. The Academy’s membership and those from the Academy who help shepherd the process through are also musicians. The other part of it is that artists have their own ideas and views about things that might be exciting or interesting to them musically, and what’s happened over the years is -- because Grammy moments have become one of the signature moments of the Grammy awards show -- artists have a sense even before they might get a phone call. Sometimes an artist will walk in with an idea they’ve been thinking about, and we talk about it and we love it and that’s where we go. Sometimes we on the Academy and production side will have an idea for somebody and we’ll bring it forward, have a discussion and then see how they feel about it. It’s very collaborative.

What are some of the types of ideas you will present to artists you've asked to perform?
For example, every year we have the lifetime achievement awards or trustees awards or MusiCares Person of the Year award. These are all the highest honors that the Academy bestows, so there can be a treasure trove of opportunities in some of those recognitions. It was a few years ago that the Academy’s board determined that one of the lifetime achievements was going to go posthumously to Janis Joplin. So Ken and I had that conversation and we thought, “Yeah, this is a really great idea, let’s see if there are some artists who might resonate with that and want to go out there and tribute Janis Joplin.” The first thought was Melissa Etheridge, who we know and we love and thought could do a really incredible job, and it was an interesting thought because she’d just been on the backside of her battle with cancer, just to the point where she was ready to come out and sing again. She loved it and said, "Count me in.” Then we thought, “Well, maybe we could expand this a little bit because we are talking about a generational play here. We’re talking about someone who was very young when she was successful and who’s long gone, and then we’re talking about Melissa, who’s fairly established as an artist, and might we find someone else who’s very young and earlier in their career, kind of like the way Janis was at the beginning, to come into this?" In particular, Joss Stone was breaking through. We had that conversation with Melissa, and then we went to Joss, who loved the opportunity, and, long story short, it was a historical night. The two of the killed it and it’s one of those moments people will talk about forever.



Sometimes the collaborations are less obvious than others. I'm thinking of Celine Dion joining Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson for the Michael Jackson tribute in 2010.
When we think about these things, we are thinking from a musical perspective, and not from a limited point of a view. That is, “What might an artist be capable of doing if we asked?” and “What might an artist actually enjoy doing that’s out of the predictable or what we’ve seen them do and that’s an opportunity for them to stretch and really fill a side that others maybe haven’t had a chance to see in a safe environment?” When you think about that, you come up with ideas that aren’t necessarily ones that everyone else would come up with. So, if you want to use your example of Celine in the Michael Jackson piece, what is it about Michael Jackson that connects with Celine? A couple of things: One is Michael is one of the finest singers ever in popular music; so is she. Michael was renowned for extraordinarily high level of repertoire, so the songs that Michael recorded, whether he wrote them or collaborated on them or whether he found them, were always the greatest, which is why the legacy of the music will be here forever. Same is true for Celine; she records the finest songs. If you look at that bridge there, then you start to think, "Well, that’s not far-fetched at all," and then the bottom line is, "How does she feel about it?" She clearly was a huge fan of his and his music. She really savored the opportunity to pay tribute to him.


Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Usher and Carrie Underwood perform during the 2010 tribute to Michael Jackson.

Do you know exactly what the performances will look like by the time the telecast begins?
Over the course of production for the show, yes, we surely do know. The bookings of the show begin only after the nominations are announced, which this year was Dec. 5. So between Dec. 5 and Feb. 8, put Christmas, New Year's and Martin Luther King Day in between, you can see it’s a very short window and a very massive undertaking in a very brief amount of time. Now, that being said, here we are a little more than a week out from the actual show and still bookings are being made. There are still changes being made, so in certain cases, we know a great deal about what those performances are going to be because we’ve been working on it. In other cases, they’re added or come in and are sort of fleshed out later along the way, and we don’t know until closer to the show. But in every case, there have been rehearsals of the full production numbers in rehearsal studios and off-site locations, and then ultimately every performance is rehearsed on the Grammy stage at the [Staples Center], individually, and then day of show, there’s a full dress-rehearsal run-through, top to bottom, in the morning, and then we come back at 5:00 p.m. live for the show.

Do you get final approval on all the performances, or, barring broadcast censorship issues, is it a free-for-all?
It’s truly a collaboration and at the end of the day you can’t –- what’s the idiomatic expression? You can’t lead a horse to water if they don’t want to drink, or however that goes. You don’t want to try to ask an artist to do something they don’t want to do or that they’re not comfortable with or don’t believe in. Ultimately, it’s just a process of getting to that. That might wind up being an artist fully embracing an idea that we’ve put forward, or it might be an artist who has their own idea and thoughts, and, after communicating with us, we’re all on the same page and we want to facilitate the greatest performance they’ve ever done behind that idea. To your point, there are certain kinds of things that we can’t do because network television is governed by federal law and they have the rules and regulations set up by the FCC, and each network actually has a standards-and-practices employee who will be at all shows of all kinds of all tapings to ensure that whatever content is broadcast on network television meets the requirement of the rules or regulations. That has nothing to do with the Academy; it has nothing to do with the artist.

What sort of fires do you have to put out during the telecast?
If I were a religious man, I’d be in prayer. There are so many things. If you want to categorize it, there’s certainly all the technical stuff that can happen and not go the way you hoped. I am not a technician. I’m not capable of solving those issues. The question then becomes, "What’s the knockoff effect of the technical problem? Do you have to re-sequence something that’s going to happen on the stage?" Somebody’s a no-show at the last minute. Somebody’s ill and can’t perform. We’ve certainly had that happen, not necessarily in the midst of the show, but hours before. Maybe something goes way over time for some reason and we find ourselves needing to catch up because, again, it’s physics at work here and we don’t have unlimited time. Things of that nature.

The Grammys recruit as many yesteryear artists as it does current Top 40 acts. How do you decide which demographics to appeal to? For better or worse, much of the coveted 18-to-34 demographic doesn't want to see AC/DC perform.
Fans realize that what you get at the Grammys is going to be unique and different than what you’re going to get at another show, which is fairly predictable and fairly narrowcast in terms of the demographic they approach. We are, first and foremost, the Recording Academy, so by nature we represent the entire community. We have 83 categories that represent that wide spectrum, so part of the mission is the diversity of music. The second part is, "Do we truly believe that music, being the universal language that it is and having the timelessness that it does, that given the right setting, everybody has the possibility of appreciating a wider range of music than perhaps they’re even aware of?" It’s just a matter of exposing them to it. You talk about the younger demo who is really attracted to and spends most of their time, if not all of their time, listening to younger, contemporary artists. When they see somebody they’d heard about but maybe don’t know, or maybe somebody they don’t know at all, but in the context of everything else going on -- even directly, perhaps, in the context of appearing on the stage with someone from another generation -- it can be eye-opening. That’s why, from a ratings standpoint, we’re doing 30 million viewers domestically now, and why this really is event television: because people want to see that.

Some criticize the Grammys -- and all award shows, really -- for being out of touch and predictable. What do you say to those sentiments?
The numbers really speak for themselves. We’ve had, the past few years, record-breaking numbers of people watch the show, and not only in America, but we’re broadcast in 190 territories around the world. The critics may have shots they want to take at certain shows, and in a world where it’s so easy to blog or be online or have an opinion about things, certainly there will be those who have perhaps not a positive thought about what we do or what some of the other shows do. But the fact is we’re the market leader. We’re the juggernaut of music shows and it’s really important to us, not because it raises money for the shareholders or that we’re positioning our IPO. It matters because the future and the fate of next generations of musicians really depend on there being an audience that cares about the music and appreciates it and is willing to, from a business standpoint, purchase that music, which allows these great musicians to make a living at what they do. If you don’t have an environment where musicians have the opportunity for their work to be fairly compensated, then they’re all out having to wait tables and do other kinds of work. To me, the mission of the Academy, promoting and having the success that we have, is all about providing that platform for those musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and engineers, but also providing that platform for music fans to be able to see and appreciate something at the highest level of quality that raises the bar with the highest standards and keeps them interested and engaged.

Do you know who will open the show this year?
Not yet. Quite honestly, we think we’re there. This show is so dynamic and so fluid that things can change in the 11th hour. Frankly, while we want to be buttoned up and prepared and have as much done in advance as possible, we also want to leave enough air for this show to breathe because something can come up between now and a week from Sunday that’s unexpected.

Like the Whitney Houston tribute in 2012.
Exactly right. So on that basis, we try to balance it. Let’s be ready, let’s be buttoned up, but let’s also be able to be nimble and make sure we have the options we need in case we need it.

The interview has been edited and condensed.