Fargo-based arts leader welcomes North Dakota artists and makers to attend virtual retreat focused on personal exploration OCTOBER 20, 2022—Two years ago, a spark of inspiration ignited a shining new vision for The Arts Partnership President and CEO Dayna Del Val, one that has since helped her—and many others—rediscover passions, projects and purposes that have long since fallen into the shadows. But first, she had to walk into those shadows. Del Val recalls the moment the idea for (re)Discover Your Spark hit her where she needed to feel it the most: right in her head and her heart. “In September 2020, I was awarded a two-week Artist in Residence with…
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I hear you, Universe, and I’m grateful
I feel that way about these extraordinary signs, too. Perhaps they were just by chance. Maybe I'll start hearing "My Favorite Things" on all the Christmas channels I stream, and maybe spin class will continue to play songs from movie musicals about ancient Jewish miracles, but I don't think so.
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I’m coming home at last
What if the role of David Helfgott had been open 10 years earlier? Mr Rush would likely have wanted to go up for the audition. But, he wouldn't have been the right age to play him; he might not have had enough lived experience, have worked with the right acting coach, had the agent who could get him in the room or fill in any number of blanks to play that role. And had he not been cast in Shine, it's entirely likely he might not also have been cast in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Shakespeare in Love, The King's Speech and so many other memorable films with…
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Now I’m married to an American?
I hurt his feelings terribly one day when I said, "Become a citizen, but you'll never BE American anyway." What I meant was that he will never have our Manifest Destiny propaganda, I mean spirit; he'll never tromp through the world with our sense of clueless, boisterous entitlement. He'll always have a sense of empathy for the underdog because his dad had to sleep on a park bench when he first arrived in England because no one would rent a hotel room to an Irishman. He'll always be comfortable with multiculturalism because, for all their ongoing struggles with race, England does seem to better embrace it than America does. He'll…
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Digging my own hole to fall down into to rise up
But here's the thing: I know that if I did the hard work of tracing that scribble labyrinth, I would actually arrive at the straight line going forward because I never lifted the pen when I was making it. That means there is some logic and connectivity to that mess, no matter how convoluted it appears from here.
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Bridging the brand gap
Pretend you're a famous Hollywood actor: they work with assistants, private trainers, chefs, stylists, hair and make up artists, publicists, lawyers, managers, agents and more. You didn't think they just showed up on the red carpet like that did you? Hollywood A-listers are the epitome of the phrase "it takes a village." Find your village.
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I know my calling: Reflecting on the book Limitless
Think about the name of Ms GO's book. Limitless. Without limits. Too often, we put limits even on our free writing, brainstorming and dreaming, as if what we articulate will be seen and judged by others, seen and judged by ourselves. You are allowed to dream as big and wild as you want. In fact, I not only encourage it, I demand (in as much as I can demand you, the unknown reader) you to go all out. The only thing you will "waste" is some ink and paper.
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In support of form and function
For anyone who wanting to support local artists, this is an excellent way to do it because you need all those things anyway. You’re going to drink out of mugs and cups and eat off of plates—why not have a great story to tell around them? Why not decorate your tables with an eclectic conversation-starting series of locally made pieces?
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The unexpected gifts of this summer
So how are you spending this unusual summer? Assuming you and those you love are healthy and employed (all that really matters ultimately), what are you doing to honor this weird gift of a truly slowed down period of time during the best months of our calendar?
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The perfect cup of tea
As the next Christmas season approached, I started thinking about the Christmas tea. I put out a small ask to the Universe that I see something of Grandma’s when we got there. I wanted to know that her things were being used and loved in this new way, like I had always loved them.
