When Ruby Warrington met Aqualillies founder Mesha Kussman a couple of years back, she riffed on how her she finds her creativity in physical movement. Here she explains how; “I am a vision surfer, and my body gets me there.” Images: Jill Greenberg
WHAT KIND OF PHYSICAL MOVEMENT LEADS TO THE MOST PROFOUND CREATIVE FLASHES?
“Some of my most creative moments come when I’m really sweaty, when my entire body is warm and I feel the wholeness of my being. It can happen in a yoga class, on a hike, in a dance class, in the pool. There is a freedom that comes from being really sweaty and feeling adrenaline pump through your whole body that makes you feel confident, unstoppable, and connected to the pulse of the Universe. It’s in these states I often feel my creative doorways opening and from here I see visions and ideas of things I’d like to design.”
WHAT OTHER PHYSICAL CONDITIONS AID THE CREATIVE PROCESS?
“I like to notice the sunrise or sunset each day. It’s a reminder that the world is larger than my consciousness usually comprehends. It’s a daily touchstone. I can say to myself, ‘there it is, the sunset, again, beautiful as always,’ and no matter what my view of the landscape, I feel my nervous system calm and the big picture come back into focus. I am also a big fan of listening to music. Music frees me from repetitive thoughts or negative thoughts and keeps me in the present moment and in my body, where I find creative connection.”
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC GETS THE CREATIVE PROCESS FLOWING?
“I like dance music, cinematic music, soulful music that is well produced or uniquely produced and tells a story. Some examples of the range of tracks that draw me into the moment and make my body move are Black & Gold by Sam Sparrow, Heavy In Your Arms by Florence + The Machine, As Long As you Love Me by Justin Bieber, and Crazy by Gnarles Barkley.”
DO YOU SET AN INTENTION FOR YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS BEFORE YOU START TO MOVE, OR IS IT MORE A CASE OF ‘SUCK IT AND SEE’?
“It’s important to find time EACH DAY to get in touch with yourself, to be intimate with yourself and care for yourself. I do this through dance or by being in nature. I also find this time through yoga and synchronized swimming. I call this time each day ‘my practice’ and since I like variety I am always changing it up. Sometimes I have to force myself into my practice because my mind is racing and often would convince me there are more important things to DO. But to BE with oneself when one is DOING things, makes you more efficient and more connected to your path. With a practice of self-love and self-exploration, you create more time, because there is more clarity. The body guides me. So I must remind myself to connect through my practice, mind and body.”
HOW DO YOUR IDEAS COME THROUGH TO YOU – AS A VISION, A WORD, A SOUND?
“Ideas come to me as pictures, often in relation to music. If I hear a song, I can picture an entire visual story around that song. There are no voices, no sounds, just the simplicity of pictures, when I am in the zone. It’s as if I leave this world and enter into a landscape of dreams.”
SO HOW DO YOU BRING YOUR DREAMS INTO REALITY?
“The trick is finding a way to record them as they appear. Sometimes my inspiration comes from photography or fashion. For example, I recently saw an image of a woman laying on two mirrors in a magazine, and her limbs appeared in infinite pattern behind her. I imagined shooting an entire dance with one woman in a kaleidoscopic cube of mirrors and light. How surreal and sometimes natural the bending of the body over time to music would be. With that image in mind, I imagine a song or find one (even better) and the details of the visual story flesh out in my mind. Next I will write the pieces of the ‘story’ down, the camera angles, the feeling of the piece, the development of its dynamic and what I hope it will inspire the viewer to feel. Whenever I think too much about the audience, I remember to simply create something I think is cool. If it is complete to me, and exciting, and it tells a truth that resonates fully with me, then I feel confident it will tell a truth that resonates to the viewer, even if their truth, or their understanding of the work is different from mine. Truths are subjective, but there is a truth that we all feel.”
WHY DO YOU THINK THE MOVEMENT OF YOUR BODY AND YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS ARE ALIGNED IN THIS WAY?
“My ego can get in the way of my creativity. The ego is designed to judge and protect you. But creativity does not belong to you, it’s a source that moves through you, you channel it. In order to get out of my own way (to release the ego), I move my body. I free my mind through sweat and music, and then I enjoy the powerful source of nature as it powers through me via imagery. I am lucky I can grab onto it like the mane of a flying dragon, and hold on, I can ride it like a wave. I am a vision surfer. My body gets me there. And the music and movement guide my body.”
