Windmill Masterclass Now Open

Thursday October 13th from Noon - 2:00 P.M. Please join me via ZOOM.

The Windmill is a graceful yet powerful movement that I personally attribute to keeping me young, mobile and injury-free. It also has many martial & moving arts uses.

Mastering the Windmill will help you build mobile & stabile shoulders (a quality known as Mostability), increase hip & back mobility and strength, and move more artistically in the dance studio or martial arts tatame.

We will cover several variations of the Windmill using a variety of tools and set-ups to make mastering the Windmill easy and fun.

We’ll start with a brief discussion session so I know exactly what I need to cover. And then we’ll dive right in

Windmill Masterclass

$50.00

Is Creative a Noun?

Is Creative a Noun?

The usage of Creative a noun was something that I struggled with initially. I strictly considered "Creative" an adjective, something that described a creative person whether they were an Artist, a Craftsman or an engineer.

Austin Kleon, one of my favorite authors and artist even has a chapter in one of his incredible books called "Creative is not a Noun." But he and I were wrong. I am the type of Artist that has to search and research topics that I'm currently in love with and creativity is one of them. And has been for most of my life.

In my research I found that the usage of "Creative” as a noun is over 200 years old. Most of the time it's being used in the marketing and advertising worlds but also as a synonym for craftsman.

The Art of Walking

The word "Art" and our words articulate and articulation share the same roots and mean to bring or join together. Very similar to the word "Yoga" actually which is related the word yoke.

In this video I speak about a walking club that I started at the local YMCA where 50 people registered.

The main reason why people registered was "connection" and community and meeting new people. Literally making the act of walking an artistic expression. The Art of Walking is a topic I'd like to spend much more time and energy on.

Thanks for being here.

Creative Movement...Break the Exercise Rules

“Exploration “Play Rules.” These rules are as follows:
(1) you shall investigate the unfamiliar until it has become familiar; (2) you shall impose a rhythmic repetition on the familiar; (3) you shall vary this repetition in as many ways as possible; (4) you shall select the most satisfying of these variations and develop these at the expense of others; (5) you shall combine and recombine variations with one another; and (6) you shall do this all for its own sake, as an end in itself.”

— Desmond Morris - The Naked Ape (1967)

I wrote about this exact topic a few months ago. The fancy term in the movement literature is Motor Creativity but Creative Movement sounds much better.

You can check out that article here: What is Motor Creativity?

I Am Trying

I am trying to learn how, when leading a workshop, to speak from the creative in me to the creative in each one of the people present. I do not mean by this anything to do with good creative or bad, better creative or best.

I find such distinctions meaningless and unhelpful.

My own experience is demonstrating that there is a creative voice in each one of us and that is not helped by any comparison except with our own deepening growth. In each of us there is our pinch pot, as there is our dance, our poem, and our song. What it looks like or sounds like is less important than the artistic journey we take to discover it.

I greet the creative in you from the creative in me.

Who is the Best Dancer?

This is what I’m talking about!

I’ve been diving deep into the works of M.C. Richards and Paulus Berensohn.

I quoted M.C. Richards on this blog before here: Life is Physical & Artistic.

What I absolutely love about both of of these artists, potters and poets actually are their other physical pursuits like dance.

There is a deep connection between the physical, mixed moving arts and other creative arts. This is clear. And if we are to approach wholeness and a deeper life we must remain and cultivate a well-rounded approach to movement and self-expression.

Specialist may get paid more but to quote Paulus.

““It’s not a way of making a living. It’s a way of making a life.”

— Paulus Berensohn

The above video is a reading from a book by Corita Kent called “Learning by Heart.”

Great Creative Minds and Moving Artists.

I'm a sucker for imagery. I’m also a sucker for discussions on craft, art, nature and human performance so I thought I’d share a few cool quotes with you.

These two quotes come from two different authors and books but they share a similar spirit. The first book is from "The Little Book of Talent." by Daniel Coyle.

The second book is "Deep Work" by Cal Newport.

Escaping the Shallows

“My purpose is to re-instill passion and romance into our connection with movement and play, to make movement and ability our primary aim, over appearance and ego, and to let joy, pleasure and excitement be our main motivations and inspirations.”

— Jason C. Brown

My work and this site is undergoing a bit of a rebrand. After spending 22 years in the fitness and performance fields I simply need to branch out. To curate, to teach and to share content, clarity and coaching on topics that I honestly consider much more important than exercise, sets and reps. The art of expressing the human body, the craft of teaching human movement and the profound effect that a physical practice can have on our creativity and quality of life will take center stage.

Perhaps my new direction began as an unconscious reaction to the surge of a more surface kind of physicality and creativity that I started to notice and live within.

A rebellion of sorts against the rushed demands that were creeping into my own physical practice. Once I became consciously aware of the tolls these shallows could take, I longed to enter into a deeper conversation and exploration about the wellspring of physicality and creativity. I began to identify in my own physical practice (as well as those of my students), certain eternal elements to access and enthuse. These elements will serve as our foundation to building a creative physical practice and enjoy it forever.

These 4 elements are:

• Deep Play

• Deep Practice

• Deep Nature

• Deep Rest.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey, in this new direction. And as your guide, I’m excited to start sharing. Thanks for being here with me.

Power and Accuracy Day in The Strength Garden

In this video I share one of my favorite workouts from my humble Strength Garden. To be completely honest, most of my physical practice is spent playing and moving in other ways like hiking and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but I always enjoy a quick and focused training session.

This particular session consist of an explosive extension exercise (kettlebell or CMB Snatch) super-setted with an explosive flexion exercise, a single-arm slam using a dead-ball that I borrowed from the Baseball world.

I usually match the repetitions per move…5 slams for 5 snatches. And I usually perform 5 sets. I do not work for time and rest as needed since my focus is speed and power.

I add the accuracy by slamming onto stone pavers. It seems a little silly and the dead-balls do not bounce well, but if I’m not on point and accurate with my slam they will bounce off in chaotic directions. Which can be fun as well.

7 Super Skills Every Movement Coach Should Know

What is a Super Skill?

Super Skills are skills that have a guaranteed result on your investment regardless of your professional circumstances or otherwise.

Super Skills increase the value of nearly every activity , as well as the value of all of your other skills.

There are many Super Skills but I have carefully curated the Top 7 for movement coaches and created the brief yet comprehensive guide.

This guide contains 7 videos and PDFs that you can download onto your own computer and study at your own leisure.

You can order your downloadable copy below.