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So guys, the woman I’m about to introduce you today, is truly creating things of beauty. Like tangible things we can hold in our hands and better yet, adorn ourselves with. And I want one of everything!

I love her behind the scenes process she shares of making her pieces, her fun, funky style, and she takes damn good photos too! I have never met Kali in person, but I discovered her last year, when she did a Holiday shopping round up featuring a line up of local artists, and I fell in love with her treasures.

And as someone who is a Jack-of-all-Trades when it comes to creativity, more of a one and done kinda girl, with art projects— I am fan girl of people who commit to mastery of one medium and grow a body of work. Meet Kali:

What does beauty mean to you and why is it so important?

Beauty is everything. It is the flower shaped like a heart on a walk with my dog. It is the raindrops balancing on the end of a tree branch. It is the glow of a sunset on a hill across the river. It is taking the slower way because it is more scenic. It is the flower found years later pressed between the pages of a long-forgotten book. It is the smile from a loved one. It is a handwritten letter from a friend. It is mix of wild colors and shapes of all sizes. It is looking up at sunlight while swimming underwater. It is the way we interact with others and the world. It is whatever lights our souls on fire.

For me, beauty is that little sparkle that brings a smile to my face when I notice something out in the world. Something that makes me stop and see. The things that bring me joy and my bits of sparkles might be a little different from your sparkles, but that’s the magic with beauty and all that it encompasses; that we each find inspiration and connection to the things we find beautiful, cultivating awareness in the world around us. I’m a firm believer that we tend to protect what we love and when we love what we find beautiful, whether it is a place or an idea, perhaps we will work just a little harder to protect it.

What do you believe beauty has to offer humanity at this moment in time?

I think that cultivating and sharing the beautiful things that exist in this world or bringing beauty into existence can act as a force of hope for people in the here and now. Art and the transmission of beautiful things can not only help ground people but remind them that there are aspects of a world on fire that still invoke joy and magic. The shared connection around what we might find beautiful makes it feel like we are not alone. That we are connected in a shared human experience and in an age of now, this deep down human connection feels more important than ever.

 

How do you create, cultivate or curate beauty for you yourself and your loved ones?

I make cyanotype art on tangible goods using sustainably foraged wildflowers and topographic maps of the Sierra Nevada mountains. I try to combine these elements within this specific art form so that when someone is using, wearing or looking at something I made, they feel a connection to wild places and are reminded to roam on in the places they love to play.

I am constantly excited and in awe of the sun-printing/cyanotype process every time I make something new. It reminds me of that childlike wonder at the natural world, that feeling you get when you step out beyond your comfort zone outside, or that peace you can feel when dipping your hands in to a mountain stream far away from everything.

My goal is to channel bits and pieces of the world of the Sierra, preserved in a way to remember those fleeting moments forever while fostering peace, contemplation, and a pause in the busy world we live in today. I like to think that through the lens of Sierra Sown, this creative journey is about fostering a sense of belonging, a shared love for nature, and a connection between art and adventure.

It feels like one of my deep values is to point out those things that might not be noticed. I’m notorious for finding hearts shaped in wild places from rocks to puddles to clouds and I think it’s actually impossible for me to see a big beautiful full moon and not ask the person next to me if they looked up to see it too. Same goes for light dancing across the sky, whether it is a sunrise or a sunset or that magic time between day and night when the blues shift and the shadows exist but it’s not completely dark yet. I’d like to think that through my actions, through my noticing of the world around us and through the art I bring forth into this world, that people are reminded to slow down and notice the world around them, take it in and pause in those moment in time.

What practices do you recommend to others for making or curating beauty? Especially those who might think they are not “creative?”

To just start. Is there a dream you’ve held close? A vision you want to see in the world? An art form you’ve wanted to try? A different color you want to wear? The world is ready for your ideas and visions and your essence and the more magic that individuals bring to the world, the more inspiration that flows, the more creativity that is cultivated, the more wonderful the world can be. Every person is creative in their own way and there is only one YOU, so please share. Share the idea. Share the vision. Pick up that pen. Take that class. Make the thing. Think back to that childlike wonder and cultivate a little more of it each and every day. Follow the dreams!

 

Is there anything else you’d like to add, that I didn’t ask, that you feel is important and you’d like the world to know? 

 

I truly believe that when we connect to the things of places we love, there is a ripple effect on the world around us. When we harness our version of beauty, when we notice the things that bring us joy, when we can name those things that sparkle in our lives, we live a more grounded and beautiful existence. Sharing this magic with others feels oh so important now in the digital and zoom-zoom age. Connection is everything, let’s cultivate it!

 

You can find Kali and her stunning creations online:

https://canvasrebel.com/meet-kali-mckeown/
HERE: www.sierrasown.com

Find me on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/sierrasown

Sign up for my newsletter HERE (only fun stuff, promise!): https://sierrasown.kit.com/newsletter-sign-up-link-tree

Catch me at an event HERE: https://sierrasown.com/events/

Sign up for a workshop HERE: https://sierrasown.com/workshops/

Shoot me an email to kali@sierrasown.com

 

Today’s Practice:

1.Choose from either the Present Moment Meditation or the Heart Brain Coherence Meditation

2. Answer the Five Daily Questions

3. Create a moment of beauty in your world. Take a photo or video of it and tag me on instagram @tiffineylozano or @lifebytiff on Facebook, so we can spread the good stuff! 

 

Looking forward to seeing what beauty you create or cultivate today,