CREATIVE SURRENDER STUDIOS
• CELEBRATE // CREATE // COLLABORATE •
HELLO THERE DEAR FRIEND,
Are you struggling to make time for your creative projects?
Feeling like you're in a rut with your passions?
With only so much time during your hectic schedule…
What do you need to get back on track?
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What started off as a web series quickly turned into a community of creatives challenging each other to turn their passion projects into a source of joy and inspiration. Amanda Kelly Espiritu and Sri Thayi (one of her partners in crime & creativity) had both been dreaming of a space for creatives and friends to gather. Amanda had been considering producing a web series and new event series in NY and Beyond. After spending over seven hours perched on comfy couches at a furniture store in Meatpacking and dancing through some Chelsea art galleries to get their creative juices flowing, both friends were re-energized and Amanda was inspired. Creative Surrender Studios was born.
Creative Surrender Studios brings together creative innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase and experiment creatively, socially, and intellectually in tandem with the current cultural landscape.
Creative Surrender spotlights the entire creative journey and all the challenges that come along with it. Each episode and gathering dives into deep talks, throwing love bombs at the featured artist / creative entrepreneur, and doing crazy things in public to challenge each other out of whatever creative rut they may be languishing in.
From the curated Creative Surrender: Passion Sprints workshops, to global benefit festival Namastay At Home (produced in April and August 2020), to short films spotlighting creatives willing to give in and get vulnerable, to bespoke experiences, Amanda and the CSS Team aim to help individuals and teams around the world light up a collective fire and creatively surrender to what needs to be done for their lives today.
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Our intention for each one of us in every CSS gathering: Electrify our creative synapses with collective collaboration, immerse ourselves in our creative flow states, and to push the understanding placed on Self and our interaction with society.
Creative Surrender aims to provide a container for you to have both structure and freedom for spontaneity. Some art supplies and snacks will be provided, but please bring a small snack to share with your fellow creatives and any materials you might need to work on your passion project or collaborate with fellow creatives.
ALL ARE WELCOME :)
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A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN JUST A YEAR…
LIKE DRAFTING A BOOK DURING #NANOWRIMO2019 & LAUNCHING A KICKSTARTER IN 2020…
AND THEN SELF-PUBLISHING A PAPERBACK & E-BOOK AVAILABLE AROUND THE WORLD…
Dive into Amanda Kelly Espiritu’s story so far in her debut book:
Creative Surrender: Embracing Artivism, Global Collaboration, & Celebration.
24-HOUR GLOBAL BENEFIT FESTIVALS
NAMASTAY AT HOME - APRIL 2020 & AUGUST 2020
In 2020, Amanda pivoted a benefit concert she was planning for her birthday in Brazil into a global 24-hour music festival for charity. The Namastay At Home Festival (NAHF) was livestreamed from “backstage” on Zoom to the Creative Surrender Facebook page. Amanda produced and MC’d the festival, introducing each artist and hosting a short Q&A with each act after their set.
NAHF April 2020
Raised funds and awareness for local and international organizations supporting those affected by COVID-19.
Featured 44+ artists from 13+ countries playing across a blend of different genres.
Reached 11,000+ people via livestream shares.
NAHF August 2020
Featured 30+ musicians and spoken word poets over 2-days and reached 17,000+ people via livestream shares
Raised funds and awareness for international organizations that are proven advocates for social justice reform
Launched the NAHF Artist Fund to support performing artists and raised $1,000 USD during the festival weekend
CREATIVE SURRENDER WEB SERIES
EPISODE 001 - “CREATIVE SURRENDER: MICHAEL ANTHONY TEDESCO”
Performing and sharing art can be both a terrifying and wonderful experience. As creatives, we run the risk of holding back for countless reasons - perhaps as we try to endlessly perfect things for hours upon hours, or we think we're being too much or unoriginal, or we give into the fear that people will judge us for our vulnerability.
From deep talks to dance breaks that are always good for the soul, we got to dive deeper with piano wizard himself Michael Anthony Tedesco on his creative process and jam to his single "Wired" from his latest EP Hardly Recognizeable.
“GIANTS” MIKE TEDESCO | OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Celebrating, creating, and collaborating with others in the intersection of art, science, and tech is at the core of everything we set out to do. We've been jamming out to Mike Tedesco's song "Giants" the last few months and love all it stands for. Check out the new music video for "Giants" we put together as we adventured around the last few months!
The #CSSteam sat and thought about what we're terrified of and why we find ourselves in creative ruts, and we decided to confront our fears and see how challenging ourselves to get uncomfortable would affect our creative process.
Amanda was afraid of dancing in public and avoided being on camera as much as possible because capturing moments for her friends was infinitely easier. When she traveled to Singapore for work earlier this year, she challenged herself to dive headfirst into both by running and dancing around in a red panda onesie in 90+ degree weather at in the early morning. She challenged herself to shoot everything on her phone and make her limited time and resources work.
From the shadows of the Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, to the sunny and colorful streets of Austin, through rainy days and late nights along the NYC skyline and under the The Oculus at the World Trade Center, and along the cliffs, steep hills, and colorful staircases throughout SF she's continued to push herself to keep dancing wherever, whenever and gotten to see friends and strangers want to join in along the way.
CREATIVE SURRENDER PASSION SPRINTS
WORKSPRINTS FOR YOUR PASSION PROJECTS
Celebrate, Create, and Collaborate in the intersection of art, music, dance, and tech.
Are you struggling to make time for your creative projects while working remotely and also staying productive? Feeling like you're in a creative rut with your passions and want a space to let loose? What do you need to get back on track?
Since February 2019, over 100+ curated Passion Sprint workshops have been hosted. Amanda and the CSS Team created a container for attendees to be spontaneous within. People found creative flowstate that much easier to reach when approached in a group setting where all they had to do was show up.
Before and after each sprint, there is dedicated time for connection with friends old and new. Dedicated breaks are built in between sprints and have been comprised of anything from dance, stretching, and facilitated meditation, to sound baths, freestyle sessions, and collecitive brainstorms.
GETTING TO FLOW STATE USUALLY COMPRISES OF:
Connecting with other creative souls
3 Passion Sprints (60 minutes)
2 Breakout Sessions led by the CSS Team or a community member
1 Gathering for a Communal Meal
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FROM IN PERSON ACROSS NYC…
TO ONLINE ACROSS THE WORLD…
Attendees from Creative Surrender: Passion Sprints (Virtual) | Summer & Fall of 2020 | PRIVATE ZOOM EVENTS
CREATIVE SURRENDER ROUNDTABLES
CREATIVITY & CULTURE DURING COVID (JUNE 2020)
HOSTED BY AMANDA KELLY ESPIRITU & MARIANNA PHILLIPS
Creativity and art throughout history have always been a reflection of the culture at the time. The pieces created still serve as a commentary on the society those artists lived in and still serve as proof of the vital outlet for their self-expression during times of oppression, through economic, political, and religious strife, and even during times of peace. It's important to immerse ourselves in the stories and techniques these creative innovators brought into the world to gather both inspiration and insight. Some people these days still say they "don't see color," but if there's anything creatives know, when you can't "see color," you miss seeing patterns that crop up.
More than ever, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the constant struggle against systemic racism, and June being Pride month it's important to look to the artists who continue to manifest change and speak fearlessly as activists among their communities in all of their chosen mediums. Innovation and the creative risks individuals take can inspire entire communities. There are some things that can't be captured by words. As we see momentum and a push for change coming from all over the world, there is so much we can learn from and amplify because art, photos, film, music, infographics, and more can be magnified all over the world and strike people no matter the language barrier. Creative thinking these days becomes an essential skill we each can use to change the fabric of a society that has grown stagnant in its comfortability at the expense of generations of systemic abuse.
For this Creative Surrender Roundtable we gathered to create in various mediums as we chatted. Some attendees painted canvases, others created wearable art, and others just doodled to their heart’s content.
Our Guiding Questions:
Creatives are pivoting and finding ways to adjust their creative process during the quarantine and finding ways to channel artivism against systemic oppression (raising up the work of BLM and Pride).
What does "creativity" mean to you right now?
How have you been channeling your creativity during this time?
Have you discovered anything new or surprising about yourself?
Attendees from Creative Surrender Roundtable: Creativity & Culture | 06.13.20 | PRIVATE ZOOM EVENT
