Connect with us

Entertainment

Curating Creativity

Published

on

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]I[/dropcap]t’s no secret that cannabis and creativity are a beautiful marriage, as many studies and anecdotal reports have suggested a correlation between the two. Artists, writers, musicians and other creators have been harnessing cannabis to tap into inspiration for their crafts. But now, with the advent of legal cannabis in many states, it’s finally possible for these creators to organize, assemble and combine cannabis and art creation with their local community.

Enter Denver, Colorado’s Lit on Lit, a unique artistic outlet where writers can combine the creative practice of writing with cannabis consumption. “Lit on Lit was started when the Suspect Press team paired up with Colorado Cannabis Tours and Puff, Pass & Paint,” said Amanda E.K., editor of Suspect Press in Denver and Lit On Lit teacher. Lit on Lit became a space where writers can combine their love of cannabis and the creative process, but still run ideas by each other instead of writing only in the comfort of their own homes. There, students can combine consumption with writing exercises to discuss and share ideas.

“As a writer, I’ve been using cannabis for years to aid in my creative focus and imagination expansion,” explained E.K. “I teach a weekly, drop-in writing class […] sans cannabis, and I wanted to explore the Lit on Lit class again with the combination of weed, which can be especially fun in a group setting where most people have never met before. Given the right ambiance (with my specially crafted Lit on Lit playlist as background music) and open-ended prompts for any level writer, the class can be a cathartic way to reawaken your right brain and boost your confidence in your abilities as a storyteller.”

Even more popular is combining cannabis with the process of visual art. Whether you’re a renowned artist or just dabbling for fun, anyone can try out a Puff, Pass & Paint class. The organization is currently active in 10 cities around the country in California, Colorado, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, New York, Missouri and Illinois.

The cannabis-friendly art classes provided by Puff, Pass & Paint provide as much or as little instruction as students want. Students may choose to follow along with the instructor or completely branch off and explore their own creativity if they’re already experienced artists. Classes are all BYOC, or bring your own cannabis, and consumption and imagination are both highly encouraged.

“Creativity requires thinking outside of the box, letting your mind wander with confidence and wonder. I think that consuming cannabis helps to create that sort of open-minded environment.”

 

All the Puff, Pass & Paint instructors are local artists who come up with their own special classes as diverse and cooking, karate, pottery and nude art. As long as it fits under the artistic umbrella, it can be turned into a cannabis-friendly class.

“I think cannabis helps people enjoy the present moment and removes their fears of being ‘bad’ at being creative,” explained Heidi Keyes, president and founder of Puff, Pass & Paint. “A lot of our students haven’t made any sort of art since they were in grade school, so they’re worried about looking silly or failing. Puff, Pass & Paint is not about that. It’s about feeling free to be creative and also being free to consume our favorite plant, legally, in a safe space with other people who want to do the same thing. Cannabis has always helped me with my anxiety and also to dig into my own creativity, and I started Puff, Pass & Paint to help share that with other people.”

The class is set up for people who are at all levels of comfortability with both creating art and consuming cannabis. The idea is to focus as much or as little on the art as you want, while imbibing cannabis at your own pace. “Cannabis and artistic expression go hand-in-hand,” Keyes added. “Creativity requires thinking outside of the box, letting your mind wander with confidence and wonder. I think that consuming cannabis helps to create that sort of open-minded environment.”

So, next time you’re working on a story, painting, or doing another creative endeavor with the help of cannabis, get out there and find your community. There are folks waiting to hang out, smoke out and get creative.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *