BLOG

Creativity and activity: A chat with three LRC athletes about art and running

During the pandemic, many people picked up a creative hobby as an outlet for expression, but for some people, art or any form of creativity is a lifelong passion. Recently, I’ve been interested in how physical movement and artistic expression fit together. Then I realised I was coaching three very talented and creative people. It seemed only fitting to ask them a few questions about their artistic outlets and quickly dive into how and whether they feel that creativity and running go together. Read on to hear about the artwork that Laura, Renah, and Treena create.

 

Laura Owen – runner, massage therapist, and silversmith.

1. When did you take up silversmithing, and what inspired you to start? 

During COVID, I was doing a lot of wire wrapping because I was constantly on/off work with all the restrictions, which was depressing. I also had to make a massive adjustment to how I work because of people wearing masks, so I made little charms to hang from my hearing aids (masks make it impossible to lip-read). It turned out that the market for the charms was quite big so I began making them for other people as well. I realized that pretty much everyone using the big sales platforms were just buying ready-made parts off those same platforms, putting them together and re-selling. I was really curious about how to make everything from scratch. I have no idea what got me searching for metalsmithing courses but I found one that was very caption-friendly and decided to use my tax income refund to set up a workshop and take an introductory course. That initial cost was huge but I was really surprised how much I loved it.

2. Have you noticed any links between your artistic creativity and running? 

Hmm, not explicitly. I think there’s more of a connection to all the ocean sport and experience I had in my years in Hawai’i. The ocean, and water, definitely have a huge impact on my creativity. My pieces are generally outside-focused, and I am, as a person generally outside-focused, so there is definitely a link between the kind of work I make and all the time I spend on the trails.

3. Do you think there are any moments when being a runner informs your silversmith work? 

I think most of the time when I’m running I’m pretty focused on that, to be honest. Sometimes on trail runs or on hikes I think about design and come up with ideas that I want to try. I made a couple of pieces for friends who were running the Boston marathon, which was fun. I would say in general I haven’t tried to explicitly tie the two together. The Boston pieces were enjoyable because I love the people I made them for. I love to make one-offs for people, so that is probably how running will connect with my jewelry work, making something particular for a runner.

See more of Laura’s silversmith work on Instagram.

 

Renah Seay – runner, nurse, tie-dye artist and quilter.

1. What inspired you to take up tie-dying and sewing? 

I was inspired by seeing an old friend’s tie-dyed work and wanted to try it myself. Also, I love color and creating. I had been creating art almost my entire life (I went to a performing arts magnet school and preferred visual arts) but realized that I had stopped – and was missing it. Doing tie-dye and learning to sew was an easy way at home to be creative once more. With the tie dye and sewing I wanted to check out the fiber arts and learning to sew was my way to making quilts. Quilts can be so creative. 

2. Do you feel your artistic creativity has informed your running in any way?

I think once Prefontaine had a quote about races being a work of art, and the idea that running can be a creative expression. Possibly being creative makes it easy to just be out running for hours. 

“Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run.” Prefontaine.

3. Or, does running influence your sewing and quilting practice?

I think it’s both. I have some very interesting ideas while running. Thinking about things I want to try. It gets you out of the chaos and into your body and mind. 

4. Do you see any similarities in the two forms of expression?

Dance is movement and art and maybe all movement, including running in some way can be a form of art. I think being a runner, especially a distance runner, changes the way you see and approach the world around you. Running informs my creativity and learning to quilt has opened up my brain to new ways of thinking, which has positively helped me with motivation to run on days when I feel anxious and it feels hard to get outside.

You can see more of Renah’s tie-dye creations on Instagram.

 

Treena Becker – runner, economist, artist.

1. When did you start painting and what inspired you to pick it up in the first place?

I started painting after college and before grad school. It was summer and as usual, hot and humid in the City. My neighbor, an artist, tried to keep the children in the apartment building entertained. He rounded up the kids and I was the only grown up who joined them. He introduced us to watercolor painting and gave us ice cream, chocolate chip cookies and milk. My neighbor, the artist, declared that I had natural talent and hinted that I should attend art school. Instead, I went back to grad school to study economics. How sensible! Imagine, I could’ve caught the subway uptown to the MET to sketch the French Impressionists instead of learning about Friedman versus Keynes, and how to do econometrics.

I started out as a self-taught artist without any formal training. But I read art books about technique and art history books, and spent lots of hours in museums not just in NYC but in Paris. I only focused on improving my watercolor techniques. Only in 2022, I started formal training in oil and watercolor.

You could say the promise of ice cream in summer inspired me to pick up painting in the first place, and how painting came easily to me.

2. Do you feel that running informs or adds to your painting practice in any way?

The one thing that running and painting practice have in common is achieving flow. It takes a lot physically and mentally to achieve running flow. It’s worse in painting. Flow is only achieved when I can feel and visualize the shapes, light, shadow texture, and tone of what I’m painting. It takes a long time to catch and achieve flow, if at all. Failing that, the painting is awful.

The mixed media painting of the Himalayan Range below is an example of flow. It’s a memory and an actual photograph from my trip to Nepal. I say that it’s a memory because I could feel the lush green forest, mountains, and clouds. I could paint what I felt, and that is achieving flow. It took a lot of hours though! 

3. And vice-a-versa, does painting contribute to your running at all?

Since I talked about achieving flow in running and painting, I’m going to have to say that both require being disciplined and showing up, ready to train (running) and practice (painting). Fingers crossed, flow happens. 

Find Treena on Instagram to see more of her artwork and running adventures.

Thank you to Laura, Renah, and Treena for taking the time to contribute to this blog post. We hope it will inspire you to think about your forms of human expression in this modern world, or maybe how your own creative practices and sport are connected, or who knows, maybe pick up a new hobby or take a class, or watch some YouTube videos about an art-form you’ve been curious about trying! 

Happy Trails!

Susie.