As we move into the colder months, it’s important to nurture your mind, body, and spirit. Seasonal changes can affect our health, and now is the time to embrace community, creativity, and wellness. Our Healing Arts Studio offers a nurturing space to restore energy, connect with others, and find balance. Join us for workshops, movement classes, and gatherings to support your well-being. Register now for our event on 11/30/24 in The Bronx!

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending quality time with my niece Lauren and together we did a fun activity with my 4-year-old son Cuba, along with his cousins, 6-month-old Eva and 1.5-year-old Ethan, by doing some painting. We used washable paint with six colors, nothing too complicated, and allowed the children to explore their creativity. As a mom, it was an opportunity for me to have some adult time with my niece while also bonding with my son and sharing a creative experience with him. We all had a blast holding a paintbrush, mixing colors, and rinsing brushes in the water.

Painting birdhouses is a fun and engaging activity for all ages, even children as young as 1.5 years old. It provides a great opportunity for them to: explore colors and textures, stimulate their imagination, and develop their fine motor skills. But it's not just about the art - painting birdhouses can also have holistic health benefits for both children and adults.

Before you begin... A Blessing For Yourself

Before you begin your practice bless yourself.

Bless all of your past, your mistakes your triumphs, all the decisions you have made to get to this point.

Bless the times that you fell to your knees and the times you rose above yourself.

Bless all of your present.

Bless this moment pregnant with possibility, hope and openness.

Bless yourself for showing up here to practice, to learn, to grow and evolve.

Bless yourself for trying no matter what the circumstances are - you are doing your best.

Bless your courage, your strength.

Bless all of your future. The lands & experiences that lay before you, the relationships that you are yet to have.

Bless all the outcomes of all the choices you make today, knowing that you are being guided and looked after.

Bless all parts of yourself, all the sweetness, all the struggles.

Bless yourself for being you!

Source: The Language of Yin, by Gabrielle Harris

Noble Dre*Ali is a multi-disciplined Visual Artist who has resided in The Bronx since the mid-1980s.

Being inspired by his older brothers’ interest in drawing and comic books as well as being exposed to colorful intricate Graffiti murals in his environment would serve as a foundation for his creativity.

He excelled in his High School (JFK) art programs and went on to Bronx Community College where he received an AA in Graphic Arts. He then attended Lehman College where he earned his BA in Studio Art. With this education, it allowed him to create comfortably in multiple mediums such as screen printing, sculpture, video editing/production, photography, computer animation, painting, drawing, stencils, and collage.

Noble thinks of his works as Spiritual Pop Art. He utilizes popular culture imagery then infuses it with spiritual symbols. His aim is to connect the ancient with the future beautifully.