When was the last time you were paying attention to the world around you?  Sure, you see your surroundings, but are you taking part in the events and the lives that surround you?

On Monday, multi-talented artist Kimi Eisele shared her extraordinary stories of community outreaches in Tucson, Arizona with the Oswego State Living Writing Series class. Her impact on us, however, did not end with her presentation.  She is an inspiration for artists everywhere to share their crafts, and in this way make a difference in the community.  She urges us to stand up and begin to make a change.

“Begin anywhere.” This is advice that Eisele gives us.  Getting started is very important. While working on her master’s degree in geography, Eisele pushed the boundaries in the field by developing a creative geographic journal titled “You Are Here” for the University of Arizona. Students have continued this journal for 14 years now.

Eisele identifies herself as a writer, among many other things, and has been published in many professional journals including the Pacific News Service and Orion Magazine.  Her recently completed novel “The Lightest Object In The World” will give us an optimistic view at a post-apocalyptic world.

When it comes to conveying feelings, Eisele is dedicated to inspiring others to release their emotions through various arts.  She is a writer, dancer, choreographer, director, design artist, and teacher.  Being a talented multi-disciplinary artist, she is willing to expand her horizons for the nature of the projects and the people involved.  She is currently touching upon film-making. You may ask yourself “how could I use my skills to connect to the world?” During the lecture, Eisiele gave us four steps that she feels are helpful with not only in writing and art expression, but in every day life as well.

1)    Show up.

2)    Pay attention.

3)    Tell the truth.

4)    Be open to outcome.

Not all of these steps can be taken literally, she explained.  You have to be in the mindset of finding your world beliefs and being open to share them to make a positive impact on the lives of others.  Eisele has consistently made it a point to collaborate with other artists in the Tucson area on many projects. One of these projects was “Action Down There,” consisting of a group of female writers and artists who create and perform literary presentations for the public to bring awareness to injustice in the Tucson area.  These projects stand as symbols that travel well beyond Tucson and show that artists can make a difference around the world.

Kimi Eisele also makes a difference by holding workshops. She teaches them that the arts are a healthy and effective way of expressing yourself. Encouraging others to find their passion and make a difference in their community and culture is an inspiring message that we should all apply to our lives.  As you continue with your day, think about being open to outcomes and becoming involved with your surrounding world. These are virtues that Kimi Eisele has shared with all of us.

To learn more about Kimi Eisele, check out kimieisele.com.