Jennifer Jordan

Creativity and Mezcal

I have learned that in Oaxaca, there are many types of Mezcal. Some consider it medicinal. I can now attest it has healing properties.

On day three of the Gozo Writers’ Retreat, I wrote a whole poem in a couple of sittings that we were prompted to write through our sense of hearing. It was a great exercise about aural imagery. I chose to spend some time meditating on the sounds and echoes in el Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

The altar at el Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman
A sign that says el maestro es aqui y se llama or the teacher is here and listens. Someone correct if my translation is crap.
The doorway looking out onto the plaza from inside the iglesia.

The exercise forced me to sit down, write, and engage through my senses. I needed a creative outlet. I haven’t written new poems in months, and the writing also poured out of me without my even thinking about it. I definitely need to carve out some time to force myself to be creative.

Also yesterday, after writing a whole poem in a couple of sittings, the writers and teachers at the Gozo Writers Retreat all journeyed to Espacio Panoplia to learn about the history, cultural context, and process of printmaking. After our lecture, I wasn’t expecting to be handed a piece of linoleum and some carving tools, but that’s exactly what happened.

I basically spent my whole day being creative, whether I was using my senses to observe and create art or using my imagination to design and execute an image.

Printmakers Gabriela Morac, Angel Avila, and Diana Rojas guided us through the process, and they were amazing and supportive. Angel specifically helped me with my perspective, which was not super-accurate at first. I ended up creating a print of a street in Oaxaca. These streets, by the way, are gorgeous. See below:

An intersection turned into a pedestrian walkway.
A sloped street paved with stones and mountains and clouds in the background.
This is very near where Nacho Libre was filmed.
A street with a hotel and restaurant to one side, and in the back mountains and clouds.
Oaxacan streets made of stones and lined with Mexican flags.

Halfway through creating my linocut, or the image you carve into the linoleum that is used like a stamp in the press, I asked myself “Why oh why did I choose such a complicated image?” I started to panic and worry that I would never finish. Then Gabriela walked around and started offering us little cute Dixie cups with shots of Mezcal in them. She said it would help us. And it did! My shoulders loosened, and I stopped stressing out. I finished the linocut, and I am happy with the final product.

This street at night with the red, green, and white hanging lights was the inspiration for my print.
This is the linoleum upon which I carved my image.
This is Gabriela showing me how to apply paint to the linocut.
This is their printing press.
This is Diana showing me how to create the print.
Here I am super happy about my proof.
Here’s the final product and my feet.

When I get back home, I absolutely need to make more time to be creative, not just revise what I have already started. I get stuck in revision and editing mode for too long. On this trip, I had fun learning about my creative process along with taking more risks and sharing my art.

Jennifer Jordan

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