When you’re jumping between meetings and appointments and shunting life admin to the sidelines so you can try to see family and friends, the prospect of cultivating a rich inner life can seem more remote than taking that trek in the Himalayas. 

Yet, experts from spiritual gurus to researchers at Harvard University extol the virtues of mindfulness. Along with meditation, the benefits of mindfulness include improving cognition, increasing body satisfaction, improving focus and resilience to distractions, reducing anxiety, preventing and treating depression, and event reducing age and race biases.  

And, it can take as little as a few minutes a day to cultivate positive habits. For an extra nudge along the path to enlightenment and some peace, join us for these soul-salving Vivid Ideas events that examine different meanings of belonging, ways of being and reasons to carve out time for your inner life. 

VIVID ART AFTER HOURS
Wednesday 29 May, 5 June, 12 June

Head to Vivid Art After Hours at the Art Gallery of NSW each Wednesday evening during Vivid Sydney for free talks, live music, art experiences and mindfulness sessions. Discover diverse meanings of belonging as we explore an inner life, concepts of spirituality, cultural identity, and social diversity. 

SPIRITUALITY AND INNER LIFE
Wednesday 29 May

Comedian and author Meshel Laurie confesses to being a bad Buddhist. She works in media, creates podcasts, writes books and parents twins, so she knows modern life is a mad juggle. Talking with Benjamin Law, she acknowledges the speed bumps she’s hit on the path to enlightenment. 
After Meshel’s talk, be ready to shuffle and jive to Do the Spike Thing when Andrew Bukenya and his band reinterpret the soundtracks of Spike Lee’s ‘joints’.  On the night there will also be art and mindfulness workshops to help still your thoughts.

'OTHER' VOICES
Wednesday 5 June

Rapper, poet and author Omar Musa and artist Abdul Abdullah speak out about how self-expression, creativity and story-telling have given each a powerful ‘voice’ for exploring issues of identity and culture in modern Australia. They will be chatting with Indigenous journalist Brooke Boney – a trail balzer herself.
After the talk Omar performs a selection of his blisteringly eloquent poems and there is a portrait workshop inspired by the work of Abdul Abdullah. Then, OKENYO will blow you away with her electronic soul and powerful voice.

YOU CAN'T ASK THAT
Wednesday 12 June

Let’s celebrate diversity. Join stars and producers Kirk Docker and Aaron Smith from the ABC TV’s hit show You Can’t Ask That and hear from some of the show’s participants about creating connections and what it feels like to be asked difficult questions. You will hear backstage stories and some of the outcomes from the show. There will also be floor talks from a number of artists from The National discussing how they address difficult topics in their artwork.

After the talk, step back and imagine the future. When Buzz Aldrin played a cassette during the lunar landing on 20 July 1969, Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon hung in the oxygen-free air. If that was the first song played on the moon, what else was on that Apollo 11 cassette? In An Astronaut’s Playlist, the awarded Jonathan Zwartz Lunar Module re-imagines the atmospheric music of Debussy, Bowie, Kraftwerk and AIR, The Killers.

MARK COLVIN CONVERSATION: NET WORTH
Wednesday 29 May

We live in an age of digital distraction. Is it time to consider the price we pay for this ever-connected life? Pulitzer Prize winner, art critic and author of the Quarterly Essay 72: Net Loss Sebastian Smee leads an esteemed panel to explore the value of an ‘inner life’ in the internet age. 

Sebastian is joined by psychologist Jocelyn Brewer who tallies information overload against increasing levels of loneliness and chronic sleep debt. She outlines her case for ‘digital nutrition’, advocating for more conscious online consumption. Musician and author Holly Throsby also shares some of the poetic insights that make her music so memorable and her novels so compelling. If we’re lucky, she’ll also grace us with a song or two.

CREATIVITY + REWRITING YOUR BRAIN FOR CREATIVITY
Tuesday 11 June

One of the upshots of mindfulness is enhanced creativity. Get in the zone with this experiential workshop of discovery and exploration. Learn techniques that will tickle and tease your imagination. Ignite your inner innovator and leave inspired to share your insights.

Don't worry if you don't consider yourself creative. Your creative self is your best self and it’s time to get reacquainted. Grounded in neuroscience, based on over 50 years of study and reflective of our culture, this Creativity+ workshop focuses on skills you can apply to improve your life.