I’ve been feeling some frustration with my writing lately, like the form doesn’t quite fit the flow. I felt this itchiness a year ago, right before my writing overflowed into a new container- the empty shell of a newsletter I had set up years ago. It is so easy to focus on the gap between where I am and where I want to be […]
Read More“You are all so humble,” he said, looking a bit confused. Just then, the Zoom breakout room ended, and I had to swallow what I had been about to blurt out, which was, “No, we’re all women.” In our conversation, where he had shared the pleasure of trying new online projects and seeing which ones found an audience, we had described […]
Read More“What I bring to the table is rich.” Those words are from Detra, the latest subject of a Humans of New York series. Her words keep sticking with me. They reveal a woman who knows her own worth, who isn’t waiting for permission to love how she shows up in the world. This past week, I’ve been trying her words on for size […]
Read MoreI’ve had the curious experience recently of going outside with a question, and getting an answer. Yesterday, I was sitting by a river, feeling creatively stuck and wondering what would help get me unblocked. Bam! Three separate flocks of honking geese flew over me, one after the other. Oh, I needed community, people to create […]
Read MoreLast winter it felt like my creativity was buried deep. A seed, I hoped, not a corpse. All my energy was going towards surviving, staying afloat, and there was nothing to spare to make anything new. My energy had to be used to keep what was already there alive. Last spring brought the itchiness that comes when creative energy is building […]
Read MoreGoodness, the smell of tomatoes on the vine just gets me. I have a few tomato plants—grape and cherry—and when I get up close enough to pick my miniature harvest, that distinctive tomato-y smell wraps me up and takes me somewhere. I don’t know where exactly; I never had tomato plants growing up so I don’t think it’s a sense […]
Read MoreI felt like I was in a David Hockney painting this week. My son and I spent a morning in the outdoor pool in our local park, and somehow we were the only ones there (besides the three lifeguards looking out for us). The turquoise water in the pool was still, except around my splish splashing toddler in lemon swim trunks and his […]
Read MoreI was tidying up a bouquet in my kitchen yesterday, salvaging the blooms that were still holding on. When I went to clean up the counter, I did a literal double take. The vegetal detritus I had been about to wipe away was an explosion of colors and textures, curly greenery and wrinkly poppy petals. It was so joyful. It made me […]
Read MoreIn this third Creativity Round Up, I gather together a handful of inspiring examples of creativity and reflections on the creative process, in museums and beyond.
Read MoreThe Metropolitan Museum of Art wants visitors to work on their museum fitness. The Museum Workout is a 45-minute workout session covering two miles of the The Met before it opens in the morning. Two dancers, dressed in sequined dresses and tennis shoes, lead participants through group exercises and stretches, including yoga in the sunny [...]
Read MoreI was really into masks last year. After I learned how to make papier-mâché masks for Halloween, I started to see masks in every museum I visited. The obvious reaction? Copy them in papier-mâché! My first museum-inspired mask was based on the deliciously grotesque horror masks of French 19th century artist Jean-Joseph Carriès. The project really helped me take in [...]
Read MoreDid you know creativity is a modern concept? It made its first appearance as an English noun in 1875! This second Creativity Round Up gathers together a handful of inspiring examples of creativity and reflections on the creative process, in museums and beyond [...]
Read MoreI've been really excited lately by creativity in museums and the creative process in general. In this first Creativity Round Up, I thought I'd try something new, and gather together some links found across the internet. I present to you a handful of inspiring examples of creativity and reflections on the creative [...]
Read MoreThis month’s creativity theme is… LOVE! Throughout the month of July (in preparation for a certain upcoming wedding), Garlands in Paris will be looking at art and museums through the lens of amour. I am very excited for this theme, and have some fun surprises in store for the month. Feel free to join me! Share your creative [...]
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This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer.
IMAGINIBUS is a blog about playing in museums, with a focus on imagination and creativity.
This blog is a place to be inspired to use your imagination around artworks—and to see the art of your daily life.
When we engage creatively with art, museums can become playgrounds and laboratories to experiment with attention, mindfulness, and imagination. Interesting things happen when we use that museum gaze to look at our daily lives like a work of art.
Find more inspiration for playing with new ways of paying attention to your daily life here.
Hello! I'm Marina Gross-Hoy, a writer, Museum Studies PhD candidate, and mother currently living in Quebec. I take playing in museums very seriously.
Read more about the blog here.
Check out my newsletter on Substack to be inspired to see the art in your daily life.
