As the guitar wailed like electric wolves in the night, we made our way towards the stage and into the pit. We were small and out numbered, so we chose to stay on the fringes; something we’d do for the next several years of our lives as we entered deeper and deeper into the underworld of drug abuse and crime.

Standing on the edge of the pit with the slews of onlookers, Santos noticed a guy with a Mexico soccer jersey on, and they struck up a convo: “chingalo buey!,” “no mames, buey,” “Oye! Que estas fumando…” They’d struck a common chord, much like Billy Corrigan and the other band members that broken into, “Who want’s candy? Long as there’s some money…” And so the deal went down.

Next thing I knew, we were dashing through the crowd, bumping people over as we made our way to were my brother and his friends were. Santos had his hand cupped, but I knew by his wide-eyed gestures that we had just capped some weed and were headed to get our first taste. Although we had lied about it to other people a 100 times, we were actually about to enter into a new class of cool…In our minds. We were about to be initiated into the drug sub-culture of the hippies in the 60’s, the disco fever attics of the 70’s, the hip-hop underground of the 80’s and now the “too cool” grunge kids of the 90’s.

We finally caught up to that same friend of my brother’s, only this time we were garnishing a hand full of REAL weed. As we asked him to roll a joint for us, he just started again: “Dude, don’t waist my time with your little kid bullshit weed, man.” We assured him, showing him what we possessed and there was automatic respect: “Dude, let me see that…man, where’d you get this from? Bro, you think you can get me some…”

Funny enough, we were initiated into the world of crime before we entered into the world of drugs because we ended up selling him half for roughly a little more than what we paid for it. The trend of selling drugs to feed our addiction would be a common practice in years to come. Anyway, he rolled it up for us and we went and sat far from the crowd, on a hill with all the other shady characters below some giant Banyan trees.

We lit it up. And as the smoke seeped from our noses, we would cough and laugh, and pass the joint. I just remember lying down in the grass with my hands tucked behind my head…looking up at the stars…listening to Smashing Pumpkins playing a melody: “Today is, today is, the greatest…day I’ve ever known…” Some how in my mind I felt the same, lost in the illusion of euphoria. I’d caught my first glimpse of a drug induced escape and it was love at first sight…

Ernesto Here — Read all the Addiction Testimonials from our categories section:
http://recoveryarts.com/category/addiction-testimonials/

Julia started as a project that was to be a remake of John Cassavetes’ 1980 hit film, Gloria. For those unfamiliar with the name Cassavetes, John is a famous director and father to Nick Cassavetes, who is also a director and best known for the Notebook. In 2007, French writer/director Erick Zonca decided to take on the project and casted Tilda Swinton for the lead role as Julia.

In Julia, Tilda Swinton plays a raging alcoholic who has taken a boy ransom. Remarkably believable, Tilda Swinton personifies Julia, and her addiction as an alcoholic—passing out in random places and waking up beside strange people throughout Julia. However, even though Swinton gives such a remarkably believable performance as an alcoholic, it’s amazing to think that she really doesn’t drink at all.

Swinton recently admitted in an interview, “I can’t drink. I just go to sleep, or I throw up.” She did say, however, about getting into the role: “I thought about how…it is to be that self-destructive…It felt real to me.”

In addition to rave reviews, Julia has also won or been nominated for the following prizes:

Evening Standard British Film Awards 2009
Won: Best Actress – Tilda Swinton

Berlin International Film Festival 2008
Nomination: Erick Zonca (Director)

London Critics Circle Film Awards 2009
Nomination: Actress of the Year – Tilda Swinton

César Awards, France 2009
Nomination: Best Actress – Tilda Swinton

Blank Canvas (Creating A New Life) is an inspirational documentary film that follows six women who use the medium of art to push through their struggles with substance abuse and recovery. According to the official website at www.blankcanvasmovie.com, the film promises a “transformational journey,” but one that is, “both tragic and triumphant.”

The six artists in recovery featured in Blank Canvas (Creating A New Life) come closer to understanding their sensitive characteristics, which pushed them into addiction, but also embrace the same emotional spirit to understand themselves as artists and work towards their recovery. According to the official synopsis, “We discover an inspirational community of artistic support that grows around six women.” It also hints that “not everyone survives.”

Blank Canvas (Creating A New Life) received acclaim at the Women’s Film Festival (San Francisco) when its director, Ashley Phelps, who is also in recovery, received the award of “Best Emerging Film Maker” for the documentary film. In the most courageous manner, Phelps not only decided to make this provocative film but also appears in it as one of the six artists in recovery whose interviews and artwork are featured.

We were lucky enough, recently, to have Ashley Phelps share her thoughts on Blank Canvas with us:           
“I hoped to make a film that talked about addiction and recovery from a more personal angle, in order to counter the stigma associated with substance abuse. By relating the struggle to the human condition in a more general way, and talking about recovery through artistic creation, I hope to demystify the process and encourage those who are seeking help.”

Folk singer and songwriter, Mary Gauthier, admittedly struggled with addiction for years, and in a recent interview with canoe.ca, said thanks to her recovery process, she was able to pursue her real love in life, “Folk Music.” Mary Gauthier was born an orphan in New Orleans, went through adoption homes, and by 15 had spent most of her time between rehab centers, friend’s homes and brief stays in jail, including the night of her 18th birthday.

Still, she some how managed to make it out of the negative environment and move to Boston, where she studied at a cooking school and eventually opened her own successful Cajun restaurant. Unfortunately, her addiction had also followed her and was choking her dream of music over the entire 11 years she was in Boston.

However, Mary Gauthier was able to begin her recovery from her addiction and finally begin to seriously pursue her art. Gauthier said the canoe.ca interview that although some people think drugs aid in the artistic process, for her it was only after she was able to “get my head on straight first” that she was able to shine.

Since, she has recorded several albums including her 1997 debut album, Dixie Kitchen, inspired by those many hard years she left behind. Her latest album, Between Daylight and Dark explores the concept of home and is about being homesick. Mary Gauthier’s accomplishments as a musician have awarded her the praise of critics who compare her to Bob Dylan. Aside from playing music, Gauthier’s style of storytelling through her folk lyrics have led her to the literary venture of publishing short-fiction stories in an anthology called Amplified, which comes out in May.

From April to May of 2009, the All Addiction Film Festival will be taking place every Tuesday at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles. The series is organized by WIT, or Writers in Treatment, a non-profit dedicated to helping writers with addictions get help. To obtain membership, WIT requires that applicants write a 750 word essay about the nature and consequences of their addiction. They must be older than18 and derive at least 25% of their income from writing. Once accepted, they must commit to residential treatment and agree to attend fellowship recovery, 12 steps programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

WIT has dubbed this years line up, the Reel Recovery Film Series, which features eight gripping selections, all having to do with addiction, includinig: Permanent Midnight (Ben Stiller plays a writer addicted to heroin); Leaving Las Vegas (Nicholas Cage plays an alcoholic writer and Elisabeth Shue a prostitute) Sid and Nancy (Biopic featuring Gary Oldman as rock star, heroin addict Sid Vicious); Less Than Zero (Robert Downey Junior plays a drug addict); Barfly (Mickey Rourke plays an alcoholic poet).

As part of this year’s “Reel Recovery Film Series,” WIT will has invited several of the featured film’s actors, writers and directors to speak before attendees. WIT co-founder Leonard Lee Buschel had this to say about the festival. “This series isn’t just for addicts or alcoholics. It’s for anyone who has ever been impacted or just wants to learn more about the disease and its treatment in a less traditional and entertaining environment.”

I recently came across the movie Blank Canvas, which is an inspirational movie that follows six artists as they use art to push through their strife with addiction and move towards recovery. On the official website, blank canvas movie.com, the film pledges a “transformational journey,” but one that is, “both tragic and triumphant.”

The recovering artists featured in the Blank Canvas movie come closer to accepting their emotions, which pushed them into addiction, but also allowed them to understand themselves as artists and labor towards their recovery. The official Blank Canvas movie synopsis notes, “We discover an inspirational community of artistic support that grows around six women.” It also hints that “not everyone survives.”

For more information on the Blank Canvas movie, as well as reviews and synopsis on other recovery movie reviews, please check back often to the Recovery Arts Blog. Be sure to check out the Blank Canvas movie when you get a chance.

As the guitar wailed like electric wolves in the night, we made our way towards the stage and into the pit. We were small and out numbered, so we chose to stay on the fringes; something we’d do for the next several years of our lives as we entered deeper and deeper into the underworld of drug abuse and crime.

Standing on the edge of the pit with the slews of onlookers, Santos noticed a guy with a Mexico soccer jersey on, and they struck up a convo: “chingalo buey!,” “no mames, buey,” “Oye! Que estas fumando…” They’d struck a common chord, much like Billy Corrigan and the other band members that broken into, “Who want’s candy? Long as there’s some money…” And so the deal went down.

Next thing I knew, we were dashing through the crowd, bumping people over as we made our way to were my brother and his friends were. Santos had his hand cupped, but I knew by his wide-eyed gestures that we had just capped some weed and were headed to get our first taste. Although we had lied about it to other people a 100 times, we were actually about to enter into a new class of cool…In our minds. We were about to be initiated into the drug sub-culture of the hippies in the 60’s, the disco fever attics of the 70’s, the hip-hop underground of the 80’s and now the “too cool” grunge kids of the 90’s.

We finally caught up to that same friend of my brother’s, only this time we were garnishing a hand full of REAL weed. As we asked him to roll a joint for us, he just started again: “Dude, don’t waist my time with your little kid bullshit weed, man.” We assured him, showing him what we possessed and there was automatic respect: “Dude, let me see that…man, where’d you get this from? Bro, you think you can get me some…”

Funny enough, we were initiated into the world of crime before we entered into the world of drugs because we ended up selling him half for roughly a little more than what we paid for it. The trend of selling drugs to feed our addiction would be a common practice in years to come. Anyway, he rolled it up for us and we went and sat far from the crowd, on a hill with all the other shady characters below some giant Banyan trees.

We lit it up. And as the smoke seeped from our noses, we would cough and laugh, and pass the joint. I just remember lying down in the grass with my hands tucked behind my head…looking up at the stars…listening to Smashing Pumpkins playing a melody: “Today is, today is, the greatest…day I’ve ever known…” Some how in my mind I felt the same, lost in the illusion of euphoria. I’d caught my first glimpse of a drug induced escape and it was love at first sight…

Ernesto Here — Read all the Addiction Testimonials from our categories section:
http://recoveryarts.com/category/addiction-testimonials/

Julia started as a project that was to be a remake of John Cassavetes’ 1980 hit film, Gloria. For those unfamiliar with the name Cassavetes, John is a famous director and father to Nick Cassavetes, who is also a director and best known for the Notebook. In 2007, French writer/director Erick Zonca decided to take on the project and casted Tilda Swinton for the lead role as Julia.

In Julia, Tilda Swinton plays a raging alcoholic who has taken a boy ransom. Remarkably believable, Tilda Swinton personifies Julia, and her addiction as an alcoholic—passing out in random places and waking up beside strange people throughout Julia. However, even though Swinton gives such a remarkably believable performance as an alcoholic, it’s amazing to think that she really doesn’t drink at all.

Swinton recently admitted in an interview, “I can’t drink. I just go to sleep, or I throw up.” She did say, however, about getting into the role: “I thought about how…it is to be that self-destructive…It felt real to me.”

In addition to rave reviews, Julia has also won or been nominated for the following prizes:

Evening Standard British Film Awards 2009
Won: Best Actress – Tilda Swinton

Berlin International Film Festival 2008
Nomination: Erick Zonca (Director)

London Critics Circle Film Awards 2009
Nomination: Actress of the Year – Tilda Swinton

César Awards, France 2009
Nomination: Best Actress – Tilda Swinton

Blank Canvas (Creating A New Life) is an inspirational documentary film that follows six women who use the medium of art to push through their struggles with substance abuse and recovery. According to the official website at www.blankcanvasmovie.com, the film promises a “transformational journey,” but one that is, “both tragic and triumphant.”

The six artists in recovery featured in Blank Canvas (Creating A New Life) come closer to understanding their sensitive characteristics, which pushed them into addiction, but also embrace the same emotional spirit to understand themselves as artists and work towards their recovery. According to the official synopsis, “We discover an inspirational community of artistic support that grows around six women.” It also hints that “not everyone survives.”

Blank Canvas (Creating A New Life) received acclaim at the Women’s Film Festival (San Francisco) when its director, Ashley Phelps, who is also in recovery, received the award of “Best Emerging Film Maker” for the documentary film. In the most courageous manner, Phelps not only decided to make this provocative film but also appears in it as one of the six artists in recovery whose interviews and artwork are featured.

We were lucky enough, recently, to have Ashley Phelps share her thoughts on Blank Canvas with us:           
“I hoped to make a film that talked about addiction and recovery from a more personal angle, in order to counter the stigma associated with substance abuse. By relating the struggle to the human condition in a more general way, and talking about recovery through artistic creation, I hope to demystify the process and encourage those who are seeking help.”

Folk singer and songwriter, Mary Gauthier, admittedly struggled with addiction for years, and in a recent interview with canoe.ca, said thanks to her recovery process, she was able to pursue her real love in life, “Folk Music.” Mary Gauthier was born an orphan in New Orleans, went through adoption homes, and by 15 had spent most of her time between rehab centers, friend’s homes and brief stays in jail, including the night of her 18th birthday.

Still, she some how managed to make it out of the negative environment and move to Boston, where she studied at a cooking school and eventually opened her own successful Cajun restaurant. Unfortunately, her addiction had also followed her and was choking her dream of music over the entire 11 years she was in Boston.

However, Mary Gauthier was able to begin her recovery from her addiction and finally begin to seriously pursue her art. Gauthier said the canoe.ca interview that although some people think drugs aid in the artistic process, for her it was only after she was able to “get my head on straight first” that she was able to shine.

Since, she has recorded several albums including her 1997 debut album, Dixie Kitchen, inspired by those many hard years she left behind. Her latest album, Between Daylight and Dark explores the concept of home and is about being homesick. Mary Gauthier’s accomplishments as a musician have awarded her the praise of critics who compare her to Bob Dylan. Aside from playing music, Gauthier’s style of storytelling through her folk lyrics have led her to the literary venture of publishing short-fiction stories in an anthology called Amplified, which comes out in May.

From April to May of 2009, the All Addiction Film Festival will be taking place every Tuesday at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles. The series is organized by WIT, or Writers in Treatment, a non-profit dedicated to helping writers with addictions get help. To obtain membership, WIT requires that applicants write a 750 word essay about the nature and consequences of their addiction. They must be older than18 and derive at least 25% of their income from writing. Once accepted, they must commit to residential treatment and agree to attend fellowship recovery, 12 steps programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

WIT has dubbed this years line up, the Reel Recovery Film Series, which features eight gripping selections, all having to do with addiction, includinig: Permanent Midnight (Ben Stiller plays a writer addicted to heroin); Leaving Las Vegas (Nicholas Cage plays an alcoholic writer and Elisabeth Shue a prostitute) Sid and Nancy (Biopic featuring Gary Oldman as rock star, heroin addict Sid Vicious); Less Than Zero (Robert Downey Junior plays a drug addict); Barfly (Mickey Rourke plays an alcoholic poet).

As part of this year’s “Reel Recovery Film Series,” WIT will has invited several of the featured film’s actors, writers and directors to speak before attendees. WIT co-founder Leonard Lee Buschel had this to say about the festival. “This series isn’t just for addicts or alcoholics. It’s for anyone who has ever been impacted or just wants to learn more about the disease and its treatment in a less traditional and entertaining environment.”

I recently came across the movie Blank Canvas, which is an inspirational movie that follows six artists as they use art to push through their strife with addiction and move towards recovery. On the official website, blank canvas movie.com, the film pledges a “transformational journey,” but one that is, “both tragic and triumphant.”

The recovering artists featured in the Blank Canvas movie come closer to accepting their emotions, which pushed them into addiction, but also allowed them to understand themselves as artists and labor towards their recovery. The official Blank Canvas movie synopsis notes, “We discover an inspirational community of artistic support that grows around six women.” It also hints that “not everyone survives.”

For more information on the Blank Canvas movie, as well as reviews and synopsis on other recovery movie reviews, please check back often to the Recovery Arts Blog. Be sure to check out the Blank Canvas movie when you get a chance.