Here’s the latest project for the Dream Love event coming up on the 11th at the Meeker Street Market. Another nice unfolding process from this one. I got wicked sick in the middle of its creation which it made it an extra bit of a challenge but challenges are always a welcome experience in my book. It was funny how the original style wound up getting resurrected after I thought it was completely shot down during the first round of revisions. It just goes to show that you never really know how things will turn out. Enjoy!

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Because it may never see the light of day anywhere else I thought that I would share. This was a great lesson in communication with clients for me and others involved. It was also a test of my own skills as a designer to try to create something that needs to change a lot very quickly. I don’t think that I’ve ever had to shift styles so fast for a project. Although it was frustrating at the time I think the progression is fun to see. Enjoy!

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I’m excited to announce the first Life Drawing class that I’m offering at Golden Drum. Well … anywhere for that matter. It feels nice to be connecting back to one of the sources of how I really developed a fine love for the human form. I’ve been drawing relatives and friends for as long as I can remember. Everyone is a model to me. Especially people who sleep on the Subway. Fair game I say. Every gesture is a lesson in form and movement. There’s no better teacher for artistic observation than the human form. Nature is always a fantastic source of inspiration but there’s something about the shell of the soul that can speak volumes by the way a smile is rendered or how the reflection on an eye can be captured on a piece of paper that can immediately create a connection. Some of my favorite creative works were birthed while doing 30 second gesture drawings. There’s something so satisfying about being totally engrossed in observing that nothing else matters or can enter into the mind other than being consumed by the desire to capture a form on paper in a matter of moments. I still remember coming out of warp drive when the model moved to the next pose and gazing for a couple seconds at the marks that were left on the page before ripping the sheet to the floor and starting the process all over again. It was such a good lesson in detachment for me. Figure drawing really took me out of the mode of creating small controlled paintings and drawings. I have to admit that I’ve been moving back to that carefully designed format but I’m looking forward to revisiting the practice that broke me out of the mold to begin with. I am looking forward to sharing this practice with others. I hope that it can help others the same way that it has helped me.

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Hi Everyone. I’m catching up on a lot of things tonight and I thought sitting down to share about one of my new projects should definitely one of them. For over a year now I’ve been giving classes in NYC and talking about the art of lucid dreaming. One of the things that I’ve heard from a lot of people is that they enjoyed the workshops but were wondering if there was a way to follow up to make it easier for them to develop a regular practice. Even I’ll admit that there’s a lot of things to learn and process when it comes to delving into the world of dreams. One thing that I came to realize that it really helps to have other people to share the journey with. Even though dreaming is an amazingly personal experience we often are blind to many of the messages that come to us. Its amazing what a little shift in perspective can do to illuminate what our dreams are trying to tell us.

Sharing our dreams can be amazingly healing. One of the greatest benefits of becoming part of a dream meet up group is that you get to put yourself in the shoes of others. You get to see the real fears of people which in many cases are quite similar to your own. A friend talked to me the other day about how he heard 20 people talk about their dreams one day. He was amazed by how similar they all were! When we consider that we all feel the same emotions its really not that crazy of a thought. It seems like we are so separate but we are all working with very similar building blocks that make up our life experience. Once we realize that I believe it makes life a little bit more manageable. Its some what comforting to know that your anger is the same as some one else’. It may even look different when it is expressed in waking life or in a dream. We are all on a journey of learning and I think if we can be there for each other as we go through our own personal transformations then we will all be stronger for it.

I hope to see you at one of the upcoming Shamanic Dream Collective gatherings soon. Our next meet up is on June 22nd at 8pm at Golden Drum 97 Green St Apt G24 Brooklyn, NY. Until then, much love.

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I am excited to announce that my next workshop will be overnight. Since the subject matter is lucid dreaming, it only makes sense that we should be able to sleep during the workshop. Once the idea came to me, I knew this was the natural progression of how the class should be taught. It is great to know that this is finally coming to fruition. The workshop is made for all skill levels. Everyone from the seasoned dream yogi to the person who can’t remember their dreams is welcome. Together we will learn how to use our dreams as tools for personal development. In the morning we will share our experiences with one another as a group. There will also be an organic vegetarian breakfast served that is included in the price of admission. I believe that our dreams and visions are gifts and if we only keep them to ourselves then it is like we are stealing. Together we can share and develop our own lucid dreaming practice.

This poster was an exceptional challenge. My computer is getting repaired and I have been using one that doesn’t have Photoshop. As a result I used some colored paper that I’ve had laying around for a while to create the poster. It was fun to work with my hands a little. Cutting everything out was quite laborious but I’m happy with how it looks. There’s a certain tactile quality that you can try to imitate with computers but it’s just out of reach. The way the shadows fall off the edges of the paper is something that I could never do with an effect. My roommate let me use his computer to add in the type. This has made me very thankful for functioning computers. I will be happy to have mine back soon but I am also thankful for this exercise in patience and using scissors.

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I’m excited to announce the date of the new workshop coming up next week! The first one had a great turn out. I couldn’t have asked for a better response. This time around I’ve thought of some more ways to make things even more interactive. There will be more opportunities to imagine what it might be like in a lucid dream. My hope is that it will not only be a more engaging experience but also one where people can connect with lucid dreaming in a more personal way. There will still be plenty of tips and information to take home so you can get to practicing right away. I’ve also had some experiences recently that continue to reshape my idea of what our dreams our made of that I look forward to sharing. I am working on some new animations that will illustrate certain concepts better than I might be able to describe them with words. I would love to see you there. Below is the poster version without the text. If you have any questions always feel free to email me. matthew.canale@gmail.com Also feel free to check out the updated Dream Yoga page for more information. Sweet dreams!

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Yes. More advertising. Hopefully it’s pleasing to the eye as well. It was a fun project for me. My friend, Liz, was kind enough to pose for the piece. It was my first photo shoot with a model. I enjoyed interacting with her in order to find the right pose. At first I had her in an awkward pose that neither of us were crazy about. She tried some other poses but they didn’t seem to be right. Eventually I asked her to just lay on her back and then put the sheet over her as you might when you first go to sleep. Then she turned and tossed and then the sheet and her body moved accordingly. I think I ended up with a much more natural product. It’s good to imagine what something might be like but when you have an organic process at your disposal you might as well use it.

I’m also attaching the design without the text bellow. Have a good one!

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