{"id":76525,"date":"2023-08-16T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=76525"},"modified":"2023-08-16T06:16:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T13:16:00","slug":"an-unsolicited-shot-of-serotonin","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/newsletter\/an-unsolicited-shot-of-serotonin","title":{"rendered":"An unsolicited shot of serotonin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Off the Clock<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Your time-off itinerary for things to do in Long Beach and beyond.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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FOOD<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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MUSIC<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ART<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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INSTAGRAM<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Happy Halfway-Through-the-Week Day,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week began with just another <\/strong>Manic Monday<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was typing about a mile a minute trying write finish this story about Long Beach Vegan Pizza<\/a>‘s future home, among other items on my to-do list. And my colleagues had to watch me frantically zoom from my desk to the Keurig<\/strong> and back again (sorry guys). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly, my blood ran cold when I realized I had yet another task ahead\u2014I had previously offered to help get footage of Long Beach Walls<\/strong>\u2014an annual festival that has artists working from dawn till dusk daily to complete 12 different murals around the city by Saturday (and I thought my deadlines were daunting).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grumbled all the way to my first stop: Long Beach City Hall’s Parking Garage<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when I actually peered up at artist Jason Keam<\/strong> standing on a scissor lift, spray painting his massive illustration across a towering wall, my icy, workaholic heart started to melt (it was also like 80 degrees outside).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah yes, art doing what it’s intended\u2014to give you a little serotonin as a treat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all seriousness, I was in absolute awe of the sheer scope and scale of this undertaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this digital passport,<\/a> I found myself eager to get to the next stop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason’s expressionistic art is all over this city\u2014from a Cambodia Town<\/strong> mural, to flyers for Aquarium of the Pacific<\/strong>‘s wildly popular Nite Dive<\/strong> events. And now you’ve got the rare opportunity to actually see him and 12 other artists as they work to enliven previously drab walls around town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite my profession, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not actually all that observant. Through this experience, I started to wonder how many times I’d thoughtlessly passed one of Long Beach’s many, many murals (no seriously, they just keep popping up everywhere). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, that’s why this week, OTC readers and fellow stress-cadets, I’d like to persuade you to visit some of these works in process\u2014you can find them from Downtown to Zaferia to Alamitos Beach. Here’s your map<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yesterday, I had to find Dina Saadi, the last muralist on my list. On Monday, she had just arrived in town all the way from Dubai to complete her second-ever Long Beach mural. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I approached her inside the Convention Center<\/strong> (the fest’s only indoor mural this year), she confirmed the swirl of emotions the piece was already beginning to evoke in me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“This woman actually came to me in a dream and I tried to recreate her face,” Dina told me, fresh off the scissor lift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think it was a tough time in my life. I was very anxious. I dreamt that she told me, ‘Everything’s gonna be fine’, but I need to slow down and remember that we’re all one with everything around us.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of Dina’s work is centered around mental health. In the mural pictured above, she’s using cool tones and visuals inspired by nature to help the viewer “strike a balance between the urban and natural world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you, Dina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, you can find all of these murals and more of the festival’s offerings here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro tip:<\/strong> The map doesn’t seem to specify where in the Convention Center<\/strong> you can find Dina’s mural. Find her piece inside the downstairs lobby of the Beverly O’Neill Theater.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kat Schuster<\/strong> is the assistant editor for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her at kat@lbpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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