minifesto

(a work in progress)
i am necessarily nomadic but also drawn to a strong rooted sense of history and place. i’m interested in the seeming paradox of wanting/needing to be on the move but desiring to be energized by deeply finding out about where you are. i’m a west coast north american – born a washingtonian who now calls herself a san franciscan. in the past 21 years san francisco has been home, i’ve lived four of those abroad (in germany, austria, spain, and thailand), and in addition have traveled for discovery, study, volunteerism, and disaster relief on 6 continents. as much as i thrive in my new homes on the road, i love constantly exploring the unknown (to me) areas of and ways to experience this city.

i am interested in living a creative life, which at its base for me is political. i’m constantly evaluating my balance between consumption and creation. as a collage/mixed media artist, dancer, writer, weaver, and baker/bread-u-cator, i seek to find that point at which witnessing and supporting other artists is just enough to inspire, but not overstimulate me and hinder my own expression. i also seek creative engagement for balance in the solidarity and community work i engage in and help facilitate for others. after working for two decades on a variety of human rights, political solidarity, human services, social justice, AIDS awareness, rebuilding after natural disasters, and bicycle advocacy work, as well as caretaking for the dying, i’ve gained a lot of organizational and other skills that it only seems right to make accessible and useful to others doing good work. in recent years, in my role as a community historian of the san francisco bay area, i have become an educator of history and urban studies in several university settings and regularly host public discussions looking critically at the shaping of our urban environments.

sfurbanwanderer began mostly to showcase the amazing variety of ways to engage in san francisco, as an extension of my ongoing monthly, mostly free, event listings. i started these as a way to invite friends into my busy schedule, in which i try taking it all in. over time it has largely become a chronicle of all the amazing forms of expression coming out of my own community, with some other interesting tidbits thrown in from my own observations and musings. please visit lisaruthcreates.com for a place to connect to and see various examples of my creative work.