Welcoming in the New Year

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family, friends and loved ones. This year I stayed in Silicon Valley to finalize the move to the new space and also get some of my latest ink drawings up online. Some quiet time is always helpful to rejuvenate the spirits for the new round of coming adventures.

Our site continues to develop, one small step at a time. 2003 will be a wonderful year for growth of the site and in extending our Urban Peacock Community to the far corners of the world. Already we are being visited by folks extensively throughout Europe and much of Asia. People seem to be finding the site and joining our group of creative and thoughtful folks. It's wonderful to hear from folks from unexpected regions of our world. The warmth of the emails just helps to confirm that this is something worth pursuing. New friendships and being able to see from different perspectives about life, well, it's just such a great thing to be exposed to along our time here.

I also want to extend my thanks to all of you for helping to make this a great group, where international friendships are helping each other to redefine the nature of creative collaborations. We are just budding at the moment, we haven't even started with the long term dreams, but there is no rush here. We are all about enjoying life while drawing out our creativity, no matter which industry we may happen to spring forth from. The common factor that unites folks who visit our site is a love for sharing and a passion for life. I want to wish you all a really fantastic 2003 and may all your dreams and creative adventures blossom with radiance :)

MOVING TO A NEW SPACE

Things have been rather busy over the past few months at Urban Peacock. The studio moved into a new space in September 2002 and just one day after the move, I got a wonderful design project that kept me busy for the next few weeks. I unpacked the computer and designed in the midst of an island of towering cardboard boxes filled with books, peacock stories, portfolios, zip discs, you name it, if it had anything to do with creativity, it was somewhere to be found in these boxes. A few items unpacked in the kitchen, to allow for sustenance, though I have to admit, I did end up ordering a bit of take out from my favorite Indian restaurant during the deadline driven days of this project :) The stomach must be happy in order for the creativity to flourish :))

The move wouldn't have been possible, had it not been for the enthusiasm of some dear friends who came out from Berkeley, San Mateo and neighboring regions to help over the long weekend. I owe them a home cooked, Indianesque meal worthy of their efforts. Now that the place is fully settled into, I will start cooking up a storm to thank them :)

UPCOMING ADVENUTURES

This year, I will be focusing on the design part of my life. The foundation for Urban Peacock's community has been set, and it will continue onward, small steps here and there as we journey forth. This a long term trek, so visit when you can and know that you are always welcome. We have a lot of cool ideas that we'll be bringing to the site later in the year, so do check in from time to time :)

THE ACTING DEBUT

I never really thought about acting as a possible venue for my creativity, however, it seems that with the unfolding of the new year, it just felt right to take a leap into something totally unexpected. I auditioned in December, and got the role of Laxmi, a south asian character in Summi Kaipa's premiere play 'Triptych: Stories of Desi Women' . I'm thrilled to be part of this warm hearted team of talent and am busy learning the 3 pages of monologue required for my character. A new challenge and an experience to grow from. It is directed by another talented individual, Vivian Giourousis. Stars include: Sapna Gandhi, Mona Shah, Gopi Shastri, Amit Chadha and Kavita Bali :)

The show will be performed on Friday & Saturday (Jan. 24, 25th) in San Francisco at the Noh Space (2840 Mariposa Street, inside the Project Artaud building). Doors open at 7:30pm, the Play begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are $5 - 10 on a sliding scale. For more information/ to make reservations, please call: 415.864.6740. Come early as there will be a pre-show gallery of Asian American comic book arts with works by Thien Pham, Lark Pien and Jason Shiga.

ART FOR SALE & DESIGN STRATEGY

If you come across any art in the Peacock Gallery you would like to purchase from this site, please let me know. Or, if you simply found a piece that really resonated with you, and you'd like to share your comments/ insights. I'd love to hear from you. Right now I'm developing the User Interface design utilizing my own art work, a manageable amount of content to begin the architecture with. Hopefully, later in 2003 or early 2004, the navigational infrastructure shall be in place to allow for us to expand to our dream of a true virtual united nations. As mentioned earlier, it's a process that has it's own ebbs and flows based on real life concerns and goings on.

On Monday night, January 13th, Kavita will also be showcasing some of her artwork at the Red Devil Lounge, as part of the 'Viv and a Movie' venue. Pieces will be available for sale, so come on out and check it out. Here cutting edge music, art, film, creative minds and beer come together for an eclectic mix, the new pulse of SF in the making! Cover charge $5.00 Buy tickets. More Details (outside link)

WHY NOT A NON-PROFIT & BUSINESS STRATEGY

We decided early on to be a .com and not a non-profit organization. The rationale was simple. We didn't want to have to focus on fund raising or have to draw people in just to earn money to sustain our existence. So, we opted for a simple set up, one which can allow for the lowest overhead, a true grassroots styled approach, but one with long term strategies in the mix. We aren't looking to compete with anybody, we aren't about catching the latest, coolest wave of the most recent trends.

We're simply a place for people to come to and feel comfortable about sharing and celebrating their humanity through creativity, and in the process making new friends to discuss life and the everyday. We aren't political activists in nature, we are however, concerned about the natural world around us, environmental preservation, education and world issues as they affect us, the regular folks who are just trying to live life and have a sense of connectedness with others.

We believe that communities rise out of common interests as opposed to external factors. I guess in my eyes, it's just a matter of being true to yourself. Not following a group or trend to feel connected. But developing true friendships, honest and open communications and a simple dose of unconditional kindness. Such simplicity, in the long term, can aid us in establishing strong, caring, self-motivated, and true individuals, families, communities and hopefully nations who can see through to the spirit of the people that constitute our world.

Well, this has become a rather long happy new year, so I'll sign off and continue with more thoughts and reflections throughout the coming year. Wishing you all much joy and creativity in 2003 :)

Kavita, Editor-in-Chief, January 4, 2003 (kavita@urbanpeacock.com)

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Since 2000, when we started our online presence, the nature of our content has evolved in some wonderful ways. We are now in the process of updating our User Interface Design system to account for the growth and also to add more resources that would be of interest to our Peacock Community. The new design shall continue to evolve throughout 2003.

Since the community aspect of this site is a pet project, time is often the deciding factor in how often we are able to update our content. Sometimes we update the site everyday, other times it may be a week in-between, so check back often to catch the latest. We have creative and thoughtful individuals from across the globe that visit us regularly. In our own small way we are building our dream of a virtual United Nations, defining ourselves through the universal nature of creativity.

If you have an event that you feel should be included and is not, please email us (kavita@urbanpeacock.com) or just drop us a line to let us know what you think of the site and any suggestions. We welcome your insights in building this Peacock community. Thanks for visiting. We hope you've enjoyed your visit.