There’s no denying that right now the cannabis industry is on fire! Research shows that marijuana has many medical benefits like aiding chronic pain, anxiety, stress which has likely contributed to its legality in many parts of the USA. Aside from those helpful uses, weed connoisseurs are turning to the product for many more reasons nowadays.
Take celebrities for example, Sarah Silverman uses cannabis recreationally, Lady Gaga lights up to ease anxiety, and Whoopi Goldberg and Snoop Dogg launched their own marijuana businesses to contribute to the booming industry. We even see cannabis creeping into the retail experience – Dosist just opened a brick and mortar shop in California.
These innovators, and many others like them, may also leverage smoking as a tactic to unlock their full creative potential. Art Zealous sat down with four highly creative professionals in our community to explore that very idea, that cannabis does indeed fuel the creative mind.
Lizi Trautman, Creator of Future is Flower
Art Zealous: Hometown?
Lizi Trautman: My roots are in Davis, CA — a sweet little “hippie” college town about an hour north of San Francisco. It was a lovely place to grow up and still to this day if you visit, you’ll find more than one tie-dye vendor. Thank god Tie-Dye is officially back “on trend” according to Harpers Bazaar.
AZ: Favorite strain?
LT: Well this is hard as there really are different strains for different feelings, and it can even change if I’m on my period or if I’m working out. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “the nose knows” this is very true for me, in fact, I always recommend people smell any flower before smoking it. If the smell resonates with me, then I know my body’s endocannabinoid system is going to agree with that flower – if it doesn’t, then it’s likely that strain is not for me or at least not at that time.
If I had to narrow it down, Kryptonite is my all time favorite Indica for winding down and Tangie comes in handy just about anytime. Kyrptonite’s effects are relaxed, clear, happy and hungry. It’s great for the evenings when I need to unwind, eat dinner, and prepare for sleep. Tangie’s effects are happy, uplifting, euphoric, energetic, and creative. There’s really never a time that I’m not interested in lighting up with this strain. My creative flow can come on at any time of day, and because (for me) tangie has no anxiety effects, I know that if I smoke this, I will only channel my inner voice into something positive, rather than getting lost in the world of “would’ve’s and could’ve’s” which some strains will do to me.
AZ: What was your experience the first time you ever smoked?
LT: I think my first encounter with weed was in junior high when a friend of mine showed me how to carve a pipe out of an apple and smoke out of it. But long before this, I had been introduced to the plant at Davis’ yearly Whole Earth Festival where many vendors shared the miracle of hemp via clothing, textiles, food, etc.
Because of my community’s relation to the plant, it always felt like cannabis was part of my upbringing. I smoked a lot of it in college to help me with my insomnia, anxiety, stomach pains, and also recreationally when watching shows like Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey.
AZ: How does cannabis enhance your creative process and practice?
LT: I’ve worked creatively in marketing with wellness and tech companies for many years now. Most recently with Reboot, a Float and Cryo spa, which involved me researching as much as I possibly could around the benefits of epsom salts.
I have just about every type of cannabis application you can get your hands on – from hemp honey to THCA olive oil, balms, tinctures, vapes, flower and concentrates. My absolute favorite ritual around cannabis is taking an “OM bath.” OM Baths are THC and CBD infused bath salts, and they are HEAVEN. Their sister company is Whoopi & Maya, and I also use them as well, but will still refer to these baths as an “om bath” since OM was started first.
While I love eating a low dose edible and getting into a float tank, the ritual for me around cannabis and creativity is at home in my own tub.
AZ: Favorite spot to light up?
LT: If not in the tub then anywhere it’s sunny and I’m out in nature.
Jennifer Levy, Freelance at Jen Levy Creative
Art Zealous: Hometown?
Jennifer Levy: I’m from Baltimore, Maryland.
AZ: Favorite strain?
JL: I love any Indica, OG. Skywalker OG is probably my favorite strain, although it’s hard to come by in New York.
AZ: What was your experience the first time you ever smoked?
JL: I think it was sometime in high school, I was probably drinking too. Smoking used to just be a thing to do and sometime in college, it became more of a lifestyle for me.
AZ: How does cannabis enhance your creative process and practice?
JL: It’s hard to explain, but smoking loosens up my mind. Sometimes when I’m high, I have these great ideas or I’m able to solve a problem that I’ve been trying to solve for hours. I am definitely most creative when I am high.
AZ: Favorite spot to light up?
JL: At home! I do most of my work at home too – it’s my favorite place to hang out and I find that it’s where I’m most productive.
Stephanie Zimmerman-Black, Freelance Writer & Content Strategist
Art Zealous: Hometown?
Stephanie Zimmerman-Black: Cleveland, OH but I live in Brooklyn.
AZ: Favorite strain?
SZB: Sour Diesel.
AZ: What was your experience the first time you ever smoked?
SZB: Honestly, it wasn’t great – people at my first college smoked medical-grade weed that left me feeling catatonic more than anything else. It was a total game-changer once I was exposed to the world of refined and thoughtful strains. Being able to read descriptions of the product to reach my desired experience has really helped me unlock my workflow (and maximum relaxation!).
AZ: How does cannabis enhance your creative process and practice?
SZB: I primarily use specific Sativa strains that enhance energy and creativity that get me out of my head and into my environment. I’m a kind of person who is easily caught up in my own thoughts, but not in a productive way. Having a tool that helps me get over the barriers to my own productivity is really important to getting things done!
AZ: Favorite spot to light up?
SZB: My couch. The possibilities are endless: I could either get into a flow by working on writing, art, or crafting. Or I could just end up having a nice, relaxing evening : )
Kristina Adduci, Founder Art Zealous & House of Puff
Art Zealous: Hometown?
Kristina Adduci: Bridgewater, NJ.
AZ: Favorite strain?
KA: White Widow.
AZ: What was your experience the first time you ever smoked?
KA: Magical. I had been told by pretty much everyone that cannabis would help with my anxiety, and it did. My first strain was Blue Dream and I smoked it out of this old school vaporizer that we named “Old Man Harry.”
AZ: How does cannabis enhance your creative process and practice?
KA: I run two businesses, Art Zealous and House of Puff, and they both require me to think on my feet and get creative. I turn to cannabis to come up with new, fresh ideas and mute the part of my brain that says “this is a crazy idea, it’ll never work.” It also allows me to get into a hyper-focused mindset.
AZ: Favorite spot to light up?
KA: The beach by my house out East.
top image // @thefutureisflower
