Visionaries in many mediums believe cannabis is a valuable tool in their process. Cannabis + Creativity, a recently released short documentary, shares the stories of five artists who connect with their muse through the plant. The film premiered last week and will make its public debut as an official selection at the Catskill International Film Festival on October 22nd.
Cannabis + Creativity follows six individuals, starting with a writer and creative director who likes to dress as Sasquatch named Sam Jones. Jones is introduced first as the film peels back one layer at a time to illuminate how real individuals summon a creative spark with their joints.
“I don’t know the scientifics of marijuana, but whatever is in it, I feel it with my soul and heart,” Jones shares in the short film.
Cannabis scientist, creator, musician, and the documentary subject interviewed next Miyabe Shields, Ph.D., does know the “scientifics.” Each featured creative brings a fresh perspective to the film.
Musicians Treya Lam and Kaya Nicole join, along with Chef Ali and Jasmine Mans, poet and creator of Buy Weed From Women. Each storyteller adds another tile to the mosaic, showing the viewer that creating with cannabis requires you “choose your own adventure.”
Hear testimony from each creator as they let viewers into their personal relationships with the plant. During their interview, Kaya Nicole shared a poignant observation about how they connect with cannabis on the creative plane.
“It helps connect you,” Kaya Nicole explained. “So even if you have more to prepare, you’re able to listen in a deeper way. I think it kind of elevates and contextualizes the experience of writing. It helps to kind of process emotions from a higher point of view so you start to develop a vision.”
Cannabis + Creativity delivers a full meal for thought in a short time frame, bringing together artists from various mediums to share how the plant inspires them. The film was produced by cannabis dispensary chain Etain and Dr. Nancy B. Austin, and directed by Elana Frankel, with assistant director Kassia Graham.
Each subject has a personalized tale, stories about starting cannabis businesses and eating edibles to slow down the world and write music. Lam uses edibles to get out of their head and tap into the flow state, and Mans explains that cannabis isn’t everything for artistic endeavors but it is something.
“Has weed ever made me better as an artist? No. It was one of my tools,” Mans concluded in the short documentary.
Those who want to view the doc can attend the Catskill International Film Festival online for free on Sunday, October 22nd, during the 6-9 P.M. program.