{"id":58797,"date":"2016-11-30T02:19:23","date_gmt":"2016-11-30T07:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/?p=58797"},"modified":"2016-12-04T15:23:02","modified_gmt":"2016-12-04T20:23:02","slug":"robert-royston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/2016\/11\/30\/robert-royston\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Royston: The Healing Power of Creative Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the NYC\u00a0book party for Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces<\/span><\/a>, a random conversation with\u00a0JC Miller<\/a>\u00a0(<\/span>whose work is featured in the book) yielded\u00a0a remarkable\u00a0lesson about creativity and healing. It came via his mentor, Robert Royston<\/span><\/a>, one of California’s foremost Modernist landscape architects.<\/p>\n

\"Royston<\/a>
Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abbey Archives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Years\u00a0into their time working together, JC asked Royston about his time serving in the Navy during World War II, a period Royston rarely spoke about:<\/p>\n

He shared how difficult it had been to see the cycle over and over again; transporting fresh troops to battle with the knowledge that the ship would be returning with the grim cargo of the wounded, dying, and dead. \u201cIt\u2019s something that you never get over really\u201d he told me…\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

He paused and then said\u00a0\u201cYou know, what we do is the antidote to all of that: the antidote to such terrible things. Playgrounds, gardens \u2014 all of it \u2013 heals the world.\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Royston believed that\u00a0healing that can be brought about through creative effort of any kind.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

He put this idea\u00a0into practice early on.\u00a0<\/strong>In his spare moments aboard ship in the Pacific, he pursued imaginary projects, like this drawing of a home:<\/p>\n

\"Environmental<\/a>
Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He also designed small pieces of jewelry for his wife, made of scraps wire and polycarbonate…<\/p>\n

\"royston-r-jewelry_4-pieces\"<\/a>
Reuben Rainey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Royston believed there is a\u00a0the strong link between design principles of landscape architecture and the arts of dance, painting, drama and sculpture<\/strong>. Indeed, many of his drawings of public spaces\u00a0seem somehow infused with\u00a0painting and dance. He viewed his work as being akin to “composing an abstract painting for people to live within.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

\"Environmental<\/a>
Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I learned about Royston’s wonderful legacy in Modern Public Gardens<\/a>, a book about his\u00a0innovative designs during the twenty or so years following the war, I kept thinking of his words:<\/p>\n

“…what we do is…the antidote to…terrible things. Playgrounds, gardens \u2014\u00a0all of it<\/span> \u2013 heals the world.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

…<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Penni<\/a>
Penni Gladstone\/The Chronicle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

…And that in making such beauty, he was healing himself as well.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"sc-central-park_fountains-rainey-photo\"<\/a>
Reuben Rainey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

With thanks to JC Miller<\/a> for sharing his experience of Robert Royston, many photographs, and\u00a0Modern Public Gardens<\/a>, of which he is an author.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My conversation with JC Miller yielded a remarkable lesson about creativity and healing. It came via his mentor, Robert Royston, one of California’s foremost Modernist landscape architects.<\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":58852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[458,206,6549,780,1860],"tags":[10180,10176,10177,2362,342,5900,122,10175,6309,10179,10178],"yoast_head":"\nRobert Royston: The Healing Power of Creative Work - Improvised Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My conversation with JC Miller yielded a remarkable lesson about creativity and healing. 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