We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Don Goede. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Don below.
Alright, Don thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I created SunWater Spa with my business partner, Kat Tudor. After a life-changing trip to Rishikesh, India we decided to bring a healing and spiritual center to Southern Colorado where I currently live. We have millions of gallons of sacred water in a Karst System Aquifer hence the name Manitou Springs. India has the Ganga or Ganges River so I created a situation working with our city where we could use the water, through an augmentation plan, to go into cedar tubs for people to reap the benefits of soaking. The relaxing, stress-releasing benefit of soaking in hot water causes blood to expand the body surface – flushing blood and lymphatic fluid thru muscles and stimulating tiny “organ cells”, telling them to release/relax. What is not so commonly known, is that minerals are easily absorbed through the skin. In fact, many minerals are absorbed much more quickly and effectively through the skin than the digestive system. Our bodies are highly intelligent, they know what they need. When we soak in mineral water, a process happens called “homeostasis” or a balancing within and without of minerals passing directly through the skin. Add this benefit to that of stress release caused by heat alone, and we have the reason humans across the world have been traveling to soak in hot mineral water since the beginning of time. Nonetheless, SunWater Spa is not only a place to soak but a place to engage in what we dub “The Healing Arts” This may be anything from Yoga, Tai Chi, Dance, and really anything that stimulates the mind, body, spirit through community, movement, mindfullness, and more!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am adopted Lakota and still a Christian and I do talk about spirituality without being overbearing or over zealous. I am primarily a entrepreneur, art director, curator, and publisher. I was one of the original co-founders of Soft Skull Press in NYC in thr mid-90’s and after I moved back to Southern Colorado in the early 2000’s I hit the ground running: working and playing in every medium I could find: Business, art, music, research and development to name a few. My passions are with water and community, art and music, and my family. Having recenlty been diagnosed with BiPolar II, I am excited to find a better balance to not only achieve my goals but find ways to better balance my mood disorder. Hypomanics can be susceptible to the draker side of life if not properly grounded. Yoga is a huge part of this formula. I am currently working on my teacher training in this area. I am looking forward to making films in the second half of my life. I have been compiling footage for over 30 years. It’s time to make some movies!
My assistant is an amazing person that would make amazing interview. She is super young but knows more about the earth than anyone I know. Specially indigenous plants, cultivation and in her spare time she reaches peoples how to make hats out of wool and bowls out of gourds. She is a seed keeper as well as the hardest worker I know!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Finding out I have Bipolar II after 30 years, has made me realize the huge connections between energy and creativity. My entire life I have had very intense bouts of creative output. Mostly good! What I have learned is that art, music, writing, and really any form of art can, be an amazing way to cope with challenging and intense situations. It’s a double-edged sword, however, and one must find ways to counter-balance the creative with what is often needed for good balance in reality: grounding mechanisms, healthy relationships, strong boundaries, and a positive outlook on mundane and necessary functions of day to day life. So, the goals for me are: BALANCE, FOCUS, STRONG COPING MECHANISMS, AND FINDING THE DETERMINATION TO STAY POSITIVE. This can be achieved through spirituality, creativity, and a strong community.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
If you think of yourself as a non-creative than you are simply wrong. You have probably been conditioned to think or feel that way. It is proven, though many tools, prgrams, and realizations, that anyone can find their hidden creativity if they just work hard and stay focused on goals. Dealing with challenges and failures is a huge part of this process. Yes, some of us are born with narural gifts and talents but most successful artists or shall we say creatives have built their success through detrmination, education, and the DESIRE to communicate through various mediums to people in various industries and markets. You must learn to have the perspective necessary to find your way in the craetive world. This requires discipline and objectivity.
Contact Info:
- Website: sunwaterspa.com
- Instagram: @donnygoede
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donald.goedeiii
- Linkedin: Don Goede
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6LitFKu8fs&ab_channel=DonGoede
- Other: Currently revamping several websites. Not ready to share.
Image Credits
All images provided and used by permission by Don Goede