Rafael McMaster’s journey began humbly in the living room of his Hermosa Beach apartment. Frustrated by the lack of art education and gallery spaces, he turned his home into a makeshift studio. His commitment to nurturing creativity in the community led to the founding of Indivisible Arts, a nonprofit that has become a cornerstone for artistic expression.
The turning point came with an art show hosted in the front room of their current art studio, Resin. “Over 500 people came out to the show,” McMaster said. “You could tell Hermosa was thirsty for art. We only rented the space for a week, but a week became a month and then another month, and now we’re here.”
Indivisible Arts, now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, offers programs designed to integrate mindfulness and creativity. Their main focus is the ‘Creative Wisdom Tools,’ which are the seven skills that can serve as a toolkit for going through life.
“We realized that the only way we could survive as a non-profit was to write grants and do fundraising,” McMasters said. “We realized that we were able to write grants to teach mindfulness tools to youth through art. Now we teach at Da Vinci Rise [High School] and last year we took every fifth grader in the Hermosa School District through our program.”
Among its most impactful initiatives is a volunteer program for high school students, to mentor younger kids. The program has seen great success with several students having volunteer hours in the hundred. According to McMaster, the best way to learn is to teach.
“The truth is the real core target for all this is the high schoolers,” McMasters admitted. “If you tell a high schooler you need to teach them about the power of gratitude, they’ll brush you off. If you say ‘I need you to learn a certain way to teach a younger person for non-profit volunteer hours that can get you the President Service Award,’ they start listening.”
Each day begins with a 30-minute mindfulness lesson, with both young students and high school volunteers participating together. Following the lesson, they transition to the art station, where the older students assist with various projects. This heavily integrated style forces the older volunteers to absorb some of the teaching.
“You learn a lot of interesting stuff,” Senior Sadie Lee said. “The biggest lesson they teach is awareness, which is the idea that you aren’t your thoughts, you’re the one watching your thoughts. As someone who’s in their head a lot that has helped me become more positive towards myself.”
Costa Junior Ali Keskeno, another volunteer, appreciates the vibrant environment of Indivisible Arts. “I’m recording footage for my cinema class,” Kesenko said. “The art and energy here are perfect for my observational documentary.”
Running Indivisible Arts isn’t easy, but McMaster remains dedicated because of the profound impact it has on the community. Each success story and moment of creative expression reinforces his commitment to providing a space where imagination and mindfulness can thrive, fostering both individual growth and a stronger community.
[“Art Is the language of the Soul,” McMaster said. “That means when I’m doing art, on any level, big or small, doodling, cooking, anything that can be done with creativity and focus that means my soul is present. We don’t have many spaces like that in life so it’s important to cultivate that.”
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