MINNEAPOLIS — Taylor Tinkham is helping us all step into the present moment.
"I describe it as a movement to encourage mindful moments using sidewalk chalk," she says.
Taylor is a sidewalk chalk artist and founder of Cemental Break. She uses chalk to create the "cemental breaks", which feature a drawn chalk circle for people to physically step into. Each piece of art encourages people to take a deep breath and do things like find their favorite flower nearby, or think of something that makes them happy.
Taylor launched Cemental Break over a year ago and has made over 400 of them at various locations around the Twin Cities.
"The point of all of this is not just for me to make them. I really want other people to make them for their own communities," she says.
According to Taylor, "cemental breaks" have been created in 15 states and three countries.
"Little things mean a lot right now. Sometimes I have moments where I’m like -this is sidewalk chalk, who cares?" she says. "But I know that little things like creating something on your sidewalk, sending a letter - those little things mean a lot more than we can ever imagine right now."
Taylor is collaborating with Call to Mind & American Public Media during the month of May to create special "cemental breaks" around the Twin Cities for Mental Health Awareness Month.