By Lo
Like everything in life, I believe in doing things with intention. From my morning routine to who I choose to be around for the day, I believe in carefully crafting my own unique experience. So when it comes to marijuana, I especially like to know what I’m smoking and how it’s going to affect, well, everything.
I enjoy cannabis for a multitude of reasons but I mainly partake in it for my artistic and spiritual practices–and for the occasional anxiety attack. Lately, I’ve noticed some of my friends who are fellow creatives but aren’t heavy smokers take a liking to the strains I’ve been choosing. And since it’s gotten to the point where I’ve been asked to try bud that I think my friends would like for whatever creative or holistic purposes…we now find ourselves here.
As a former DARE program kid, if you had told fifth grade Lo that she would be reviewing the devil’s lettuce named after an NBA player she would have been so ups–actually, she would assume that she had turned to the “dark side” for a logical reason and proceed to write this article to see why. When I first thought about writing reviews, I knew I wanted it to be distinctive to weed smokers like myself, people in creative, artistic, and wellness spaces…aka flower children.
If you’re reading this then I’m sure you already have some idea about the benefits of cannabis use. I’ll be rating strains on a five-bud scale based on how it felt with meditation, movement, and creativity. This past week I smoked Gary Payton, named after the NBA Hall of Famer. An even hybrid, this strain is the child of the Y and Snowman with a THC content of 16 percent to 25 percent. Some of its top effects are giggly, euphoric, and focused and I definitely felt all of them. This week has been pretty stressful but this strain kept me chill and helped me stay in a creative groove that I did not want to leave.
Here’s why the Gary Payton cannabis strain was a slam dunk.
…I’m sorry, I had to.
Meditation – 5 out of 5
The meditation on GP alone would make me come back to this strain. The high was instant and cerebral and I felt as if I had taken off into my own world where I could look at my thoughts in an honest, humorous, and gentle way. I decided to do a 20-minute guided meditation for healing and positive energies that really helped paint the visual for the day that lay ahead. Using this strain as a wake, bake, and meditate is a good move, for sure.
Yoga/Movement – 3 out of 5
Gary Payton has a rep for helping you focus and while that isn’t a lie, it’s not the type of movement focus I usually like in a strain. I did a 10-minute morning yoga flow* (followed by my walk to a cafe to get work done) and while it was nice once I got that good prana (breath) going, my body did not want to do much moving. Definitely the type of bud that makes you want to sit and think, read, watch something, or be creative. If you’re going to use this strain while in motion, I would recommend a restorative or yin yoga flow or a meditative walk in nature.
*please consume cannabis while working out responsibly.
Creativity – 4 out of 5
I was so excited to dive into something creative with this strain as it gave me a carefree feeling that allowed me to see the beauty in everything. Since this is my first review, the creative project I used Gary Payton with was the wonderful Cannabis for Creatives chart you see in this very article. I’m very proud of it, if I do say so myself. This strain really helped me tap into that creative nature and helped me focus on the task at hand. At times it made me focus maybe a little too much but it wasn’t anything that taking a small break couldn’t help.
Okay, so you should now see why Gary Payton actually is a slam dunk. Creative, focused, and a fun conversation flower too, it has all the components that make it good for any time of day and in multiple creative and holistic ways. I’ll be smoking this one again.