Motivational Vitamins from New York City. "And don't ever doubt the beat, the pulsate, the rhythm of you."
Dear YOU,
I keep words on mirrors in my home. Words that inspire, words that keep me motivated and ready...because sometimes a soul needs affirmation. Sometimes, a soul needs more than just a 'Good Morning Coffee' to get out of bed and feel alive.
These words in Sharpie marker clutter my mirrors and ye,t their power isn't in their location. I realized, their power is in the voice of them. These words have a place on your lips, they need to be tasted, chewed and understood by your soul-digestive system.
Words have power. If, we say them. If, we hear them. If, we can lift our eyes and see them.
These are my mirror moments to you.
Take them like vitamins.
A bi-weekly motivational kick start!
Ep 1 Motivational Vitamins "This is it, this moment, this very alive moment..."
Dear YOU,
I keep words on mirrors in my home. Words that inspire, words that keep me motivated and ready...because sometimes a soul needs affirmation. Sometimes, a soul needs more than just a 'Good Morning Coffee' to get out of bed and feel alive.
These words in Sharpie marker clutter my mirrors and ye,t their power isn't in their location. I realized, their power is in the voice of them. These words have a place on your lips, they need to be tasted, chewed and understood by your soul-digestive system.
Words have power. If, we say them. If, we hear them. If, we can lift our eyes and see them.
These are my mirror moments to you.
Take them like vitamins.
©2014 Jeremy Lai
When a student goes to school, first they learn the basics. The fundamentals of what they will eventually be able to accomplish with their work. They begin with introductory courses on the things in which they will need over the course of their learning. Students often come to a first lecture with a notebook/laptop and pen/pencil. They record notes either by hand, keyboard or a recording device. They will study those introductory classes because that is the beginning and the very foundational basis of their future. Serious students are studious.
In rennassaince times the apprentices started out similarly. Learning the small things and growing on their skill as they went. There are many similarities between 'Student' and 'Teacher' and 'Master' and 'Apprentice', but a few differences as well. Specifically, an apprentice slowly learned how to work on their masters art, not their own. Then, an apprentice wouldn't even touch an 'instrument/tool' until they had learned to take care of the workshop of their master.
There is a reason for this learned skill of 'taking care of'.
The artist, then and today, needs to be able to gage for themselves their needs and desires. They need to able to run their own studio, business , life. An artist does not have a boss leaning over their shoulder giving direction and thus has created the stigma that artists are all the negative things academics or realists believe. (Chronically late, disorganized, informal, unprepared etc.) Artists have to fight for their credibility every day, and this is something Doctors, Lawyers, Business Men/Women, Teachers, etc never have to do. Of course, we all have to fight for our credibility and reputation amongst our peers and public, but when does a Lawyer say "I spend my days in the courtroom" and not receive an automatic nod with straight forward respect?
No calling is higher than another. If anything, back in ancient Greece up to the Renaissance, artists were honoured due to their drive to a higher calling. It was believed that the "Genius" in an artist was something that came and went. You never achieved art or success alone. It was inspired by a higher power and then that inspiration/genius would leave.
Maybe to come back, maybe to not.
The success of an artist is how they are dedicated to their work. How they roll up their sleeves everyday and sink their teeth into projects, whether the 'genius' is there or not. Whether they feel it or not. An artist who has the discipline to take care of their work space along with their emotional and physical well being....these are the successors.
These are the artists who breathe grounded, rooted, aware and ready.
Amy Grace & Jasmine Alexander by Nicole Payzant Photography
Jasmine Alexander and Amy Grace are adventure women. They created a friendship out of the loose ends of life and all the bits in-between. Each of them enjoy collaborating on projects together and both have a passion for the work they do.
Jasmine and Amy have a history of being a tad goofy, while at the same time stopping mid-laugh to discuss deep and important issues.
Postal Dairies is the beginning of their time a part for the Summer of 2014. Both artists have a lot going on, and yet both want to stay in touch. Watch as they work through a new season of adventures, life and work.
This month was without a doubt, a collaboration of just three minds.
This is the time of year when artists are coming and going. They are traveling and amidst multiple different projects. Ultimatly May was quiet, but three art women sat at a table and started talking.
"What were you going to talk about today?" One asked.
"Well this... but, it doesn't seem relevant." I indicated at the paper in front of me.
"Not now, no." She replied.
And thus is the way of collaboration, someone shares, another responds and all of a sudden you are working on a multiple minded project.
This is what the night became. A conversation of collaboration on 'collaboration'.
"What do you do if collaborating is hard?" I posed
"Where is the commitment to collaborate?" I searched.
These are tough questions and the communication of the answers even tougher.
"Communication." One responded.
"What if communication is disjointed and hard?" I asked
I was throwing questions at two collaborators I hold dear.
"There are two kinds of people Amy." this 'photographer-girl-friend' of mine said. "There are those like you, and those like me."
What she meant:
There are the motivators, the organizers, schedule keeper creatives who spear head projects.
and then
There are the joiners, the sporadic, the follow the muse and follow your nose creatives who join in on projects.
"And isn't that so true." I replied.
"But what happens when you have two Motivators trying to collaborate?" I wondered
"Two Joiners trying to collaborate?"
And we discussed:
Clear communication on what expectations are, is paramount to maintaing a healthy balance and strong outcome of work.
So this 'Collaberation?' night, became a true and honest "Collaberation" night.
Without these two women, who are both collaborators with me on multiple projects, I would not have come out with a stronger and deeper topic for the month.
Sometimes it is those that join with you, that bring you to that "Titling Project" moment.
"I dont understand why you feel so strongly on collaboration." one solo artist had said confused.
But I have a better understanding now more than ever.
Collaboration brings a whole new perspective, understanding and expierence.
Collaboration brings unity, depth and life.
Collaboration is nothing without honest clear communication.
The struggle of Collaboration is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a true and amazing journey of multiple spirits working together for an end product.
©2014 Jeremy Lai
A renissance tradition that now influences the field in the study of any art.
“mentor |ˈmenˌtôr, -tər|
noun
an experienced and trusted adviser
an experienced person in a company, college, or school who trains and counsels new employees or students.”
“mentee |menˈtē|
noun
a person who is advised, trained, or counseled by a mentor.”
During the time of Renaissance, a young boy at the age of twelve would begin helping the "Master Artist" at his workshop, work along side him, slowly learning over the years the art and eventually, move on from there to become an artist on his own.
Now, we have girls and boys all capable of learning their art by attending classes and through the education system. Unfortunately, it is those who are in privileged families who can afford the classes, and those in the few schools who have strong artistic classes that benefit. Even then, the arts span past the famous writing and painting. School children do not have every art form under their finger tips, as art has grown more widespread and diverse over the centuries.
We can agree:
In all fields of work and study it is important to be mentored. To connect with another who is more skilled/learned/experienced, but also encouraging and wants to see growth into independence and success.
A real Master
A real Mentor
Is someone who is ageless. They do not see age or experience, but potential in another. They do not see limitations or doubts but opportunities and hope. They are someone who teaches by how they live. They teach without teaching. They are those that sit down and cultivate and create rather than ponder, obsess and stew.
A real Apprentice
A real Mentee
Is someone who seeks wisdom. They do not get caught up in their unworthiness but that they are worthy enough to receive. They do not judge quickly, but spend time weighing out advice, methods, and experiences. They are answer seekers everyday they live. They learn by asking and listening, listening and weighing. They are those that sit down and ask, soak and do rather then talk, yell and obsess.
I want to be that Mentee. I want to be that Mentor.
Shouldn't we all be Mentored, and be mentoring?
I believe we need to seek out those with their hands raised, the answer-seekers and start meeting their needs. We need to each take responsibility for who we can mentor.
And similarily.
We need to be raising our hands and seeking answers. We need to be open and ready to recieve when a mentor comes our way. We need to cultivate communication that we are not above being taught.
This is the renaissance way, and in 2014, we can do one better. Men and women, boys and girls of all ages can and should be in the mentoring process of whatever art form / field they are in.
I am raising my hand. Do you see me?
I am looking for you.
"I facilitate thinking, I engage minds, I listen to questions, I encourage risk, I support struggle, I cultivate dreams, I learn everyday I teach." - Unknown.
It is curious that the Renissance movement spanned the 14th to 17th Century and yet the origin of the "The Starving Artist" came from the 18th - 19th centuries.
Why has our culture embraced this belief? That to pursue the arts is to pursue poverty?
The trades, the academics, the athletics, and the arts. Why cannot they exist together in possible lifestyles and work to pursue?
All of these things are what make our society move, breathe and evolve. Without one we are unbalanced.
Why do graduated artists from various art forms decide to stick to a nine to five when their heart beats for something else? Why do so many say " it's a nice hobby" when a writer says they are going to write?
One hears:
"How will you pay for bills if something goes wrong?"
"At least you can always go back to the other career if this doesn't work out."
"It's a nice thing to do on the side."
All of these things stem from the belief that to pursue art means to pursue a lack of provision.
In the Renaissance, artists were as nesseccary as tradesmen. They studied and lived the same. They were respected as a person who is pursing a higher calling. They were hired and used within the community. They were not always successful or wealthily, but they pursued their work, without the stigma of 'poor'. They pursued their passion without the belief that it was 'a cute hobby on the side.'
Yes, I have less money now as a storyteller than when I worked as an Interpreter. It is also true that I am happier now than I was then. There is a moment of walking into your passions and you realize that provision for work and living happens as you walk in faith.
I am striving to find the stories that need telling and I will tell them with a passion that surpasses anything I did before.
This striving, has led me to taste the luxiourious real-tastes of a dinner shared with others while truly being present. This striving has led me to the true enjoyment of the ability to study and learn when the funds are provided. This striving to live and tell the truth has fulfilled me with a whole new outlook and it this that has fills my pockets.
Somehow when you strive for more than 'satisfied' you end up with an overflowing. Tight moments become moments of adventure, and when you see provision you know that you are truly pursuing that higher calling on your life.
So just a note.
I have not starved yet. In fact, I eat more.
I am striving, in fact, I may have more passion now than ever before.
I am thriving.
Striving
![Leonardo da Vinci [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUomo_Vitruviano.jpg)
Leonardo da Vinci [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
“Renaissance |ˈrenəˌsäns, -ˌzäns|
the revival of art and literature under the influence of classical models in the 14th–16th centuries.
• the culture and style of art and architecture developed during this era.
• (as noun a renaissance) a revival of or renewed interest in something: rail travel is enjoying a renaissance.”
"You have only been an unemployed for two work days. You have no reason to stress out, engineers wait for months for work. You are two days into this." He had said.
I snuff, turning over. Easy for all of them to say with their degrees and fancy knowledge. I think to myself.
And then like a whisper.
"You are intelligent." I remember her words as I learned this past year.
"You know, I replied into the darkness, 'in renaissance times artists never worried about the status of employment... they were offered food, and a roof over their heads to pursue their work no questions asked. They studied with their master artists like apprentices and once they learned those skills they themselves became artists...and they were employed by anyone and everyone."
"You know what you need? A 'patron'." He echoed with the word that reverberated in my mind.
"Exactly!" I quickly replied back.
I stopped.
Wait, thats it.
Renaissance, a time when artists congregated, lived, thrived, explored and found.
That is what I need to be. Sure, we all need to eat, but what is the renaissance artist?
“Rise of the artist depended on a number of non-aesthetic factors.
1. Patrons of the Renaissance were more than people of power – they were also learned and cultivated.
2. Households were hospitable to all kinds of learned individuals: poets, philosophers, mathematicians and scholars.
3. Into this world the most privileged artists were admitted.
- Artists continued to work with their hands, but they could be forgiven the paint stains on their clothes if they knew the manners of the court, understood the conversation, and could contribute in the way of ideas.
- Painters and sculptors were anxious to show they were educated people – closer to poets and philosophers – people who did not soil their hands. At least, they might be considered closer to architects, who were known to be able to command theoretical knowledge.”
Two points resonate:
- The artists of the Renaissance had a higher purpose:
- They wanted to make art means of searching for the meaning of existence.
Thus begins a 2014 writers embarkment on a renaissance artist journey! What can the renaissance way teach us? What can it possibly show us in regards to collaborating with our community, our society, our families and friends? What can it teach us to not do?
A Millennia collision with a Renaissance Way.
What a difference a table can create. After much labour of love "Barkton Place" home D.I.Y. Project was completed and the table with six chairs now was covered in food and glasses of wine and other beverages. New faces and old faces attended this gathering and we were all relieved to finally share in another friday night together.
This month was the beginning of change in a lot of these lives. In all this hustle and bustle of creativity, each artist was going through some sort of development in their work.
Even waiting.
Waiting in and of itself is development. What develops while you wait, for one soon to be architect student, is the growth of what that outcome will have.
Interested to see how these women were dealing with their need to hold in / share / communicate their work or lack thereof , a question was posed.
"As an Artist/Creative, what does it mean to have a safe person to share with? Do you have one?"
Mostly stemmed from my own discoveries and revelation from Julia Camerons' "Walking in this World"
"One of the trickiest issues in a creative life is the issue of private support and encouragement for our creative leaps - no matter how they are received. As artists, we do not need private adulation, but we do need before, during, and after friends, those people who love and accept us no matter what our current creative shape and size. We need friends who understand that a creative success may bring an onslaught of pressures nearly as devastating as a creative failure."
The responses:
- "I have a safe few people but it was a journey to discover who is enriching to your life and who isn't. For me, It's more about who is a positive more than a negative."
- "Having a safe person to talk to, is as simple as life or life. Death perhaps not in a physical sense, but mentally, emotionally...it allows you to keep moving - When you would otherwise be stuck. Without movement in the creative mind, there can be utter confusion and stagnant waters. Having a safe person continues the ebb and flow of the creative tide."
- Having someone to share your ideas and be confident that they will be honest with their opinions.
Our discussion weaved in and out of topics and we agreed that being able to vent when confusion comes while having someone who will give advice to get you back on track is imperative.
It is in the knowing who to go to. You don't need to get all from one person. In having 'safe people' to go through the process of being a creative, is taking the time to know yourself and know who you need to talk to in the moment.
The thing with unsafe people who can say damaging things to our inner artist child, is that they are not being deliberate (for the most part). Most of those lovely people, are simply not equipped or made to be aware or sensitive to the process that we are going through in that moment.
“relish |ˈreliSH|
noun
great enjoyment ... liking for or pleasurable anticipation of something”
rel·ish
noun \ˈre-lish\
: enjoyment of or delight in something
Working with a director is a privedlge and one can never be sure how a director directs. This journey into Spring Awakening has been an inspiring and extremely riveting one. He is a director who wants work "to breathe" and take on a life of its own. He gives room for skill to be flexed and glittered.
On the last session of 'notes' that he gave, he said something that caught in the air and then slowly drifted down, resting on us all as our tired bodies sunk into the seats and imagined what opening night would be.
His words went something like this:
"I would do yourself a favour now and not do anything else but this (Spring Awakening shows) until it is done. As a student, I always religiously took off show times so I could relish in the expierence and everything it entails."
I was enraptured.
Yes, I would most definitely do nothing but relish in this expierence, and that is what being in the midst of art means.
To enjoy,
To delight in
To relish.
Call it what you will: art, creativity,
Life as a whole...
Let us relish in the experience of every art piece we see, do, experience and have.
Life is art
And
Art is life
That means every moment is to be relished.
Shadow Birds in flight...
Remember verb \ri-ˈmem-bər\
: to have or keep an image or idea in your mind of (something or someone from the past) : to think of (something or someone from the past) again
: to cause (something) to come back into your mind
: to keep (information) in your mind : to not forget (something)
Creating is a process of movement, and there is nothing stationary about a writers year in tandem with seasons. A fluid moving ocean with swells, waves and stills.
It is on this twenty fifth day of life that I turn and look behind me.
A far distance from a story that almost wrecked health, relationships, and sanity. Caught in a current, there were hopeless helpless cries to the birds that flied above from my spirit to theirs. And tattooed birds grace this ones left shoulder. A reminder of the birds that are freed and given flight.
It may seem like a lifetime ago, but I need to look behind me.
To remember.
A phone call on a twenty-fifth birthday dropping possibilities, and I have to keep present.
Remember
We all have shadows of our past selves walking behind us, reminding us.
They can be the shadows of truth whispering encouragement, or one can allow them to be whispers of darkness trying to pull you back.
Which are yours?
My shadow is a girl of confusion. A girl who would rather rely on someone else' definition of herself than step out on her own. Independence is a scary thing and is it not funny how birds will be shoved out of nests to be taught how to fly? Yet a girl can't even get her toe out. And that shadow speaks to me.
"You learned how to fly...see." She points to my shoulder and I remember.
I remember the moment I dedicated all of my words to truth. The moment I remembered that I was a writer who gave my life, my words, my art to everything that was beyond myself.
On this twenty five, I remember and I say it again.
"My work, my life, my art, everything, it is not mine. It is for the One who called me and brought me out of the fear-nest and into the night sky. The One who strengthened my wings so I could see the dawn. To the One who provides the shelter from the rain and the worms for the eating. The One who receives glory to see me fly, Who provides so I can flourish, Who lavishes love, grace, healing and words. To that One, I live, breathe, and give my life to."
On this twenty five I find myself coming up to a wide open sky, and I will Remember my shadow life, so I can live my full life.
Now.
©2014 Jeremy Lai
"Mirrors don't lie. Or do they? Mirrors have a way of showing you what you want to see."
“Re.spect noun \ri-ˈspekt\
a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important, etc.
a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way
a particular way of thinking about or looking at something”
Inside rehearsal studio space one is challenged, pushed, encouraged, and one is being watched. Always watched and the mirrors don't lie. There is a 'self-awareness' that occurs when mirrors are placed before you to watch yourself work.
You see you. They see you, and the audience...eventually will see you.
Chin high, you smile. Of course, they will see. That is the point. Telling and sharing a story.
Mirrors don't lie.
Or do they?
Mirrors have a way of showing you what you want to see.
"Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" She asked
"You are" It replied
Of course, you hear what you want to hear. See what you want to see.
But have you checked your eyesight lately?
What are you truly seeing?
"Do you ever have a moment... or week where everything you do or say seems just...terrible... like that you were so smooth before and then you just open your mouth and even you don't know or understand what you said?" I asked him. This fellow actor and brilliant example of what character work is all about.
"Oh yeah." he said.
Thoughts tumbled, and then he spoke words I can't all remember but they were something like a word water fall I needed.
"I think it comes down to your expectations of yourself. A rehearsal process is for practicing, thats why there is time to 'rehearse'. If I need to sit down, or grab a drink of water I will because that is why I am here. To practice."
These were the words of someone who knew them self.
Words hit the inside of my skull like cold water, and there it was.
"Treating self, with self-respect". My inside voice echoed.
The lack of self-confidence everyone was saying I was in that week... looking in mirrors and seeing a clumsy woman... it was a lie.
It was self-respect that was lacking.
And suddenly, I saw the woman that walks with words, intelligent and bright.
And there it was.
Self-Respect.
Respect yourself, be kind to yourself and above all, never doubt your place.
It was comical. To have a small group of women and no real voice to use to communicate with them.
It was that time of year. When spirits start to sag, immune systems go down and suddenly, although Spring has arrived the weather has not yet fully turned and we are anxious.
For myself, attending a film workshop the day before and being sent home due to not being well enough to be in front of a camera. Debilitating. An artists spirit is to work and when work is like a slug how do we cope?
I laid the question on the table. Knowing they would see.
"What are the struggles so far in 2014?"
Each arrived and suddenly I heard a quip.
"Do you want me to write an essay?"
It seemed the timing was right on mark with these Halifax Creatives.
The answers?
- Comparing myself to others
- Accepting, transisiotning out of things and into new things
- Feeling inspired, yet lacking the desire to follow through
- Self Doubt
- Physical distractions (Sickness etc.)
- To be clever
- Money, or lack thereof
- People
- Condifence
And as one so perfectly put it: "Well, theres the whole 'life' thing..."
How do we overcome our personal issues and use them to benefit our work and energy rather than getting bogged down by them?
Simply that
Use it.
Take the lack of confidence and turn it into a piece about 'simply that'.
Get at work whether it feels good or not.
Creatives are not brilliant because every piece they create is brilliant. No, they are brilliant because they work at their craft whether it is understood or not. Whether it is appreciated or not. Whether the pay is there or not. Whether they are healthy or not.
Creatives create because they were called to.
We began to listen to one another, and listening during a season of 'lack' can be exactly what a spirit needs. Listening to the heart beat of another, the doubts of your inner self...
"Doubt is a signal of the creative process. It is a signal that you are doing something right - not that you are doing something wrong or crazy or stupid. The sickening chasm of fear that doubt triggers to yawn open beneath you is a huge abyss into which you are going to tumble, spiralling downwards like you are falling through the circles of hell. No, doubt is most often a signal you are doing something and doing it right." - Julia Cameron 'Walking in this World'
©2014 Jeremy Lai
“renew |riˈn(y)o͞o|
verb [ with obj. ]
resume (an activity) after an interruption
give fresh life or strength to.”
"Go through your scripts and highlight every time a 'season' is referenced." He said from his place behind the piano. This musical director means what he says. His appearance, though always relaxed, holds a specificity to it, that draws one in. He is relaxed enough, but because he knows exactly where he has to be with every note.
It was this that triggered thoughts on the word of the week.
Spring Awakening may just be a musical to take stage in less than a month, but it is becoming a title that means more than just teenage awareness.
Seasons are apparent in the city of Halifax. Our Summers are glorious and full of cars rushing to the coast to catch a wave or spot on a sandy beach. Autumns are crisp and crunchy with starbucks coffee in hand as people walk in and out of places to be. Winters are (like with any east coast weather) unpredictable and windy. Snow falls and turns to slush, and trees are barren.
Spring
Spring in Halifax, is an awakening of life. Suddenly, outdoor resturaunt patios are being put into place, the faces of people along the streets are no longer hidden by hoods and scarves, and doors are open for the fresh air to flow through.
As a creative, I need fresh air. So frustrated I was one night with my rolling thoughts keeping me awake, that I rushed to the windows (which had a plastic insulation shrink wrap over them to conserve on energy) ripping them down I shoved the window open to take in the cold, but dewey air of winter turning spring.
And this is what it means to give fresh life or strength to. We need that air to rush through our lungs to even think better.
I need to breathe without being restricted, held, suffocated.
Our perspective on life can be suffocating.
Limiting.
Allowing money, timelines, status, plans to be the reason for anything...
It suffocates the life-breath.
Creatives may speak about this more, but even those who don't take on the label need to breathe.
"The fear of what is next is just your bodies way of asking "What is next?". It is a way for your body to see 'what are the things that are important for you in the next part of your journey?'" - Danielle Doiron (Halifax, Actor & Friend)
And this I breathe with. I see the renewing with the opening of windows.
I highlight the seasons of life in script and in my walk through this journey...
“reassess |ˌrēəˈses|
verb [ with obj. ]
consider or assess again, esp. while paying attention to new or different factors”
Spring 2014 is well underway and so is the pre production process for the Spring Awakening Musical in Halifax. Sinking into this process of how musicals are produced is awakening in and of itself.
First off, one must already come into the studio space, body and voice ready. This means, yawns, stiffness and chit chat have no place inside. Not only am I getting up earlier, I am making sure my breakfast is healthy, my morning yoga done, morning pages (The Artists Way by Julia Cameron), voice warm ups, and rehearsal clothes and appearance are all ready to go. Between the bed, shower, kitchen, car, theatre hallway these things occur in less than two hours.
It made me reassess how my morning routine was being carried out in the winter and how I needed to change it for the betterment of my expierence.
Reassessing is not just important but nessasary to starting a new season.
All people have schedules, routines and chores, but how do we know that they are working for us? Most of us do not know unless we take the time to take a step back and see how things could be different.
When I reassessed I realized I was rushing.
For me, taking the time to light a candle, eat breakfast and share a reading from a book is how I have decided to change the 'rush-rush' out the door every morning. It does no one good to be rushing.
Reassessing means to find the gem you may have been missing.
What is the gem you were missing last season?
How can you bring it into Spring 2014?
©2014 Jeremy Lai
“Period, n.
1. Period noun a length or portion of time.
2. A punctuation mark (.) used at the end of a sentence or an abbreviation. ”
Typically, a period indicates an end. Writers use a period, to indicate that the thought former to it has ended and a new one is about to begin.
And this writer is coming up towards a period. Eight months of theatre training is culminating in an end piece Musical performance called Spring Awakening in Halifaxs' Downtown core Neptune Theatre.
As an artist approaches the end of a project no matter how long it can seem daunting.
And then what?
So many options after this, and coming into a sense of direction for work is nerve wracking.
But there it is, that period approaching and what is most important at an ending is that we can look back, wrap up and come to terms with the journey.
Many people put . periods where they shouldn't be. They are mid monologue and out of fear . there it is, a stop . a hesitation and regret . of what?
I have watched many artists stop mid project / idea out of fear of what it might mean for their growth. Many talk grand things, and yet they never follow through on their dreams.
For some, the idea of the dream is all they need, but what happens when the dream has been . stopped too. early?
It is stilted. Wrecked. Stuttered. And the dream spews from the pours trying to get out. One should never stilt a dream.
After living in denial of what I wanted out of life, I realized I had put periods where they didn't belong, and also forgot to put them where they should have been.
We drop periods like unwanted receipts and they fall out of our pockets over-flowing as if we were in denial of how much we truly were spending. How many periods we were forgetting and overspending.
Our eyes need to be attune to the places, circumstances and people we need to put a period next to, and, those things in which we have put a period out of fear and not out of necessity.
eriods aren't just for writers.
They are a life thing.
©2014 Jeremy Lai
“Ellipsis, n.
The omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues”
"Vocal rest" he said.
Two weeks of cancelled plans and an artist learns when she is quiet. Oh yes, she learns.
It wasn't until eyes caught the ellipsis at the end of the page. An indication.
The . . . that signaled to fill in what was already obvious.
If an artist is caught in a physical war with a virus the ellipsis can only mean one thing, right?
"And now I must wait and rest."
Two weeks of tried silence has brought awareness to intention that was not there before. Two weeks of facing "What next?" and "Now what?".
Could two weeks be enough to bring a singing voice back to where it should be for the six weeks of musical rehearsal?
And 'Spring Awakening' may just be the name of the musical, but it also is the metaphorical title for all these emerging artists.
. . .
The drop of words and obvious meaning.
Dot Dot Dot.
A dot for every thought
A thought for every dot.
What does the ellipsis mean?
. . .
For this storyteller, ellipsis is a gift.
An ellipsis, an indication one needs to stop and put to words what seems superfluous to say.
It was a time for her to look at those three dots and figure out what they meant.
1) I am at the end of training, now I have to re-center with my vision
2) I need to face the fear, again, of being my own business, cheerleader, and success story
3) I want more now, then I did then.
Ellipsis, words needed to be written down and said aloud.
Words that can change your intention.
February brings us a full two months into the new year and many who attended have multiple projects beginning. I opened the night up for those who could, to bring their work to share. The results of the discussion and sharing was inspiring. I believe that I was so moved after this night, I found it hard to commit the time to attempt at capturing how this evening went.
Grab a treat & answer a question...
This month, the focus was on how to find the right time and atmosphere to match the needs and desires of each individual 'creative' in the room. Each of us have different lives and different ways we focus in on our work.
"What is your best creative time of day / atmosphere?"
Creative Time of Day
- A solid section of time (Full Morning, full afternoon, or full evening)
- Late late late in the wee hours of 12am and on
- Late 10pm - midnight/wrapping up at two or three am
Creative Atmosphere
- Music
- Working outside
- Driving time in car alone
- Bathtub alone and quiet
- White noise
- Dead quiet
- Food
It became very clear that a lot of 'creatives' feel an inspiring connection to the night hours and are 'for the most part' all living in a 'Day Persons World'.
Crayons for the multi-taskers in the room.
Navigating this, while knowing our most individual natures of how each 'creative' creates is critical to getting plans and dreams into action. Some rebel at deadlines and feel if we are 'told' to do something we become lethargic and care a less, but if we take ownership over our own work the desire never leaves.
Everyone has there own ticks and tocks to what makes us work.
After discussing these things the conversation was directed into how to take work independent after 'school' structure is over. The advice from one woman who has been balancing an intense career, along side her art career, expressed the concept of blending the two when neccessary.
All 'creatives' need to eat, but worrying about it is only a waste if you don't make a plan. "At a young age and an early start, she encouraged "'creatives' have more control on how they want their paths of work and art to go. Always be true to your self."
Taking the time to see the work of the women who attend is an incredible treat and a reminder of the amazing talent that sits in the room.
Having a belief system that everyone is an artist/creative/innovator at the core, only opens the mind to the type of work that one could do. Seeing the paintings, portfolio, and quick peeks at their work is an underlining moment to the truth of art. It comes from each individuals heart and spirit, and that is why it is worth doing.
"You know the marble game? I feel like the marble on the top." - A quote from a creative 'describing where she was at in her projects & journey'.