Be in Awe of Your Own Work
I hosted one of my art salons last week, and our topic centered around the famous Martha Graham quote in which she talks about an artist’s work and says, “there is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through your action, and because there is only one of you in...
Your Wild and Precious Life
I so enjoyed the new movie, Nyad. It’s the true story of Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60, decides to try again to complete the grueling 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida, a feat she first attempted 30 years earlier. How can you not be inspired by someone who pushes her body beyond...
Changed for Good
The musical, Wicked, is celebrating its 20th year on Broadway. It takes place in The Land of Oz, before the arrival of Dorothy, and tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba and Galinda, who later become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. So, I pulled up my favorite songs...
Loving the World Through Story
A while back I was listening to a podcast, or maybe an NPR interview, I’m afraid I can’t remember. The guest speaker said something about stories helping us fall in love with the world again, and that’s all that stuck with me. Not the rest of the interview, not the name of the show, not...
Living the Question
On a recent trip to New York, my husband and I visited the Morgan Library. The library’s permanent collection includes pages from a Mozart symphony dated 1782, a Rubens’ drawing circa 1613, and a Gutenberg bible dated 1454. As we and many other visitors wandered through J. P. Morgan’s study and library it occurred to...
The Possible Impossible Dream
Last weekend, my daughter and I premiered our play, Wave Me Good-Bye, in New York! The night before, the weather channel issued a flash flood warning for the city, and our theater was located in a basement. I lay in bed fretting about that and all the other things that could go wrong with the...
It’s So Exciting
I’ve been crazy busy this week getting ready for the New York premiere of our new play, Wave Me Good-bye, based on my children’s book of the same name. So, since that’s all I can think about right now, I thought I’d share with you the fascinating story behind the story. Way back in 1998,...
What Are Your Highest Aspirations?
This past week I hosted one of my Bursts of Brilliance® Art Salons at our local museum of art. Our discussion topic for the evening centered around the fantasies that pull us into our art careers and keep us going when things get tough. I brought up this quote by Louisa May Alcott: “Far away...