Learning = Inspiration: Mental Fireworks make good art

Hello, world,

Sorry for the long silence. I spent one week dealing with work issues, and last week not feeling well. To say the least, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks, and I’m glad to be back.

Sumer has officially arrived in Los Angleles, with the heat beating off the pavement, blazing hot car interiors, and afternoons spent in the pool. With the summer heat comes wonderful things like fresh fruit salads, sun dresses, beach buming, and friends coming to visit. And of course, let’s not forget, the all-important vacation! (mine starts in two weeks and I can’t wait!)

I got asked a very interesting question the other day that I thought would make a great topic for a blog post.

“Sassy, so why do you keep going to school and studying? Wouldn’t you get more done just working in the industry, sweetheart?”

Actually, I think the opposite is true, for me, at least. As a musician, I’ll never know it all. As a healer and yogini, to stop learning would effectively blocade my progress in my practice for myself and my patients. And as a person, I love change, and get bored with the status quo really quickly. I’m a gypsy at heart, and need to always be moving on, seeing what’s new, exploring and pushing my limits. It’s part of having butterfly as your spirit animal. :-d

Yep, it’s summer, and I am a student again. I’m taking a crystal therapy corse right now. I’ve already done my certification work, but felt like I could use training from a new perspective. Plus, things in my life have evolved, and additional education will greatly enhance how I function as a healer. It’s also nice to meet classmates--see who else is out there doing what I do, and how their techniques vary from my own.

I may be a yoga teacher, but I still have teachers of my own, and attend yoga classes on a regular basis. I teach, but I must also learn.

A degree doesn’t mean much in my field of commercial music, but I still want to go for my masters and doctorate soon, just to learn as much as I can about the subject I love. Learning, for me, equals knowledge. Knowledge equals growth, understanding, and an open doorway to advancement and new concepts.

We as artists never stop learning. Taking a color class, receiving updated training on technology, studying martial arts, reading, watching a documentary; in whatever way you can, fill your life with learning.

Time to re-visit that mental neighborhood I keep referring to. Bring a construction crew with you this time--neurons make great builders when given good building materials.

Have you ever noticed how downtown in your city may look kind of run down and crime-infested? Then city counsel approves an initiative to spend money on revitalizing the area. Suddenly, new buildings pop up; colorful streetlights replace the darkened broken ones. New trendy cafes push out the sleezy bars; apartments for high rent explode around the district; art galleries appear; and a few high-end shops open their doors. Slowly, a new crowd begins to trickle in. The bums, hookers and whinos who used to haunt these streets find other places to go. A few loyal troublemakers still hang around, but overall, the seediness of the area becomes artistic, rather than overtly dangerous. Somehow, the shabby shic appeals, rather than repulses.

Our brains work in exactly the same way. Without attention to detail, and a little time and yes, money, invested In our brilliance, we fizzle out. Before we know it, we’re a a few years out of school, and life got boring and monotonous. When you stagnate mentally, you kill off your artistic impulse. It feels easier to just do your daily routine, and not break it to allow inspiration in, or artwork out.

How in the world can you expect to create new, fresh, marketable art if you don’t feed your starving brain new ideas?

As artists, we can never know it all. There’s always a new fingering exercise I can practice, or a new color being released by your paint supplier. There’s a new computer program that makes graphic design a breeze, or maybe learning a foreign language allows you to incorporate new concepts and words into your lyrics. Even taking a yoga class and seeing the tall blonde in the mirror behind you can give you an idea for that character in that novel that’s been sitting dormant in your desk drawer. Go shopping and see what’s new this season. What’s in, and what’s out? Is it time to finally break out that leopard-print jacket and shoe design you’ve been hiding and start sending it to boutiques?

As you embark on your summer adventures, let yourself learn. You’ll be surprised at how easily learning opportunities just insert themselves into your path when you make room for them. It feels almost like they’re hunting you down, waiting just on the edges for you to give them the go ahead to manifest. Find opportunities to fill your mind with new things, and consider new ideas. The family that moved in across the street doesn’t speak English or decorate the house for the 4th of July, but maybe you can trade a backyard bbq with them in exchange for a lesson in foreign art or culture or language. Have patience for new concepts and people; they’re the artist’s best inspiration sometimes.

We tend to write, play, paint, and dance what we kno, what we’re familiar with. In your art this sumer, step outside the normal comfort zones you’ve drawn for yourself. I challenge you to break the boundaries, and learn to broaden your horizons and your expectations for your artwork.

And happy 4th of July! I remember seeing the fireworks as a kid, and this holiday is always a wash of memories and dreams for me. I love it!

When you see the fireworks explode across the sky in honor of our freedom tonight, close your eyes for a moment, and envision your artwork, your dreams, exploding up there for the world to see. Fireworks aren’t just pretty lights; they symbolize the pinnacle of our achievements. Put yourself up there across that sky in color, and feel what it will be like when you light up the world. Give yourself a match, and light the fuse.

Be safe, and have a wonderful weekend!

-Sarah

The Dreaded first date: analyzing the artistic process

I just got back from a closet raid. There are clothes piled all over the foot of my bed--discard pile, maybe pile… nothing in the YES pile yet. And I haven’t even started looking for shoes or makeup and jewelry yet!

How do we girls do this? Putting ourselves together for a first date is like decorating the damned Christmas tree! Or worse because you don’t take the Christmas ornaments, lights and tinsel off a thousand times until you get it just right.

From makeup to hair, nails, the colors I choose for my outfit and shoes… Every little detail counts. I, in effect, become a piece of walking talking artwork.

It’s one thing to have an artistic vision. Many of us have great ideas floating around in our heads for artwork of one kind or another. But manifesting those ideas is the hard part, or the part where many people find an excuse to shelf the idea and forget about it.

Think of your artwork like a first date. First you have to get up the courage to ask your date out… (getting started is the hardest part sometimes for me.) You could get shot down before you even get off the ground. If you do get a yes, then you have to plan where you’ll go and what you’ll do. What you’ll wear, what you’ll say and even the kiss at the end… it all requires forthought, preparation, execution, and spontaneity.

Forethought: What are you going to wear? Where are you going? How are you getting there? How long will you be there? It’s second nature for us to consider these questions when we plan a date.

But the artistic questions might not seem as obvious. What is the art you want to create. What are you trying to accomplish with the artwork? What kind of profit is involved, and how much will you have to expend before the profit rolls in? How are you going to put the artwork out there? How are you going to make the art in the first place?

I’m going to use music, since that’s my artform, but substitute your art in wherever necessary. I start with a song. What does the song need to convey to the audience, and how will I make it do that? Chords, melody, rhythm, all have to flow together to create an overall impression. Is it a song I need other players for? How will I pay them? Where will we meet to practice/record or perform?
You get the idea. There’s so many parts to planning artwork. But details are where it’s at.

Preparation: Getting dressed, doing my hair. Be sexy, but not slutty. What color should my outfit be? Does the color choice and cut of the clothes accentuate my good points and hide my imperfections? What colors should I use for my makeup? Hair up or down? Shoes—is he taller than me, or can I get away with heels? Should I make him wait just a little, or be ready right on time?

Again, details make the impression; the more put together and organized your artwork, the better it will be received. The more rehearsed the musicians are prior to hitting the studio, the tighter the sound will be. How are the instruments mixed? are the right people on the project? Is that the right feel for this song? Does the whole song flow well? What kind of snare do I want for this song, tight, or deep and ringing? Even the smallest detail matters.

As you are putting together your artwork, or considering how to put it together, remember that art is a growth process and requires one very special ingredient that snags most people.

Execution: From answering the door, to conversation over dinner, to leaning in for a kiss good night and going out on the date in the first place, a date takes execution and desire. Without that, you’re left home alone on a Saturday night.

Execution is the most important part of artwork. Get out there and just do it! You’ll never know unless you try. Even the best grammy-winning musicians make mistakes (and I have the tapes to prove it!) It takes a thousand wrong notes to hit the right one. Give yourself room to mess up, room to grow, and the chance to do both.

My makeup might not be perfect, but at least I’m trying. This guy might not be my eternal mate, but we’re having a good time. The movie was awful, but at least the food’s good! Art requires fluidity and flexibility from you. Things might not turn out just the way you envisioned them, but that is the fun of life.
Roll with it, and let the artwork happen to you, not the other way around.

Art is an experience in living. You could go on the date wearing Prada and Burberry, or you could go wearing a no-name designer that was within your budget, and really brings out your personality and your coloring. You could do what everyone else is doing artistically, or you could find your own voice and take a little longer to achieve success. Just because your art isn’t the hottest thing out there doesn’t mean it won’t be. And it certainly doesn’t mean you’re right or wrong. Those concepts are null and void in art. There is no right or wrong. It will either fit with what people want right now, or it won’t. It all depends on your execution, and the reception you get.

The execution is your job, the reception belongs to your date or the audience. You may be drop-dead gorgeous, but your date may prefer blonds. You may detest the food, but your date may be in seventh heaven over your eyes, and not notice a thing he’s eating.

Which brings up my last point. Learn to let go of your artwork. Once you’ve done all you can, let your audience do the rest.

I may have a wonderful first date tomorrow night, or it might be a bust. All I can do is prepare, be present, and let God and fate do the rest. Have fun with your artwork, enjoy what it brings you, and don’t be afraid to just watch what happens.

I’m gonna look gorgeous, I’m going to enjoy myself, and if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.

So get your art done right, enjoy yourself, and then kiss it goodbye and let it fly.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go re-organize my closet and clean up this mess! 

Prune the Tree, Harvest the Fruit: the Cultivation of Artistic Space

I’m on a balcony overlooking a beautiful pool. A mockingbird is sitting in a tree nearby, crooning out the most beautiful song. There’s a soft Pacific breeze playing with my hair, and children are laughing and splashing in the pool below me. I can hear the rustle of nearby leaves like a lullaby. It’s overcast, and the sun is just barely touching my face, disappearing behind scudding clouds every now and then. I like it best when it’s cloudy like this, cool and breezy, quiet and a little moody.

I often come up here to write, to think, practice or just sit and meditate. It’s beautiful here, the true definition of west coast living. Around me, I can hear the beating heart of the city--cars on the freeway, planes, garden machinery humming, crows and sparrows arguing over who-knows-what…

Becoming more in tune with your artwork requires you to become more in tune with yourself, and with the world around you. The places I live and the people I meet often wander into my songs and stories in one way or another.

Most people wouldn’t see my neighborhood as a place for an artist, but surprisingly, there’s a lot of us living here. Actors, musicians, painters, dancers, models, photographers, all on our way up or down the mountain of artistic success. Most of us are somewhere in the middle; more than a few are a little jaded with the industry, but still in love with the process of creation.

I live in a unique neighborhood. It’s not uncommon to see horses walking around here from the nearby equestrian center. Squirrels, possums and raccoons sneak over from Griffith Park, and even a skunk or two shows up for an unexpected visit. It’s a place where neighbors know you by name, and drop in unannounced just to chat and bring you treats. They know my name at the local stores and restaurants; they doat on Kodak and know the latest in my life through the grapevine. My starbucks knows my favorite flavor of tea. My Jambajuice has my order ready for me when I walk in. It’s a place in the middle of a whirling cityscape, but somehow, it hovers just outside the big city rhythm, safe, comforting, paradisal in its simple friendly existence.

I’ve never lived in a small town before. In Arizona, neighbors mostly kept to themselves, moving in and out like gypsies. I knew a few of my neighbors, and I might get a smile here or there from clerks at the store who knew me, but for the most part, I stayed in my circle of friends and colleagues, and didn’t venture much outside of that, and neither did anyone else.

Stepping outside the normal boundaries of your life can be a huge asset to your creativity. Meeting people from all walks of life, brought together by circumstance is an opportunity we can’t afford to pass up. Change means growth, momentum, inner strength, breaking down resisting barriers, and opening our minds.

Ask yourself this question: When was the last time I opened my mind, and gave myself room to grow?

You might be very surprised by the answer.

Give yourself and your art room to grown,and a safe place to do the growing. It’s important to place ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally, in an area where growth isn’t something we intentionally do. It should happen naturally, like a tree.

We as humans, as artists, were given the blessings of growth, change and expression. If we bury those gifts, and let them stagnate in the rush of life--bills, worries, relationships--they’ll be like a seed beneath the snow, never able to emerge.

I love the book “The Secret Garden.” The garden lies dead and barren until Mary brushes away the ivy and finds the hidden door. She unlocks the door and begins tending the garden with loving care and attentiveness. Metaphorically speaking, the garden is your inner artist, your soul.

When was the lasttime you opened that hidden door, and snuck in to spend some quality time with yourself? You might have to do some serious pruning and weeding, and it might take a while to see sprouts poking their tiny heads out of the cold hard earth. But with enough love and care, any planted seed will grow.

Each of us requires different inner self-care. Whether you need beautiful colors around you, in your house or in nature, or you feel more at home with good music and lots of friends surrounding you, create that space for yourself. Actively go out and cultivate your garden this week. Find what makes you grow, opens you, allows you to receive the rain and sunlight, and reach for the Heavens and your utmost potential.

I love fragrances, warm familiar scents of flowers, fruits, and spices. I love unlocking my door, and walking into my house to find myself surrounded in the scents of vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, white tea, citrus, or lilies. I love feeling beautiful, so I take the extra time to wear clothing and jewelry that makes me feel peaceful, happy, and successful. Reading allows me to step out of my world and into another for a while, so I read at night before I go to bed. I love teas and inhaling the fragrant steam, so I always have the kettle on and a cup of tea near me.

Spiritually, I grow when I’m at church. I love being with Church family and nurturing my spirit in God’s love and truth. Nothing is more miraculous to me than serving in the temple and studying the gospel of Christ. Prayer is a daily part of my existence, at all times, and in all things.

Second only to God, is my need to create, heal, and inspire. I do this through my music and my writing and my Yoga. If I do not create, I stagnate, I hurt, I fail to move forward in my life.

What things do yu do to care for your own inner artist? How do you inspire yourself, invigorate your art, and create an artistic space that allows you to grow and produce fruit?

new blog up: Sassy's crystals

The new blog is up and going over at Sassy's Crystals.

This blog will still be going here, too.

The cryrstal blogs will be all things Yoga, aromatherapy, massage, crystal healing, dietary and nutrition, herbal and holistic. Enjoy!

And a big thanks goes to Seth, who helps spruce this blog up and gets my links active.
Follow seth's adventures. You will never cease to be amused.

Also: one of my favorite authors comes out with a new book on June 2. If you haven't ever gotten a taste of Yasmine Galenorn's storytelling, then you are suffering a serious case of literary deprivation. Go get your copy of Demon Mistress, and enter the world of the deArtigo sisters.

To partake in all the Yasmine fun, go browse her blog.

As you can see, today's Artist's Way theme is shamelessly plug those who inspire you/add to your artwork. If you like an artist, spread the word so they can continue doing what they do/make enough to live their art. Every time you get a chance, talk your artists/writers/musicians up!!! :)
They need to make a bumper sticker that reads

Save the artist... remember the release date! :-d

Artistic inspiration ambush: clean up your dirty mind!

Welcome back to your normally scheduled blog topic: The Artist’s Way... sort of. Can anything abou this blog be considered normal anyway??? Not when I’m at the keyboard… I haven’t blogged about the Artist’s Way for a while, so let’s get back to it!

Before diving in, I need to cover a few quick housekeeping items.

First, music biz Q&A part 2 is coming! Come visit on Friday for all the fun.

Second, I’ve had a ton of questions on crystal healing and Yoga, so starting next week, I’ll put up a whole new blog devoted to living yoga, crystals, holistic healing, herbs, and anything concerning mind, body or spirit. I’ll let you know the link.

Okay on to today’s blog, finding inspiration.

I don’t have a set formula for where or when artistic inspiration will strike me. I can be reading, watching TV, going through something in my life, joking with friends over dinner, hearing a talk at Church… All of these scenarios are full of ah-ha moments. Ah-ha moment: when the hand of inspiration reaches out and smacks you in the head and commands: “Make me! Create me! Give me life, a voice, a form.”

I’ve found artistic inspiration to be an equal-opportunity attacker with no compunctions or shame whatsoever. It invades my thoughts when I'm dead asleep, jerking me awake and plunging me into the midst of a new song before I even figure out where I am or what time it is. It steals my peace when I'm eating dinner or having a good phone conversation with a friend. "That would be a great lyric line!" pops out of my mouth at the most inopportune moments, followed by frenzied hunning and a mad dash for the nearest instrument. This is a familiar scene to all who know me--one they probably dread because it's usually followed by a long period of them being banished, and me hacking my way through the tangle of another tune or story.

But it likes to find me most often during my most private moments. Music walks right in while I'm stealing a moment of peace in the shower. I'm usually full of suds, enjoying a hot soak, and some solitude.. and the next thing I know there's this stranger sharing the shower with me, rocketing around inside my head going "Let me out! Let me out!"

"I didn't invite you in," would be my first response, but then again, that mental gate is standing wide open, even when I'm butt naked and dripping wet, running with a towel half-on for my digital recorder or a scrap of paper.

Anyone know if they've invented water-proof paper and pens yet? Not even the digital recorder can save me when the shower ambush occurs. Nasty, scandalous, dirty little sneaks, those ideas. And yet, so satisfying. :)

Whenever and wherever inspiration hits, it’s usually a head-on collision, an the only fatality is that of bordom. My pride might be injured, my mind might be pried open and lit up like Christmas, but you can bet that I feel better after I get it all out.

Keeping artistic inspiration locked up inside is, for me, like turning myself into a human volcano. Too many stifled ideas, and I promise you, Mt. St. Sassy will erupt and spew stuff everywhere with no regard for damages or bystanders. It’s far better to control the inspiration, direct and channel it, let it out all over paper instead of some poor friend’s unsuspecting ear.

I think it’s time we re-visit the Mental Neighborhood from a few months ago. Take a walk around your neighborhood and do inventory. Are there a few ideas you stuffed into hidey-holes, promising yourself you’d make time somewhere down the line to fix them up nd show them to the world. Is that a discarded idea I see being blown down the street like a piece of flotsome!

Grab a notebook and a pen (or a computer if you’re blind or a geek), and go clean up that internal neighborhood. Don’t litter by just dropping ideas all over the place, pick them up anddispose of them properly, onto a piece of paper, or nto a waiting instrument, piece of clay, canvas—whatever form you work in! The world likes new ideas, so throw yours out where they’ll have a chance to flourish!

Blind drivers coming to a road near you!!!

You’re running late for a meeting, and the last thing you feel like doing is braving L.A. traffic. You run out to the car, put your route to the office into the GPS, and pull up your fave playlist on your Ipod. When you pull up to the stoplight, you happen to glance to your left, where you see a Corvette revving her engine. You do a double-take as the Corvette moves out onto the freeway beside you, then passes you by… There’s a Guide Dog sitting in the passenger seat, tongue lolling, ears flying in the breeze… but the only person in that car is in the driver’s seat…

Hey, guess what, it’s not that far away. Before you know it, you’ll be seeing blind people all over the road, and not just in the cross-walks or on public transit.

I woke up this morning, and since I didn’t have to leap out of bed and make a mad dash for Yoga class, I turned on the TV for a moment, and came across a documentary on the science channel about robotic cars. The driverless cars had to negotiate their way through a sixty mile race-course without any human intervention. Tasks ranged from maneuvering through a traffic circle and parking lot, to merging on a high-speed freeway. The bots faced a dirt road, and had to figure out traffic jams.

While the technology was developed to save the lives of soldiers by sending automatons into battle, it’s effects will be far felt. Over ninety percent of vehicular accidents today are caused by human error. Not only would automated cars allow blind people to drive, and revolutionize safety for combat, it would completely change the face of civilian driving.

While some of you read this and moan because it would take away your cruising fun, or damage your ability to speed to a meeting, think about the bigger picture for a minute. It’s on the horizon, so get ready! I’ll be sharing the road with you before long, and baby, I can’t wait!!!

Oh, and before you ask, yes, I have driven a car before. :-d No, I will not divulge where or when.

This and other technological developments in the past fifteen years or so have completely changed how we as a society function, obviously, but it has really had an impact on how blind people access life, and accomplish their work. From specialized computers designed specifically for the blind, to cell phones and computers made for the general public that are modified for our use, more and more products are blind-friendly these days.

There are still plenty of hurtles to be overcome, such as inability to fully access print materials, but even that is changing. I can snap a picture of a document with a cell phone now, and read it, or scan it with a regular OCR scanner. Gone are the days of luging around a million pounds of Braille--now a meg or two of memory on a laptop or in a flash card and all my books are at my fingertips.

A common misconception is that blind person = musician. Not all of us make music, but for those of us who do, the days of being relegated to the studio or stage and bared from the control room are history. Thanks to David Pinto and Dancing Dots, we are now able to engineer and produce as quickly and proficiently as anyone else.

This accesability extends to almost every field. In medicine, in science, in politics, in law, retail, engineering and mathematics, there are blind people advancing the limits of what is possible every day.

Growing up, my dearest wish was to become a veterinarian. With advances in technology, that goal is probably attainable for an ambicious blind person today, or it soon will be. If, in a few years, your surgeon, president or police officer is blind, don’t be surprised.

It just proves there is no speed limit on ability.

Brenda Novak diabetes Auction and Retinoblastoma Awareness week: Spread the word and save lives!

There are two very important health-rlated issues I would like to bring your attention to throughout the coming week and month.

First, the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction is up and going strong.

Click on the auction link and buy yourself some goodies while also giving money to fight one of the top killers in the world today. There are items for everyone and every budget up there, and remember every little bit helps, so get over there and start bidding!

Secondly, it’s World Retinoblastoma Awareness week, and we need your help.

I was six months old when I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, an aggressive cancer that attacks the retinas and optic nerves of children primarily under the age of five. As you can imagine, it is devastating to parents who find out their little babies must suddenly be plunged into the nightmarish hell of chemo therapy, radiation, surgery, dialated eyes and hospitals. I underwent nearly three years of treatment, including seventy surgeries on my face, high doses of open bema radiation, chemo therapy, and yes, I do remember quite a bit of it vividly, even though I was very young.

My mother began noticing something was wrong with my eyes when I was three or four months old. She took me to several pediatricians and opthomologists who insisted that there was nothing more seriously wrong with me than a case of lazy-eye. She noticed I had trouble focusing on objects, I seemed to be in pain, and my eyes in photographs were very red. In her heart, she knew something was seriously wrong, and she kept taking me to different doctors, until one opthomologist dialated my eyes, and broke the news to my parents that I was very, very sick, and needed immediate surgery. A mother’s heart is never wrong, and my mother’s fortitude and perseverance saved my life.

Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles was one of only two hospitals in the United States at the time able to adequately treat me, so my parents began bringing me back and forth from Arizona every two weeks for care.

I do not need to tell you the strain my parents endured over the next several years. Watching your child fight for her life is a pain I can’t begin to understand because I have no children of my own yet, but I know it is heart-breaking.

When I was three, I lost my sight to the cancer when they removed both of my eyes and replaced them with prosthetics.

I am a survivor of retinoblastoma. I know first-hand the pain it inflicts upon children and their families, and I am asking for your help. It’s no coincidence that this awareness week falls so close to Mother’s Day and National prayer day.

Please say a prayer or send your thought to all the families facing the challenges and trauma of childhood cancer. Every prayer, every thought, every outstretched heart and hand makes a huge difference.

And above all else, please spread the word. If parents don’t know the signs to look for, this disease can rage out of control like a wildfire, and spread to a baby’s bones or brain, killing an infant. Retinoblastoma now has a high survival rate in the United States and Great Britain, but in other countries, this disease is still ravaging families and killing children. Only when the disease is stopped before it spreads to bones or brain is it treatable at this time, so detecting it early is vital.

Symptoms of retinoblastoma include red eyes in photographs in infants or children under age five, crossed or bloodshot eyes, difficulty in visual focus and facial pain or crying at harsh light.

For more info on retinoblastoma, please visit Retinoblastoma International.

For links and resources for parents and families of RB children, please visit Retinoblastoma Arizona.

One word from you can save a child’s life and eyesight. Spread the word to everyone you know about Retinoblastoma, and do your part to stop childhood eye cancer. Speak up, save a life; it is that simple.

Thank you.