There are lots of reasons for my absence these last seven months. Like so many artists, my reasons for creating anything were challenged by the election results in 2016. Many of us were asking ourselves if our work needed to be more political, less political, more about hope, less about anger, more about how to move through a world that was not the world we’d hoped for, or, if it was better if our work was left undone. In terms of this blog, the honest answer for me was better to leave it undone.
When I don’t stay in touch, though, I miss you. I know it sounds corny, but just knowing you’re there has always done me a world of good.
Instead of writing here, I’ve been practicing the piano and working on a book that I hope will be done later this year. Happily, three of my stories have already been, or are about to be published. The first two were published in two separate volumes called Stories of Music (Timbre Press, 2015, 2017) the third will be published by Bycopa Literary Review in July. All of the stories from the book are about my songs, songwriting, and how things I’ve done, or which have happened to me, caused my songs to be written. I like the book a lot. It feels like I’ve been writing it since I started creating music in the ‘80s. How songs are written and why they are written, has always fascinated me. And because I am who I am, the songs I write have always been the most interesting to me. I know that sounds narcissistic, but I think most artists feel that way about their work. I hope they do! What I mean is that a creative person (and that includes all of us) is most passionate about their own work. I don’t see how it could be otherwise. How would we have the energy to carry on with our work without that passion?
Last week my friend Donna Miller lent me a notebook of articles she’s written for the 99 Club, which is an organization that supports women pilots. Women Pilots! H ow exciting is that? Women Pilots make up 5% of the worldwide pool of commercial aviators. I bring this up because Donna writes about Courage in a way that inspires me. Can you imagine what it would take for anyone to learn how to fly and then to take an enormous machine with 130 passengers or more, into the sky and back down to the earth. Donna’s courage and commitment to excellence reminds me to continue doing what I love, always working towards something new and better.
The world is unsettled. The silver lining is that the turbulence gives me an opportunity to create a life that’s meaningful despite what’s going on around me. That’s always been the challenge, it’s just clearer now, and that’s a good thing.
This gorgeous creature is one of 30 or so who rests in the trees above 2nd Street here in Westcliffe, Colorado
