To continue the birthing of my dream and in addition to my reaction to the conversation ignited by the artist Childish Gambino, I am off to spend two weeks in Northern California in order to take time off to further develop a working template of visual art, spoken word/performance art traveling show. I am creating the show in the studio. I have original art templet created by myself and three newspapers from the LA Times. It is a dreamland of mixed media. Broadsides of uncommon social conversations put together to create a modern quilting of ideas, words, and images.
The show has been planned for a year and it seems to coincide with the same timing as the release of the “This is America” video. I have things to say and I am taking this time to feel and reveal myself. I am continuing to make my journey home to the creative place of my belonging. For me, it is a place of freedom.
Every breath I take and every step I take is a gift of living. I know this as I open my eyes this morning. I know I am blessed with life and the opportunity to be my full self, my whole self. I have the right to express my voice and I have the privilege to be my voice. I take the lead to be a sacred artist in modern times. I am calling myself to action again this time. I am following my north star with a deep sense conviction and the grace of faith.
The journey has been long. I have been working on this concept or social dream for the last 7 years. A Sacred Artist in Modern Times has been an evolving performance/ spoken word/visual art show with an intent of purpose to uplift, inform and inspire social change and awareness. The show has had many faces from elegant gallery spaces like Seven Degrees 2013 and 2016, to be on the grounds of the summer show the Sawdust Festival 2016-17, and the Neighborhood Congregational Church as a one man show, all in Laguna Beach, California. It has also performed in Fort Braggs at the gallery of Tim Carmody last year, 2017 and again this year coming up on the 1st of June, 2018.
If I were a woman you would recognize how pregnant I am and how ready I have become for my birthing time to arrive. I am a human being opening up my heart, a human who is revealing the beauty of the chambers of my heart. My words, thoughts, and visuals are my children and I care for them as if they were the breaths of my being. I have come to realize to create change you have to learn how to manifest. Change is always a constant. Manifestation is the next level of action beyond creating change. The next level is transformation. I have taken upon myself to embark upon this journey and my original intention is still in place. I have moved with the organic developmental flow of the show to understand what is needed to create the transformation of the show itself, in order to reach out to an audience. Yet again. There is a concept of following divine timing. There seems to be a plan happening in divine design. Without knowing all the details, I am willing to be transformed.
Hopefully, my transformed show will inspire a little transformation within our society. Hopefully, it will reach the audience and inspire the audience as I have been inspired by “This is America.” I may not as technically experienced as so many, but I have my own techniques and personal experience that qualifies me to tell a beautiful, teaching story.
This is a prime time to be an artist in this modern America because there is so much to be addressed and so much that needs to be said with a clarity of purpose. I want to be a part of the developmental change which I feel is needed in this country. I want to use my gifts of creation to aide the healing of my America, the healing of my planet. This world is my place of belonging and I am willing to stand my ground, plant my feet on the ground along with my fresh seeds falling to the ground. I am not afraid. I am determined, to be a part of the healing salve, the return to compassionate thinking, compassionate being. I am determined to be love and resolution in action. I have moved from a point of confidence to a flow of clarity. Seeing the power of Childish Gambino, Danny Glover’s, “This is America” gives me the inspiration to be more. It gives me more permission to have clarity and a chance to be my authentic voice.
Creating confrontational art can be tricky, but I am so glad I got to experience Donald Glover’s inspirational video. Watching his expertize gave me the confidence I needed to reel in the dream and put it in its place of belonging. Viewing it allowed me to see an accomplish artist treat a volatile issue with grace and dignity, giving to the audience a story to savor. I feel flexible and full of freedom.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: iStock