Well, I am over halfway into this crazy challenge called FAWM (February Album Writing Month). The object is to write 14 songs in 28 days. And then get some semblance of them posted to the official FAWM website, which is:
http://www.fawm.org
So far... I am a bit behind. I have 4 songs posted up there (plus at least 1 collaboration that will be posted by a fellow FAWMer known as CTS), but really and truly, I have, I think, 7 more songs that are in various states of unfinished-ness. Hopefully I will finish those and get them posted to the website soon. Plus I am doing a couple of other collaborations with other FAWM'ers in the competition.
Still, even if I don't complete all 14 songs by the 28th, I can safely say that just the fact that I have even 5 done is major progress compared to what I would have written this month without a challenge to make me write. So in that respect, I am already a winner, which is all the FAWM competition is all about. There's not really any gold pot at the end of the rainbow or anything (although a good track might end up on their yearly showcase CD). But I have met some truly supportive and loving fellow musicians and songwriters. And we have pushed each other to create beyond our normal boundaries. That's a blessing itself.
There are similar "competitions" or challenges that are online to cover all sorts of other artistic endeavors. Some of you may be familiar with NanoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month, http://www.nanowrimo.org/). I know that "pressure" doesn't neccessarily work for everyone. For some artists, it amounts to feeling like you are being "worked". But for those of you who want to extend themselves, to ... stretch a little... then maybe consider one of these challenges?
In my case, I know that nobody will kick me or yell at me or do anything bad at all if I don't complete this challenge; and it doesn't feel like work to me at all. Two of the songs I have produced this month so far, in fact, were simply inspired improvisations where I just sat down in front the piano, turned on the "tape recorder" and just let my conscious be the guide to what I play and sing. Sort of a musical "morning pages" as it were. And that alone has been very therapeutic.
I encourage you all to visit the site and listen to my music (you can search for "Roy Estel Hughes" or just "Roy" on the site), or anybody else's music on the site for that matter. There are some incredibly gifted musicians from all over the world that are part of this amazing FAWM community, and I bet you find something you will like from at least a few of them.
And I encourage you each, should the muse strike you, to try challenging yourself in your respective art forms in this manner, if it suits you. You may astonish yourself! I certainly have pushed my own envelope through this process.
More to come...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Video of International Sing Wherever You Go Day
Well I just edited this video and it makes me cringe to think it's out there in the internets. What I want to do, though, is feel the feelings of cringe so I can let go of self consciousness. I know that if I'm to grow I have to do this. I have to make a fool of myself and embarrass myself in order to get better. I know that self consciousness is the antithesis of creativity, and if this helps me be just a littloe bit less self conscious - just by going out of my comfort zone - then it's been useful.
Check out the facebook group!
Check out the facebook group!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
(Accidental) Artist's Way Association Of Austin
We have a new Artist's Way Group here in Austin!! We are excited about it and we hope that artistic folks of all genres join us!! Here's the link:
Much Warmth,
Deanie
Thursday, January 29, 2009
International SING WHEREVER YOU GO day
Inspired by my friend Jemima and the people who started the International Talk Like a Pirate Day, this is a day where we're encouraging at least ONE MILLION PEOPLE to sing their hearts out for a day, wherever they are, and whatever they're doing.
CLICK HERE FOR THE BLOG.
Just like in the old musicals, when people would just break into song for no apparent reason, this is just for the hell of it, just for the fun.
BUT if you want to start charities, marathons or anything else, please do so.
If you want to do karaoke, or get the karaoke people involved, please do so.
We have a month before the first global singalong, so please get involved, and tell all your friends. This can be something huge, and quite easily!
Search Facebook for the group, and get your friends involved RIGHT NOW!
CLICK HERE FOR THE BLOG.
Just like in the old musicals, when people would just break into song for no apparent reason, this is just for the hell of it, just for the fun.
BUT if you want to start charities, marathons or anything else, please do so.
If you want to do karaoke, or get the karaoke people involved, please do so.
We have a month before the first global singalong, so please get involved, and tell all your friends. This can be something huge, and quite easily!
Search Facebook for the group, and get your friends involved RIGHT NOW!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Am I missing something?
It seems virtually always to be the case that those with the greatest talent are inevitably the most humble, as their greatest concern is the work itself, and not their own egos. So what happens is that they don't promote or push themselves for fear of being crass or aggressive. How can you be a great artist, after all, unless you're sensitive and aware?
I've had yet another falling out with the idiot writer/director of the film I've been working on over the past 6 months. He's ended up sending me a tirade of insults (none of which have been witty, articulate or clever, I might add) and they really tell me "where he's coming from" as a person.
Thing is, he's not much good at what he's done. But the key thing is, he's done it. And the second thing is, he's proud of it, or doesn't care too much who he treads on to make the film.
He reminds me somewhat of a bulldozer trampling across a park, intending to build a building. Everything he's trampling over has potential, and beauty, and history, and subtlety, but his singleminded, broad, crass actions are just ignoring all that. He only sees what he wants to see and, although there'll be something at the end of it: some road or building, or skyscraper; and lots of people will look at it and comment on it's size and brightness and how it stands out against everything else; nobody will see what could have been had he bothered to be careful, and listen to others, and be more aware.
And so bullies make their noise, and the aggressive win, and marketing people push second or third rate, pointless products with clever advertising, and the world becomes that bit more crass.
Am I missing something?
I long to write a screenplay that rips through the bullshit and stands for something better than the kind of crap we get in films so much in America: that loud, overblown, pushy, meaningless crap that The Public has been so numbed to that it doesn't even realise it expects it.
But I have so little faith in myself to muster the enthusiasm to carry through what's needed - ie be aggressive enough in The Market - to make something that's good and yet at the same time not be a complete prick in the making and selling of it.
Does there have to be a compromise, I wonder?
I've had yet another falling out with the idiot writer/director of the film I've been working on over the past 6 months. He's ended up sending me a tirade of insults (none of which have been witty, articulate or clever, I might add) and they really tell me "where he's coming from" as a person.
Thing is, he's not much good at what he's done. But the key thing is, he's done it. And the second thing is, he's proud of it, or doesn't care too much who he treads on to make the film.
He reminds me somewhat of a bulldozer trampling across a park, intending to build a building. Everything he's trampling over has potential, and beauty, and history, and subtlety, but his singleminded, broad, crass actions are just ignoring all that. He only sees what he wants to see and, although there'll be something at the end of it: some road or building, or skyscraper; and lots of people will look at it and comment on it's size and brightness and how it stands out against everything else; nobody will see what could have been had he bothered to be careful, and listen to others, and be more aware.
And so bullies make their noise, and the aggressive win, and marketing people push second or third rate, pointless products with clever advertising, and the world becomes that bit more crass.
Am I missing something?
I long to write a screenplay that rips through the bullshit and stands for something better than the kind of crap we get in films so much in America: that loud, overblown, pushy, meaningless crap that The Public has been so numbed to that it doesn't even realise it expects it.
But I have so little faith in myself to muster the enthusiasm to carry through what's needed - ie be aggressive enough in The Market - to make something that's good and yet at the same time not be a complete prick in the making and selling of it.
Does there have to be a compromise, I wonder?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Making Art of Your Censor
A few years ago, I did this piece of my Censor (my grandma Anastasia). She was a bit like a female version of Scrooge. Her favorite saying was "Ya don't work, ya don't eat."
By 13, I stopped doing art, because I didn't think I could make a living at it. I somehow absorbed my grandma's thinking.
After I started working with the Artist's Way, I began to see the impact she had on my life. So, I decided to transform her from "grim granny" to "grinning granning."
It's hard to see this from the pic, but I've changed her favorite saying to "Ya don't play, ya don't feast."
Saturday, January 17, 2009
breakfast 16th Jan
I've got so into making my fruit breakfast now, that I take a photo of them when I'm really drooling.
This was today's effort.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Flashes 01/12/09
It's been coming
In flashes and snatches
Splashed against a wall
Painted red with rebellion
My heart held the key
And Peter left the gate
Unguarded
Slipping through
Like a peep in silence
I am a remnant
Remembered
Once woven into a tapestry
Holier than ever I was
And yet I am
Friday, January 9, 2009
The Yoga of Writing: A Women's Meditation and Writing Retreat
if you are interested in hearing more about this retreat, contact stacythrash@yahoo.com or call 512-484-0811.
The Yoga of Writing: A Women’s Meditation & Writing RetreatMarch 27-29, 2009Alma de Mujer Retreat and Conference CenterAustin, TX
Meditation and Writing
When we give attention to silence, stillness, and present moment awareness we will dive into our inner space and knowing. You’ll transcend your external world, your senses and your thought, and bask in the womb of spaciousness and creativity, then you’ll reemerge to express your story.
Silence
What is beyond the farthest star or inside the smallest quark? More. Infinity. Similarly we also have no limits to our energy fields. Who are we really? With regular practice your sensory perceptions increases – for instance, it’s not difficult to feel someone’s love or anger from across a room or even in the realm of the sixth sense. We’ll explore the unseen yet palpable energy that exists around us. And we’ll explore the expression of it in our writing.
Nature
We’ll be informed and inspired by the natural beauty of the Alma de Mujer retreat property in Austin, TX. Alma de Mujer is a retreat/conference center located in the beautiful foothills at Lake Travis with a fertile valley surrounded by trees and streams. A meditation knoll peeks over a quiet pond. Canoeing, Volleyball, and a Jacuzzi are also available.
Where: Alma de Mujer Retreat and Conference Center
13621 FM 2769
Austin, TX 78726
Phone: (512) 258-3880Website: www.main.org/alma
When: Friday – Sunday, March 27-29
Schedule (subject to changes):
Friday
Check in cabins between 3:00 and 4:00 pm
Program begins at 4:00 pm
Dinner (included in tuition) 6:00 - 7:30 pm, served in the Main Lodge Dining Room
Program 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Saturday
Optional (included) Breakfast in the Main Lodge Dining 8:00 – 9:00 am
Program 9:00 am – 12 noon
Lunch (included) 12 noon – 1:30 pm, Main Lodge Dining
Program 1:30 – 5:00 pm
Dinner Break (on your own)
Optional Program
Sunday
Optional (included) Breakfast in the Main Lodge 8:00 – 9:00 am
Program 9:00 – 11:00 am
Closing 11:00 – 11:30 am
Checkout 11:30 am
Tuition:
q Early registration, 30 days in advance, $475 per person (includes 4 meals and 2 nights lodging)
q Late registration less than 30 days in advance, $495 per person (includes 4 meals and 2 nights lodging)
q Non-lodging option (available after lodging capacity is full) $425 per person, includes 4 meals
Your course fee includes the Meditation and Writing Program taught by experienced facilitators, Sarah McLean and Victoria Nelson. (See their bio’s below.) Tuition also includes dinner on Friday night, breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. Two nights shared lodging in the Alma Treehouse Cabins included until capacity is filled. We encourage staying in the lodge for the full retreat experience, but will accept non-lodging guests after lodging is full. Dinner is on your own on Saturday evening. There are several area restaurants nearby. Tuition does not include transportation.
Cancellation Policy:
Your deposit is fully refundable less a 20% cancellation fee if you cancel in writing at least 10 days before the retreat. After that date, it is nonrefundable, but is transferable and can be applied in full to another meditation course or retreat with the Sedona Meditation Training Co. within a year. If you cancel less than 48 hours before the retreat, your retreat fee will be forfeited.
What to bring:
Personal bath towel, bath cloth, and toiletries. (Bedding linens are provided.) Paper, pen, an open mind, water bottle, and comfortable clothes. Bring a meditation cushion if you use one. This is a tobacco free retreat. If you smoke, you’ll have to go off-site to do so.
Directions:The Alma de Mujer Retreat and Conference Center is located a few miles past Hwy 620 and FM 2222 intersection near Lake Travis.
From the airport, take Hwy 71 West about 8.6 miles, bear right onto TX 360 North and follow 9.9 miles to FM222 Exit. Go West (left) on FM 2222 and follow 5.2 miles, cross 620 intersection and road becomes Bullock R. for 3.1 miles. Bullock Rd. dead ends into FM 2769. Turn right. Alma Retreat Center entrance is 1/2 mile on the right. (approx 45 minutes)
Coming from North or South Austin: Take Mopac (Hwy 1) and exit FM 2222/Northland Dr. Go West on FM 2222 and follow about 8.5 miles, cross hwy 620 intersection and road becomes Bullock Hollow Rd. Follow Bullock Hollow Rd. until it dead ends into FM 2769 and turn right. Alma Retreat Center is ½ mile down on the right.Your Facilitators:Sarah McLean
Along with my 19-year daily meditation practice, my experience in spiritual work includes serving as the founding education director of Deepak Chopra’s Center for Wellbeing, and as director of Byron Katie’s School for the Work, and assistant to Seat of the Soul author, Gary Zukav. Not only were each one of these pioneers great company, each was a best-selling author.
My aim is to make meditation accessible to anyone who wants to learn, and to integrate it with creative practices and everyday life. I’ve explored world spiritual traditions: I was a 2-year resident in a Zen Buddhist monastery, lived in an ashram in India, bicycled along the Silk Route through Pakistan, and trekked the Golden Triangle in Asia. I wrote about each experience and continue to express myself in the practice of writing – and am informed by meditation.
I now teach meditation throughout Arizona and wherever I am invited. I am also an avid writer of personal stories and have worked professionally as an editor. My columns on mind/body health are featured regularly in the Green Living Magazine, the Four Corners Magazine, and various online newsletters. I look forward to being with you, tapping into creativity, and expanding our awareness together. I love spending time writing with my writing partner Victoria, you’ll love her too.
Victoria Nelson
Whenever I find myself in museums or reading a great book, I become alive in ways I had never experienced in board rooms or business gatherings. After my mother died at the age of 59 in 1993, I followed my secret ambition to learn to paint and write fiction. Her death gave me the courage to quit a successful business career to become a full time artist. It was her final gift to me. And since 1994, I’ve given my heart and time to both endeavors equally.
I was born in the Dominican Republic, an Island in the Caribbean Ocean. My father was extremely political, and in 1972, his career led my family to migrate to the United States. Two years after we settled in New Jersey, my father died unexpectedly of heart attack at the age of 43, leaving my mother, me, and my three siblings to figure out how to navigate this foreign country on our own. I focused on achieving the American dream of material success, and in 1985 I graduated with a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University in Tempe. I successfully climbed the corporate ladder in the computer industry for ten years. When I quit my high powered job to pursuit painting and writing, my family and friends thought I had lost my mind. In a way I had. My soul demanded that I pursue my dream of becoming an artist.
It’s been 14 years since I took that leap into the unknown. I plan every day around meditating, spending time in nature, writing and painting, and my life as an artist has exceeded all my expectations. In the fall, winter, and spring, the light and the contrasting colors of Sedona are a daily source of inspiration to me. In the summers, the sea and the dramatic light of Monhegan Island in Maine are my muses. I am a self taught painter and writer. In 2007, my poem “Ancient Elements” was published in the Northern Arizona Poetry Anthology Collared Piccary and my paintings were exhibited at the University of New England Museum’s “On Island” show featuring women artists of Monhegan Island. My paintings are shown at the Lupine Gallery in Monhegan Island and by appointment in Sedona. A book of short stories will is due to be published this year.
Sedona Meditation Training & Retreats
PO Box 1178, Sedona, AZ 86339
(928) 254-0064 Cell , (928) 204-0067 office, (866) 654-1705 fax, info@sedonameditation.com, www.SedonaMeditationTraining.com
The Yoga of Writing: A Women’s Meditation & Writing RetreatMarch 27-29, 2009Alma de Mujer Retreat and Conference CenterAustin, TX
Meditation and Writing
When we give attention to silence, stillness, and present moment awareness we will dive into our inner space and knowing. You’ll transcend your external world, your senses and your thought, and bask in the womb of spaciousness and creativity, then you’ll reemerge to express your story.
Silence
What is beyond the farthest star or inside the smallest quark? More. Infinity. Similarly we also have no limits to our energy fields. Who are we really? With regular practice your sensory perceptions increases – for instance, it’s not difficult to feel someone’s love or anger from across a room or even in the realm of the sixth sense. We’ll explore the unseen yet palpable energy that exists around us. And we’ll explore the expression of it in our writing.
Nature
We’ll be informed and inspired by the natural beauty of the Alma de Mujer retreat property in Austin, TX. Alma de Mujer is a retreat/conference center located in the beautiful foothills at Lake Travis with a fertile valley surrounded by trees and streams. A meditation knoll peeks over a quiet pond. Canoeing, Volleyball, and a Jacuzzi are also available.
Where: Alma de Mujer Retreat and Conference Center
13621 FM 2769
Austin, TX 78726
Phone: (512) 258-3880Website: www.main.org/alma
When: Friday – Sunday, March 27-29
Schedule (subject to changes):
Friday
Check in cabins between 3:00 and 4:00 pm
Program begins at 4:00 pm
Dinner (included in tuition) 6:00 - 7:30 pm, served in the Main Lodge Dining Room
Program 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Saturday
Optional (included) Breakfast in the Main Lodge Dining 8:00 – 9:00 am
Program 9:00 am – 12 noon
Lunch (included) 12 noon – 1:30 pm, Main Lodge Dining
Program 1:30 – 5:00 pm
Dinner Break (on your own)
Optional Program
Sunday
Optional (included) Breakfast in the Main Lodge 8:00 – 9:00 am
Program 9:00 – 11:00 am
Closing 11:00 – 11:30 am
Checkout 11:30 am
Tuition:
q Early registration, 30 days in advance, $475 per person (includes 4 meals and 2 nights lodging)
q Late registration less than 30 days in advance, $495 per person (includes 4 meals and 2 nights lodging)
q Non-lodging option (available after lodging capacity is full) $425 per person, includes 4 meals
Your course fee includes the Meditation and Writing Program taught by experienced facilitators, Sarah McLean and Victoria Nelson. (See their bio’s below.) Tuition also includes dinner on Friday night, breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. Two nights shared lodging in the Alma Treehouse Cabins included until capacity is filled. We encourage staying in the lodge for the full retreat experience, but will accept non-lodging guests after lodging is full. Dinner is on your own on Saturday evening. There are several area restaurants nearby. Tuition does not include transportation.
Cancellation Policy:
Your deposit is fully refundable less a 20% cancellation fee if you cancel in writing at least 10 days before the retreat. After that date, it is nonrefundable, but is transferable and can be applied in full to another meditation course or retreat with the Sedona Meditation Training Co. within a year. If you cancel less than 48 hours before the retreat, your retreat fee will be forfeited.
What to bring:
Personal bath towel, bath cloth, and toiletries. (Bedding linens are provided.) Paper, pen, an open mind, water bottle, and comfortable clothes. Bring a meditation cushion if you use one. This is a tobacco free retreat. If you smoke, you’ll have to go off-site to do so.
Directions:The Alma de Mujer Retreat and Conference Center is located a few miles past Hwy 620 and FM 2222 intersection near Lake Travis.
From the airport, take Hwy 71 West about 8.6 miles, bear right onto TX 360 North and follow 9.9 miles to FM222 Exit. Go West (left) on FM 2222 and follow 5.2 miles, cross 620 intersection and road becomes Bullock R. for 3.1 miles. Bullock Rd. dead ends into FM 2769. Turn right. Alma Retreat Center entrance is 1/2 mile on the right. (approx 45 minutes)
Coming from North or South Austin: Take Mopac (Hwy 1) and exit FM 2222/Northland Dr. Go West on FM 2222 and follow about 8.5 miles, cross hwy 620 intersection and road becomes Bullock Hollow Rd. Follow Bullock Hollow Rd. until it dead ends into FM 2769 and turn right. Alma Retreat Center is ½ mile down on the right.Your Facilitators:Sarah McLean
Along with my 19-year daily meditation practice, my experience in spiritual work includes serving as the founding education director of Deepak Chopra’s Center for Wellbeing, and as director of Byron Katie’s School for the Work, and assistant to Seat of the Soul author, Gary Zukav. Not only were each one of these pioneers great company, each was a best-selling author.
My aim is to make meditation accessible to anyone who wants to learn, and to integrate it with creative practices and everyday life. I’ve explored world spiritual traditions: I was a 2-year resident in a Zen Buddhist monastery, lived in an ashram in India, bicycled along the Silk Route through Pakistan, and trekked the Golden Triangle in Asia. I wrote about each experience and continue to express myself in the practice of writing – and am informed by meditation.
I now teach meditation throughout Arizona and wherever I am invited. I am also an avid writer of personal stories and have worked professionally as an editor. My columns on mind/body health are featured regularly in the Green Living Magazine, the Four Corners Magazine, and various online newsletters. I look forward to being with you, tapping into creativity, and expanding our awareness together. I love spending time writing with my writing partner Victoria, you’ll love her too.
Victoria Nelson
Whenever I find myself in museums or reading a great book, I become alive in ways I had never experienced in board rooms or business gatherings. After my mother died at the age of 59 in 1993, I followed my secret ambition to learn to paint and write fiction. Her death gave me the courage to quit a successful business career to become a full time artist. It was her final gift to me. And since 1994, I’ve given my heart and time to both endeavors equally.
I was born in the Dominican Republic, an Island in the Caribbean Ocean. My father was extremely political, and in 1972, his career led my family to migrate to the United States. Two years after we settled in New Jersey, my father died unexpectedly of heart attack at the age of 43, leaving my mother, me, and my three siblings to figure out how to navigate this foreign country on our own. I focused on achieving the American dream of material success, and in 1985 I graduated with a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University in Tempe. I successfully climbed the corporate ladder in the computer industry for ten years. When I quit my high powered job to pursuit painting and writing, my family and friends thought I had lost my mind. In a way I had. My soul demanded that I pursue my dream of becoming an artist.
It’s been 14 years since I took that leap into the unknown. I plan every day around meditating, spending time in nature, writing and painting, and my life as an artist has exceeded all my expectations. In the fall, winter, and spring, the light and the contrasting colors of Sedona are a daily source of inspiration to me. In the summers, the sea and the dramatic light of Monhegan Island in Maine are my muses. I am a self taught painter and writer. In 2007, my poem “Ancient Elements” was published in the Northern Arizona Poetry Anthology Collared Piccary and my paintings were exhibited at the University of New England Museum’s “On Island” show featuring women artists of Monhegan Island. My paintings are shown at the Lupine Gallery in Monhegan Island and by appointment in Sedona. A book of short stories will is due to be published this year.
Sedona Meditation Training & Retreats
PO Box 1178, Sedona, AZ 86339
(928) 254-0064 Cell , (928) 204-0067 office, (866) 654-1705 fax, info@sedonameditation.com, www.SedonaMeditationTraining.com
Friday, January 2, 2009
Stephen Fry
One of my fave celebrities is actor Stephen Fry. Website here.
Here's a link to some of his podcasts.
Very English, Stephen Fry, but he preserves something so civilized, so important, I think; something so very rich.
I really like his mind. If anyone gets a chance to watch the documentary about his own manic depression, it's well worth it. Here's a link to an online version
Very witty TV game show he has on the BBC
Wilde , the best movie version of Oscar Wilde's life story, is a must.
Stephen, I think, is preserving something of Wilde's legacy.
And oh yes! Great autobiography, Moab is my washpot
If you haven't yet encountered Stephen Fry, I hope this gives you something of a taster.
Here's a link to some of his podcasts.
Very English, Stephen Fry, but he preserves something so civilized, so important, I think; something so very rich.
I really like his mind. If anyone gets a chance to watch the documentary about his own manic depression, it's well worth it. Here's a link to an online version
Very witty TV game show he has on the BBC
Wilde , the best movie version of Oscar Wilde's life story, is a must.
Stephen, I think, is preserving something of Wilde's legacy.
And oh yes! Great autobiography, Moab is my washpot
If you haven't yet encountered Stephen Fry, I hope this gives you something of a taster.
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