Transitions

I was just reading over my first blog here… all about my lofty dream.  I still have that dream, but some of the specifics have changed a bit.  I said in that entry that I wanted to run my own “Art 4 Justice” company and website.  That part has evolved into something I’m now calling Voice Is Power (VIP).  The idea is to start a non-profit organization called the Voice Is Power Foundation, which will raise money through educational programs, performances, and donations to bring more peace and justice into the world.  The Foundation will give 100% of its profit to organizations and projects that help bring people out of poverty and into lives of dignity and authentic power.  One idea of an organization I’d like to put some money into is Kiva (www.kiva.org), which changes people’s lives and helps to bring them out of poverty by giving micro-loans.

The main educational course, Voice Is Power, will be a holistic course for writing, singing, and speaking out, designed to teach people to recognize the power of their own voices, how to use their voices for healing, empowerment, justice, and peace, and to find where their passions and the world’s needs connect.  I’m working on writing the curriculum for this course now.

Right now, I’m in a transitional period in my life – looking for a job in order to save some money to move to the mainland with Susan, still working for Kids Talk Story (a creative writing program) part of the time, working on my own curriculum ideas when possible… dreaming and planning for the future.  I suppose one could argue that life itself is a bunch of transitions, because things are always changing.  But right now, I have that very strong feeling of being unsettled that usually comes with big transitions – of being simultaneously excited and scared of what will come next.

 

Finding My Own North Star

Martha Beck

Finding Your Own North Star

I began this blog as I was just finishing a life-changing book.  It is Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star:  Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to put some real time and energy into creating the life they truly want.  It is a well-written, personable, and funny book that guides you on a path towards realizing your dreams with the right balance of dreaming and good ol’ hard work.

In the book, Martha talks about 4 main parts, or “squares,” to making your dreams come true.  They are:

1. Death & Rebirth
2. Dreaming & Scheming
3. The Hero’s Saga
4. The Promised Land

As far as I can tell, I am in “Square 2″ right now.  Square 1 is some kind of departure from your old life.  For me, that came from having a lull of work in the summer months (I’m a creative writing teacher) and having a lot of time on my hands to really think about how I’m living my life and what kinds of changes I’d like to make in it.  With the creation of this blog, I stepped into Square 2 and began to dream. That dream has been posted here for all to see, and now it is time to “scheme,” or make a plan of action for realizing that dream.

One of the first realizations I had in starting to scheme was that there are several dreams within my dream. So, if I want to break that dream into manageable steps (or what Martha calls “turtle steps”), I’ve first got to break down the dream itself into its different parts.  As I looked over my dream more closely, I decided that it centers around the desire to start an “Art 4 Justice” company. Here are the different pieces of that company:

• WEBSITE – I want to create a website that brings together already-existing resources, artists, and organizations that are doing some form of “art for justice.”  This would include reaching out to those people and organizations and building a strong community of artists dedicated to justice in the world.
• EDUCATION – This would involve writing a curriculum and teaching “Art 4 Justice” classes.  It may also include writing a book about it for publication and sales.
• PERFORMANCE – This is the part where I would build a performance group (music, poetry, etc.) dedicated to bringing about justice through performance.

So, I’ve begun to gather resources into I-Web on my MacBook to create a website.  I’ve started putting resources into a folder on my computer also as research for a curriculum and possibly a book.  And my new a capella group and poetry workshops are my first “turtle steps” in the direction of a performance group.  How exciting is this?!? 

Links

For more on Finding Your Own North Star, go to:  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812932188/1n9867a-20

For more on Martha Beck, go to:  http://www.marthabeck.com/

A Creative Week

Last week, I did a few great things…

On Monday night, I met up with a group of women that I found on craigslist.  We just went out for dinner so that we could meet and get to know each other a little bit, but the PURPOSE of meeting each other is to form an a capella group! I really liked the people (a diverse group of women, ranging in ages, musical backgrounds, and interests, but all open to each other’s ideas and input), and I’m looking forward to our next meeting (to be determined).  I’m really excited to have found other people who love to sing and to be embarking on a new musical endeavor.  I used to write songs, play guitar, and sing solo, but now I’ll get to sing with others.  Perfect!

On Tuesday evening, I went to my 2nd MuseDaze at Bar 35 with Evelyn and Sarah.  This time, Darron Cambra led the free poetry workshop.  It was really fun.  Evelyn can’t make it this week (tomorrow), but I’m looking forward to hopefully going with Sarah again.

On Sunday, I posted the description of the Righters’ August Meetup.  The Righters: Writing for Justice is the name of a writing group I started through meetup.com about 2 years ago.  It’s exactly what it sounds like:  a group with a purpose of writing to bring about justice and make a positive difference in the world.  One of the suggestions for our members this time is to start a blog!  (This is mine. )

It feels good to have the ol’ creative juices flowing again…

Links

For a great place to find ANYTHING you need:  http://honolulu.craigslist.org/

For more information on MuseDaze on Tuesdays or Darron Cambra:  http://www.poorwettree.com/

For more information on the Righters: Writing for Justice:  http://www.meetup.com/righters/

A Blog of Lofty Dreams

I’m starting this blog as I set a new goal.  And no, not just any goal, but a big, lofty goal.  This will be my space to dream, and to turn my dreams into reality.  Here is my new lofty goal:

To make at least $100,000 per year (that’s the lofty part) doing what I love, which includes singing, writing, performing, leading a group of fantastic performers, running my own “Art 4 Justice” company and website, bringing awareness to important social and political issues, and building a strong community of kind, caring artists dedicated to making the world a better place.

Why?  Well, I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to make a living doing what I love.  We all want to be happy, and with the amount of time we spend working, it seems that being able to work at something we really love sure would contribute to our level of happiness.

Why $100,000 per year?  Great question.  Many artists, musicians, and poets just accept that money often does not come along with their creative pursuits.  They resolve to being poor, even starving, artists.  I know that many struggle to make even a meager living, and in the end, I am fine with just getting by (although, I don’t want to starve!).  However, this is my space to really dream.  My dream is to make a great income in order to support myself AND help others in need. I don’t want this money so that I can buy a mansion and a pile of diamonds; I want it, because I am dedicated to bringing more peace and justice into the world.  People with a lot of money don’t always know what to do with it, and they end up wasting it on extravagant material items that they think will make them happier (and never do).  If I have more money than I need, I will give it to organizations that are working hard to make a positive difference in the world.  In one of my blogs here I will make a list of some of the organizations I have found thus far that I think are really worthy of support.  My intention is to always live within my means, not to create a life of luxury for myself while so many others in the world are going hungry and dying of very curable diseases.  I want to put that extra money to good use and help those in need.  I have been blessed with a relatively rich life, and I vow to try to make things more fair for all in the world, whether I have a bunch of money to help me do it or just my imagination and dedication.

I’ve created a list of tasks to complete as I start this journey.  Here are my first tasks:

• Go to MuseDaze on Tuesdays (http://www.poorwettree.com/Home/musedaze-on-tuesdays) – a new, free poetry workshop for adults.  I’ll check it out, and decide whether it is something I want to continue.
• Simply make a list of songs that bring me great joy.  I’ll go through my CDs, look through songs I’ve written myself, do some research online, and reconnect with the music that makes me smile.

Also, this blog is a step towards my goal.  Welcome to my journey…