The world of art. I discovered the world of imagination through creating art. I suppose the art is inherent. My father and mother were very artful, skillfully creating with their hands and imagination.
My father, besides a gifted musician, was a oil painter fine artist of western scenes, full home cabinetmaker, woodworker, and all-around fix-it. Once asked by my mother why he took the new 1961 Renault car apart and re-assembled it, he replied he wanted to find out how it worked. I remember the new family toaster met the same fate.
My mother had a creative genius for sewing and tailoring clothes, and created all our stage performance outfits, even my father's many tuxedos.
I stepped in the fine art world during my school years. I won three major scholarships, The Pacific Design Center in Beverly Hills, CA and two college scholarships. From that competition, I met 2 of the judges- actors Jack Lemon and Jamie Farr. Mr. Lemon was kind enough to autograph my program. Jamie Farr was in disguise, unbelievably dressed as a woman, much like the in the episodes of M*A*S*H.
I created my dreamscapes from my imagination, half sheet watercolor landscapes in a very flowing style with drybrush detail. For my other side of art, I created finely detailed stipple ink wildlife drawings.
I had my first one-woman art show at The Second Avenue Gallery in Escondido, California. I sold out the shows completely.
I moved into the rage of Southwest art and created a collection of Sioux Indian maidens, showcasing my works in the fine art publication Southwest Magazine. I sold out of all my works and took a leave to enter motherhood.
The beautiful influence of a new baby and her early childhood, inspired me to created a fine art children’s illustration collection entitled 'The Storybook Pages' named for my daughter Paige. My works were showcased at The Candystick Gallery in Ferndale, California. 'The Velveteen Rabbit' was entered in a professional artist juried fine art show at The Humboldt State Fair and placed second. The judge, Floyd Battista, a Humboldt Art Society board member is an active artist to this day.
The world of fine art is a doorway that beckons me back, and I am working my way back to its mountaintop by sketching again.
The world of digital art. I want to make a difference. To share my 'unafraid' and my unsilenced voice. I am no longer invisible, for I am visible to myself first, and now beginning to show up for life in many different places.
My site Ruby Road US encompasses my next mountaintop to climb. Built upon my music and performance experience, it is waiting to realize my passion for flash mob performance. It was birthed upon viewing the editor's behind-the-scenes clip of Brother Bear with Melissa Manchester in the recording studio mixing the songs for the Disney movie, and I saw myself.
I need to grow as a person, as an artist, as a musician and as a performer to attain this mountaintop.
Mudpies and meeting a queen. Writing processes, instructions, and pattern-making has been a part of my life since my first recipe for beautiful mudpies told to my sister as we played under the stairs at the apartment house on Ohio St. That was our oven sanctuary, our mixing booth, before placing our pie creations out into the sunlight to “bake'. We made many mudpies, my Martha Stewart way: decorated with seeds, marigold petals and monkey-face purple pansies.
In 2019, had an idea for a creative journaling course, a digital course offering a process of life-booking to overcome fears and start living life free and open to one's purpose.
I enrolled in a 6-week course with Xayli Barclay of Start.Shoot.Grow.com following her free Camfidence Live Bootcamp.
Xayli (zay’-lee) is a phenomenal teacher and instructor of digital course creation and videography. She is the Queen of online digital.
I am shown in the photograph below, waiting backstage to come on to her live podcast.
Start. Spark. Fire. I know first-hand how hard, nigh impossible, to re-ignite a passion once it has been denied, back-shelfed, or forgotten for years.
Connecting the dots of my own story was the starting point. I made maps, re-make maps, and remade the re-make maps. When I could view my life as a timeline of events over the years, I began to see who I was then, who I became, and who I am becoming now. I can discover the opportunities I took and those I passed by. I can look with graciousness and self-compassion on my decisions I made and reset my compass now to True North.
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I think the entire Lifebooking 'thing' was for my own growth. I may find it a new platform and format in the future, but for now its purpose is for another time.
Standing Ovation. I enjoy the spotlight. I am a clap junkie. I have a fire that ignites only when I step into the arena or onto the stage. Many people throughout my life have commented on this, that I seem to just 'come alive' when I am performing. I know this to be true. In fact, there are only three places I have ever felt this intense alive-ness, in performing, riding Audacity, and the deepest connected prayer times with God.
The human spirit is moved by witnessing several things: truthfulness, humbleness, and courageousness. It's my opinion the best of performers show confidence, show humbleness, and are courageous in their vulnerability of performing before us.
I am in the process of growing to respect confidence, humbleness and courage. To incorporate these virtues into the life I am given daily by starting: no more wasted moments, no more what-ifs, no more disobedience to what I know is right. This opens the space and sparks creativity.
The sparks set the Fire.
“I am out looking with lanterns looking for myself.”
~ Emily Dickenson