Last night we redesigned constellations and danced with fire.
We sat on the floor talking about our hopes and dreams and brighter tomorrows.
Our thoughts and hearts were filled with the hope of the new sun in the coming year.
Dreams are becoming reality.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The universe has been kind to me and is helping put the pieces of my life together recently. It's not nearly seeming as forced as my attempts were in the fall, before surgery, so it feels more organic without being forced. This blog is going to go through some transformation pretty soon, including a new URL, but it wasn't the number 1 priority for the past few weeks which explains the silence. I do have some wonderful news to share about all the things in the works and what this means for me.
I'm already actively booking programming for 2016 focusing on various aspects of art and movement. A part of this involves my recent acceptance as part of the Maine Arts Commission's PK-12 Teaching Artists Roster. This means I'll be available to create both after-school programming AND teach classes during the school day.
I'll also be working the Flow Arts Institute to write articles about disability, health, and wellness related to the spinning arts in the upcoming year.
Rumors of a book (or two) have some weight are also in the works with some brilliant collaborators.
For those concerned about my health, despite multiple setbacks my doctors continue to note my recovery progress with the most recent milestone reached this week of laying on my stomach while on a solid surface.
My performance life is being revitalized with a few "Sparks" of creativity helping pull me out of a lull. Even with health issues, there have been new skills being worked on in a little wooden cabin in the woods of Maine. Some wonderful collaborations are in the works with the local performance community and possibly the entire New England art community.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The winter solstice is the longest night of the year. It's a time of reflection and optimism as we look at the growth of the past few seasons. My solstice was celebrated with friends who have really helped me thrive in the past few years personally, professionally, and creatively. Next week will be more of a personal 'year in review' post, but for now I'll leave you with the professional things to look forward to in my life.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Point and Click Social Life
When I was growing up, I played a series of computer games by a company called Purple Moon. These games were interactive social stories where the main character, Rocket, would have to navigate difficult social situations. If you made a mistake, there were options to go back and try to correct your actions. One thing I did learn, it was actually impossible in the game to make friends with everyone.
Honestly, there is no downplaying how important those games were to my development.
Now, I'm enjoying playing puzzle games and ones that are visually stunning (like Bioshock:Infinite).
I do however wish there were speech bubbles in my real life to select what to say at certain times. It's continuing to be a combination of balancing act and detective work to figure out how to be my personal version of healthy. As some people know from personal experience, you may want to be social but not have the energy to put into the social activity. Last night I pushed myself a bit to hard after a week of physical exertion, sinus infection, and deadlines. I will say, even though I'm spending most the day in recovery mode, it was an amazing evening for a good cause.
Social skills are not my area of expertise because they are not formulaic. A friend of mine is working as a political canvasser and has a "hook" they say to try to people walking by to attract interest in signing the petitions. They see first hand the same line doesn't work on everyone. Some people won't respond to you, no matter how hard you try. To me, being authentic is more important than being well liked. In life there is no "back" button, only the ability to make a different choice every second of our day.
Honestly, there is no downplaying how important those games were to my development.
Now, I'm enjoying playing puzzle games and ones that are visually stunning (like Bioshock:Infinite).
I do however wish there were speech bubbles in my real life to select what to say at certain times. It's continuing to be a combination of balancing act and detective work to figure out how to be my personal version of healthy. As some people know from personal experience, you may want to be social but not have the energy to put into the social activity. Last night I pushed myself a bit to hard after a week of physical exertion, sinus infection, and deadlines. I will say, even though I'm spending most the day in recovery mode, it was an amazing evening for a good cause.
Social skills are not my area of expertise because they are not formulaic. A friend of mine is working as a political canvasser and has a "hook" they say to try to people walking by to attract interest in signing the petitions. They see first hand the same line doesn't work on everyone. Some people won't respond to you, no matter how hard you try. To me, being authentic is more important than being well liked. In life there is no "back" button, only the ability to make a different choice every second of our day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)