It Is What It Is and...I Am What I Am (to quote a lovely showtune)

Wednesday...

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time”. ~Thomas Merton

Updates!

I recently did an interview with Women In Business in my own venture into starting up my business, and it was just published.  You can read it here.  Thanks Women In Business!

With all the messy painting I've been mischeviously up to, more images are being loaded onto my gallery at amyoes.com...and more to come :)

like this one!

My art shows are coming and going...getting ready to hang a bunch at Discovery Museum, and some of my tree art was featured in the art show at G & B Cultural Community Center in Wilton, CT.

Every week is busier than the next, and every day is warmer, every flower is bigger every color is bolder.  It's been fun to document my updates here and on my newsletter too!  My 10th Discover, Inspire, Create E-Newsletter just went out today - you can read it HERE or just subscribe on amyoes.com for next week :)

Beechwood Arts!

I'm still preparing to my monologues and art for Beechwood Art's Immersion Salon on Resilience and the Power of the Human Spirit.  I got to rehearse at Beechwood yesterday and came face to face with that amazing, grand-old spirited Beechwood Tree - the heart of this organization.

For the actual event, I - as well as the other amazing artists featured, will have hung dozens of vellum strips over all of the branches, filled with our own writing and any inspirational quotes that inspire us.

I'm still working on mine!

I love the heart of this tree. It's juicy, thick trunk, carved with age and - well, resilience!  It's worn, sturdy, and the lines etched in it speak volumes...

And look at it's toes!  Love it!  That's a painting right there...

I did a little video for the salon about why I connect with trees so much that you can watch here for a minute:

A beautiful painting by artist Laurie Paci

It was so nice seeing my art starting to be hung at Beechwood - the place feels so enchanted with that glorious trees in front of it.

My piece "Laugh At Fear" - a bunch of inchies on a huge 32 x 32 canvas!

My monologues are a series of five "windows" into the past decade of my life.  I go through all the highs and lows of my journey and in the last "window", there is a line that says "If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing."  

It made me pause for a second and rethink that line.  I don't think I really feel that way - and I think most people can resonate with this.  The unfortunate events in my life that have occurred were really awful.  And I don't think I live the most perfect life now and have the ideal "happiness" that people spend their entire lives searching for.  

However, if given the choice, I don't think I could trade my life for the life I had "planned" for myself.  How could I?  That would call for a great sacrifice.  I'd have to give up all the people I've met because of this, all the highs and lows I've experienced over the past decade - and those things - good OR bad - have made me who I am.  And I am who I am.  I couldn't imagine it any other way...

What do you think?  No matter what's happened in your life, would you give it up at the risk you might not be the person you are today?

I couldn't give up the tears for all the music that's been brought into my life because of this.

And in honor of that, let's bring in some showtunes...

"I Am What I Am" song by the original George Hearn from La Cage Aux Folles

(For non-musical theatre folks, The Bird Cage was based on this show.)

For some of your own motivation today - take  peek at the lyrics:

'

I am what I am

I am my own special creation

So come take a look

Give me the hook or the ovation

It's my world that I want to take a little pride in

My world and it's not a place I have to hide in

Life's not worth a damn

Till you can say, "Hey world, I am what I am"

I am what I am

I don't want praise, I don't want pity

I bang my own drum

Some think it's noise, I think it's pretty

And so what, if I love each feather and each spangle

Why not try and see things from a different angle?

Your life is a sham till you can shout out loud

I am what I am

I am what I am

And what I am needs no excuses

I deal my own deck

Sometimes the ace

Sometimes the deuces

Created by Carol Nelson

There's one life

And there's no return and no deposit

One life, so it's time to open up your closet

Life's not worth a damn till you can say

"Hey world, I am what I am"

So think about that today everyone. And love who YOU are.

Before I Go...

Oh wait, and...

In my most exciting update of the day,

The Muppets are coming back to Prime Time - on ABC!!!

YAY!