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My sister gets a copy of “O” magazine every month. She gives me each issue when she’s done. (Recycling between sisters…)
One of my favorite articles is always the last one, “What I know for sure.” It’s where Oprah tells it like it is, usually with an inspirational twist. This month’s article was one of her most powerful yet.
She spoke about how she too (yes, even Oprah the Great) gets overwhelmed and how she needed to take some time to turn inward and find her own peace and the stillness in her heart.
She did it amongst the trees by her home, with a bowl of lemon sorbet and fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market. A few naps and writing in her journal rounded out the day…
Inspired, I went to one of my favorite spots by the water. (I have a few…) When I first got there, I couldn’t even smell the trees or the water. (My sense of smell is legendery, I once sniffed out a pizzeria in NYC three blocks away.) I was overwrought and my mind was all over the place.
My first inclination was to call people, but thankfully, no one was available… So I just sat there.
And sat there.
And sat there some more…
Eventually, my breathing changed. My posture changed. My entire demeanor changed. I felt the breeze kiss my face and smelled the grass that was under my feet.
Thanks for reminding me to take in a deep breath, Oprah!
–Sue
September 24th, 2008
I saw something interesting last night during Project Runway, a commercial for a charity funded by American Express called Members Project. The credit card company will be donating about $2.5 Million to the winning project, voted on by the general public.
The cynics might say that’s a drop in the bucket for Amex, but it’s not a matter of dollar amount here. It’s the idea that we have a say as to how they allocate that money, allowing us to put their money where our mouths are.
In my work, I strive to give a voice to those who usually go unheard, and these projects do the same. The best part, you don’t even have to be a cardmember to vote!
The final five finalists will be announced on September 30, and the winner announced October 14… the clock is ticking!
–Sue
September 18th, 2008
I’m convinced that I’ve finally hit the big time! I opened my blog folder today to find that I had a few hundred spam messages since last week. It usually takes me at least a month if not more to accumulate that much spam. My website is being devoured by the masses!!!
–Sue
September 17th, 2008
“Harvest Moon” © 2008 Elizabeth Fraser
It’s finally happening! A song that has literally been months in the making is finally taking shape!Six lines of lyrics (and their melody) just came to me, lying in bed, my husband’s warm body next to mine… reminding me how lucky I am to have so much love and support in my life… reminding me to just go for it!
The entire show leads up to this song, and I’m gonna make it worth it!!!
Over the moon!
–Sue
September 9th, 2008
Last night we saw a wonderful film, The Band’s Visit. It is Eran Kolirin’s writing and directorial debut, 9 years in the making.
Probably one of the most tender and restrained movies I’ve seen in a long time, it was at once sad and funny… and showed that you can find beauty anywhere, even in a small town in the middle of the dessert — a place it seems God forgot… Or maybe not…
The “special features” section of the DVD, which had an extended interview with the many of the creatives of the film, was almost as interesting as the film itself.
Kolirin said he had the hardest time with the music, in that he wanted it to come from unexpected places, like the kitchen, or a chair or anywhere else where it would come from naturally. The movie was intimate, and orchestrations (even though it centered around an orchestra) wouldn’t have worked.
This film was not only gorgeous, but so poignant in how simple it was… no matter where we come from or what we believe, in the end, all anyone really wants is to be loved.
–Sue
September 9th, 2008
Leanne won last night with a striking blue gown and short trench coat. For me, it was close between her outfit and Korto’s, but there was no doubt her ensemble was a stunner.
Early on, the camera followed Leanne around the workroom as she pantomimed being a stealth spy… She was having fun and really tried stepping outside herself. Watching Leanne throughout the episode, I slowly grew to like her as I got to watch her work and play.
Stella Letha was cut for a ill-fitting get-up. She had been stirring the pot throughout each episode, but it reached a new level last night when she wouldn’t even tell the other designers what she was working on, after they had mentioned what they were making over a shared meal in the lounge. Besides the fact that anyone with eyes could see what she was making only a few feet away, at that point in the game, hearing what anyone else was making was not going to sway anyone. They were working on borrowed time under a TON of pressure.
It was obvious it troubled Leanne (one of the designers who dined with and was snubbed by Stella), who commented:
“It’s just really interesting to see people getting really competitive and closed off. It’s every man for themselves [sic] right now.”
Beyond their outfits, is it any surprise who won and lost here? It’s so true, if you’re open to the gifts of the universe, you will always find opportunity. If you’re closed off, you’d better watch the door behind you…
–Sue
September 4th, 2008
As some of my readers know, I’m a HUGE fan of Project Runway. Fashion runs in the family, and I LOVE watching artists create something out of nothing right before my eyes. The best part is the immediate satisfaction of seeing a physical garment being made… Designers and playwrights are alike in many ways, but watching last night’s episode literally made my stomach turn.
Michael Kors (who apparently knows “the words to basically every song that’s ever been on Broadway“) said the most prudent thing he’s said on any Project Runway episode I’ve seen in the last few seasons. He was commenting on Keith’s (there’s no other word for it) idiocy.
Keith sat there defending his ugly garment saying that last time out he was “insulted” (when he got a pass for an even uglier garment that Kors described as a “sad chicken”), and so he changed his aesthetic to make the judges happy. In addition to blaming this catastrophe on the judges for doing their job, he also blamed his model for sitting down while getting her hair and make-up done before the runway show.
Kors’ comment during the final judging hit the nail on the head:
How insane for a designer, when something doesn’t work, to say, “Well, the model and the critic ruined my garment.” I mean the simple truth is, you’re in charge of your own destiny.
The truth is, if he would have won, he would have claimed all the glory for himself, not giving the model an ounce of credit for “working” his garment, or the judges any credit for their sagacity.
Keith was crying at the end of the episode, blaming the state of Utah for not giving him enough opportunities to show his fashion to the world… but personally, I’ve seen more than I cared to see.
–Sue
August 28th, 2008
I’m getting close to the finish line with the first phase of the first draft of this musical. In order to see how it ends, I went back to the beginning.
I was actually surprised at how far I’ve veered from my original concept… One character became two, and the story is much more textured, complex, and rich for it.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m used to an outline, and how it’s taken me time to adjust without one… But what I’m realizing now is that because I didn’t have that outline, I was able jump off the precipice and learn how to fly, instead of just landing on a safety net.
Lyrics I wrote years ago for “Flying Without a Net” come to mind…
Flying without a net isn’t safe, not normally something I would dare.
Flying without a net isn’t safe, but frankly right now, I don’t care…
Flying without a net isn’t safe, but safety never got me anywhere.
Flying without a net isn’t safe, but that’s my last thought when I’m in mid-air!
I already feel my wings getting stronger.
–Sue
August 27th, 2008
I’m not sure why laundry is so inspiring… I’ve already written about it before… This time, it’s not our newly cleaned clothes, but what I heard on the way downstairs that intrigued me.
I heard someone’s radio blaring loudly… a song I didn’t recognize, but I made out a woman singing. Her tone was somewhat sad, but she was soldiering on. In that moment I asked myself, “Why isn’t that one of your songs from your new musical?”
It easily could have been, and still could be… And that’s what I needed to get the wheels turning again…
–Sue
August 26th, 2008
Recently, I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
I couldn’t wait to bite right into them, right out of the oven. But they just didn’t taste right. I tried them later and they tasted great.
What happened? Easy… they needed time to cool, to set, and to complete their chemical reaction.
There’s a common misconception that writing happens when a writer sets pen to paper, but it usually involves a lot of thinking and planning, and more thinking until I even write a single word…
“Ideas need time to bake,” (an old friends used to say). They also need time to cool.
It was close to a week ago now that I came up with the “endings” for each of the characters remaining in the musical, but I wasn’t satisfied… Then last night I had an amazing epiphany and saw a possible scene, but I still wasn’t 100% sure.
Today I thought about it again and it fits perfectly.
I needed to not only let the idea bake, but also cool, to fully embrace it…
–Sue
August 12th, 2008
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