Art and Music: my thoughts

Someone told me the other night that I seem to have song for all occasions, maybe so. Perhaps I need to change what I want to chat about.  Maybe I should add music the the art. Music can change your make you feel calm, happy, excited make us laugh and cry. Fuel your creativity.  Hopefully I can brighten your day with some musical insight.
Music has become a big part of my big girl life *middle age*. My big girl life has brought new challenges and a wonderful *that is sarcasm* auto-immune disorder. A rare disorder with treatment that is a guessing game, has left me in a wheelchair and a lot of time on my hands. Not always is time a good thing...when you watch the world from your window. Art, crafts, and music have become a lifeline. Music has always been a big part of who I am just ask my children. They will tell you about choir rehearsals, singing at two churches every Sunday and a car with me as the radio.

My very first album that I could listen to...was "Bookends" from Simon & Garfunkel. Actually my older brother kindly left it behind when he went in the navy in 1969, so finders keepers. Needless to say to this day that album is one of my favorites. Paul Simon is one of the great writers of that generation. His lyrics always paint vivid images and feeling. Take the song...."At The Zoo" these word seem like nonsense but they never fail to prompt a sing along and a smile. So for your enjoyment and the word make a neat poem. Remember you can always sing as if no one is listening.

 Someone told me, It's all happening at the zoo.,  I do believe it, I do believe it's true.
Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Whoooa. Mmmmm.
It's a light and tumble journey, From the East Side to the park; Just a fine and fancy ramble...To the zoo.

But you can take the crosstown bus If it's raining or it's cold, And the animals will love it If you do. If you do.
Something tells me It's all happening at the zoo. I do believe it, I do believe it's true.
Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Whoooa. Mmmmm.

The monkeys stand for honesty, Giraffes are insincere, And the elephants are kindly but they're dumb. Orangutans are skeptical Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.

Zebras are reactionaries, Antelopes are missionaries, Pigeons plot in secrecy, And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo.

Ode to an Art Teacher...

Today is National Teacher day! Thank a teacher for all that they do.

for all the teachers....
A recent quote from an Art Teacher I know,"Hours preparing for the art show tonight: too many to count...Graeters gift cards for those who helped hang the artwork: $20.00...seeing the look on a students face when they see an award ribbon on their artwork: priceless..."

I am sure at one point in your life you had a memorable art teacher, even if you did not like art. Some of those memories might be great, some not so great.

At some point everyone loved to cut and paste, I know I did.

When I went to college at 31 to get an associates degree in commercial art, I found that I had to redefine my image of art teachers. The curriculum covered everything from drawing to hand paste-up for printing and computer drawing and of course the required dose of English, History, and Econ.

The fine arts drawing class was the real surprise. The professor was a big fan of having your still life run off the page. *Gasp* "What do you mean? Like cut it off, not put it in the middle of the page?" *horrified* I was in shock. I got over it, loved the class and what that professor passed on to me.

And yes, you can draw a still life of crumpled brown paper bags!

And you can always run the image off the page.
Kinda like coloring outside the lines.

Besides grading, art teachers spend countless hours on lesson plans, examples for the students, ruin their clothes and clean up the messes. And hand out the awards at school art shows that make our children's eyes light up, our hearts swell and tears sneak into our eyes.

Hopefully sometime in your life there was an Art Teacher, who encouraged and allowed you to 'think outside the box' and 'color outside the lines.'

Thank them sometime, for they can change how our children view the world.

Art Teachers are priceless...

7000 Bracelets of Hope...

On Feb. 28, 2011 my outlook on my life was altered dramatically. I received a post on that day about it being World Rare Disease Day which linked me to the Global Gene Project and the 7000 Bracelets of Hope page. I thought wow…a chance to do something for the children who suffer and their families.  I have Polymyositis which I believe is under the rare category since it effects only1in 100,000 people. As an adult this has been a struggle for my family and I, since no one really understood the future challenges that we were to face. I cannot even imagine what it is like for a child or especially a parent to deal with diagnosis that very few people understand.

 

What caught my attention was the bracelet campaign. I thought here is something to pass on a bit of hope and support every day. I started making jewelry when a fall left me in a wheelchair and I had to give up my job. So I was all in with the bracelet project. These two blog really made up my mind to create some. A blog post from a parent …world rare disease-day-2011 and a blog from an artist The Rest of the Story left me certain I would be helping out.

 Sometimes it is the little things that can make a huge difference.  I had recently offered to make a necklace for a friend. I just really wanted to make her something easy to wear and would make her feel pretty when going to her Doctors appointments.  Her reply touched my heart in many ways… “That is the most kind offer! In fact  call me an emo, but tearing up right now!! I love everything...pearls, natural stone. but you surprise me! Anything you make is beautiful and I will like and treasure forever! It would be awesome to wear something to the doctors that you made so that I feel like I have piece of all my myositis friends with me, along with their strength.”  The fact that someone else thinks of me as strong…makes me feel strong in a way.

So I hope that the bracelets pass along a bit of hope, strength and good karma to all those who receive them. And they know that there are people who understand. And you to can send hope to a child.

Music and Me

Today is a music post. I find more and more that music is what gets me through the day and sparks the creative karma.  Upon reflection of what to write about I come back to my favorite things * no song cue intended* those are art and music. Art in the making of and the viewing of beautiful things. So I have decided to write about what I know.  
Do you ever find that you are tryin to go to sleep and the one song keeps replaying in your head over and over. I do that a lot, sometimes it's the last song I heard on a TV show.
The lyrics are what stick with you...they are like poems with a melody. One of my favorites lately and can't seem to get out of my head is new Amy Grant's song "Better Than a Hallelujah".  The first two lines are just.... well a prayer, a poem, a story... you decide
"God loves a lullaby
In a mother's tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

God loves the drunkard's cry
The soldier's plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes"
Such simple phrases that express so much, something to think about for today.
Here is a link to the video Better than a Hallelujah
Be safe and kind to one another.
regina