I was thinking about my post last week. And mentioning that people should train in their art-form. That it is important to train, to study. It was mostly about how people should not work so hard. But I mentioned that people should train. I just want to revisit this thought. Because I have another thought. And that is that everyone is an artist. Everyone. This is not a new idea that I came up with. Just about every author I look up to has said this in one way or another. I do not believe that there are some “creative people” and some not. Some “artsy” and some not. I believe we all have within us deep desires to be creative and great abilities to be creative. And that looks different for every person. I believe we were created to create. Which truly can mean so many things. I do not believe that you have to have trained to be an artist. Or a singer or a dancer. I truly admire a trained artist. Someone who has spent hours expanding and specifying their craft. And I also admire an artist who sings- because they love to sing. Or paints- because it calms them down. Anyone can do this thing called “art”. Anyone can create. And I hope “training” is never the thing that stops you from creating. The untrained artist has something the trained artist does not have. They have freedom. There are no rules. No boundaries. And that to me sounds like a recipe for brilliance.
Thinking more on this working hard thing. We live in a culture that says we should work hard. And wanting to rest- feels like a lazy thing. We talk a lot about this in the injured dancer support group I joined. About how there is a stigma in the dance world around rest- about how we should push through. Ignore pain. We are athletes. The show must go on. Never stop. -This is totally a weird but real thing in the dance world. But it’s also a weird thing in the “American” world. It runs deeper than the profession you choose. I remember when I was an aux pair for a summer in Switzerland, learning about how much rest the family takes. During the summer there was a period where both of the parents’ companies shut down for two full weeks (I want to say the father was away from work even longer). It wasn’t that they took two weeks off of work. The COMPANY SHUTDOWN for two full weeks. They seemed to understand that they would be more productive if they had sufficient rest. The husband spent even more time in rest. He was a scientist researching and developing new cancer treatments. He explained that if he didn’t take the time to just sit- and not think about anything- he wouldn’t be able to think of anything new. His brain needed the down time. Not only was it not looked at as laziness in this culture, it was understood that this was actually crucial to his success in his job. And this was done more than once a year. Mmmm rest. It is good for us.
I truly miss Israel. I got to go to Israel last year in January with a
This changing of seasons has been so interesting to me. Because I have actually witnessed it. I actually do not remember ever moving slow enough to really take in the changing of seasons. In my old life, I would blink and it would be a new season. And then it would be the next one. And I wouldn’t have registered that anything had changed at all. I remember feeling like the fall kind of just passed in a snap. That is was quite short. In Colorado this is actually true because we get maybe three weeks of fall after summer and then it is winter again. Haha. I love Colorado. But here there are actually seasons- if you are paying attention. I actually watched the buds appear on the trees near my street. I watched the first flowers and first green appear. I watched the flowers bloom and smelled their fresh scent. Haha. “I smelled their fresh scent.” What a sentence. This is life! This is the good stuff I have missed too many seasons.
So many good things I am grateful for:
Passover season. Time for new life. And reflecting on the old life.
I got to go with my friend up to Tarrytown, just North of the city and watch another friend perform on tour. What a cute little town. And so cool to get to watch our friend. And a magical, mini, one night getaway!
Last weekend I got to sing in a cabaret. It was my first time singing like that in New York. My friends came and watched me. They are the best.
Sunday Joe and I made delicious and cheesy casseroles. We celebrated Easter in the park on blankets with our friends. All joining in a little picnic. I hid Easter eggs all over behind their backs. I mean. The Easter Bunny did. Magic.
I got to take a bath. In my bathtub. Ya’ll baths are underrated. Go take one. I’m gonna take another one tonight.
Joe Veale AKA the ginger in all my pics AKA my boyfriend has been coming over just about every night and washing my dishes for me so I don’t have to stand more than I am supposed to. This means more to me than any amount of words. Also I passed a man on the sidewalk the other day who had a shirt that said “I’d rather be with a ginger” and it was all I could do not to corner him and demand he tell me where I could get one.
I am taking this acting for the camera class that is truly lifting up my life and opening me up as an actor. I am so grateful. And I never would have done it if my parents hadn’t encouraged me to. I know a lot of people in this industry who don’t have parents that get it or support it. And they are fine. They are amazing. They are resilient. But if anyone reading this is a parent, or ever plans to be one, I just want to tell you to support your kids. Just. Believe in them. This will make a whole world of difference. It has for me. My parents believe in me. And it is one of my greatest superpowers.
What are you grateful for? Share below :).
The Park with Friends. 
The Park with No One.
