This is a short story called "Dharmalebrity" I wrote in 2017 and performed last year at Sacred Storytelling here in Los Angeles. The story centers around a Buddhist drug and alcohol recovery program and the intersection between celebrity (a religion in Los Angeles without tax-exempt status) and the dharma (the teachings of the Buddha). Listen to the audio recording on Soundcloud here, or below. … [Read more...]
Audio Personal Essay: Should I be sitting down?
Try this writing prompt: Look at one of the most harrowing experiences that have happened in your life from three different perspectives. I chose to write about the cancer I had in 2007. I picked the perspective of myself at the gynecologist, visiting a spiritual "medical intuitive" and watching the surgery performed on someone else via YouTube. I was fortunate to be able to read this piece recently at a literary salon and it inspired me to try to record it. Using just the simple tools on a Mac and uploading the file to Soundcloud allows you to create an audio essay that anyone can listen … [Read more...]
10 Books to Inspire Your Personal Maps
As a personal mapping enthusiast, I have been collecting books that inspire me to keep drawing detailed pictures, even though I would not consider myself a visual artist. The pen to paper, having no idea what forms will come out, thrills me. It is pure emotional drawing....much like we did when we were children. The colors, shapes, images and words all come from a very deep and personal place. It feels good to have an intimate map of my internal state - it gives me a release and it is a "visual aid." I have explained my pictures to friends and suddenly we have a glimmer of understanding and … [Read more...]
Writing Prompt: What are Your Life Gifts?
There are certain things that are woven into the fabric of your life that become part of who you are, but because they seem so inevitable it is hard to think of them as a gift. One of my friends experienced a rift in her life - when she was a child her mother decided to leave her husband in the US - and she took her daughter and resettled in Portugal. Leaving San Diego, California behind as an 8 year old, and starting her life again in Lisbon with her mother was a strange process. Not knowing the language or customs, not having any friends or people to go to for comfort radically changed … [Read more...]
The Art of Witness
"The artist's job is to be a witness to his time in history." - Robert Rauschenberg Every day I am amazed by how much life has changed in the last twenty years. In pre-cell phone camera days (Remember those? I do!) we had to debate stories and decide without visual evidence to believe one side or another. We judged based on reputation and societal expectations. We took the side of the teacher over the student, the adult over the child, the police officer over the suspected robber. But with cameras, the power structure has flipped, and all of the previously unknown abuses of power are now … [Read more...]
Playing 20 Questions to Get to the Soul of Your Creativity
Above my desk is this index card. How We Spend Our Time is How We Spend Our Lives There are so many things competing for our time and attention. I know I can heat up a can of soup OR make my own. Heating up the can definitely fulfills the need to get something in my belly but lacks the sensual pleasure of chopping fragrant fresh herbs, dicing up a nice mirepoix, smelling the savory flavor of onions caramelizing in butter. Consciously making a decision about what brings us pleasure is a constant calculation. As a writer who also owns a business based on the art and craft of writing I often … [Read more...]
The Liebster Award for Best Blogs
Thank you to Caroline Donahue who writes about "reading for what ails you" at the Book Dr. for nominating me for a Liebster award. The Liebster is a new award created to help bloggers turn their readers onto new and exciting voices online. I accept this award, and in this post I will follow the rules and nominate five of my favorite bloggers. After you receive a nomination and accept taking on the award you then must; Reveal 11 interesting facts about yourself Answer the questions designated by the blogger who nominated you Nominate other new bloggers for the Liebster … [Read more...]
The Mind/ Body Connection: Just Relax
The words that make me immediately tense up: "Just Relax." If it was that easy, I would be a surfer or own a marijuana dispensary. But instead I am a writer and at the end of my five week Stunt Writing practice, and I have found that I love the fire in the belly, the tension, the striving. I enjoy drinking strong coffee that puts me on edge. Feeling my shoulders hover up by my ears is nothing new, as my body contorts to take on the stress. I have a never-ending "to do" list that might as well have a line item for enjoying myself, planning fun things, and breathing. I'm a planner, pure and … [Read more...]
The Irony: the Mind/ Body Connection
As promised for my #stuntwriting project, I have been reading and meditating on the book, Buddha's Brain by Rick Hansen, PHD and Richard Mendius, MD. One quote that has stuck we me thus far is, "Inhibition from the prefrontal cortex and arousal from the limbic system must balance each other: too much inhibition and you feel numb inside, too much arousal and you feel overwhelmed." Basically, within my body, two systems - the prefrontal cortex (brain) and the limbic system (body) are trying to figure out what is the right state for me to be in, in any given moment. So, my feelings of … [Read more...]
Muscle Memory and the Mind/ Body Connection: Stunt Writing Findings
STUNTWRITING FOR PERSONAL GROWTH: Findings #1 By Erin Jourdan In 2006 the Gap corporation came up with a TV ad called "Khaki Swing Dance." Many people link this ad to the resurgence of Swing dancing in the 90s. I was living in New York City then, working in publishing and somehow friends and I got together at a studio on the Bowery and started taking lessons. After a while, I was headed to Lindy Hop sessions and could almost do the Charleston. It was good clean martini-driven fun, and great to visit some of the coolest old ballrooms in NYC and listen to local bands. So fast … [Read more...]