Occupy Self!
The show I did recently made me feel completely alive, one with myself, one with my material, and one with the audience! What felt so good is that I used all of myself. When I mentioned this experience on my weekly Artist Check-In phone call, one of my colleagues gave a definition of happiness as engaging all one’s faculties, and she said she experiences it when she does something that allows everybody to see what is inside her. Yes! In order to feel so alive, I had to be unafraid to show myself, including my sometimes inconsistent yearnings.
Eric Maisel in Coaching the Artist Within speaks of making full use of one’s whole being in the service of meaningful creative projects. He stresses embracing one’s seeming contradictions, such as solitude and sociability, individuality and relationship. He points the reader toward possessing them as complements until they vanish as opposing principles.
At the recent performance, my Susa self with all her compartments seemed to disappear, and in her place came a 70 trillion cell Zing of energy, a wholeness that gave life to me as the performer as much as to my friends as the audience. I give thanks for my gifts and the opportunity to make use of them. I urge you to identify yours and to occupy them! Here’s an excerpt from a piece I shared last Sunday called In Accord:
The sun is setting on separation.
It’s late in the day
of the world’s old ways.
It’s late in your life—
no time left to dilute yourself,
no time left to cover your gifts…
So nice to see you on Facebook and the gifts you are sharing!
Pat! How perfectly lovely to hear from you. I’ll never forget the profound impact your Lesbian Herstory course produced in me. Sending balance and blessings to you and yours. Let me know if you every get out Asheville NC way.
Thanks, Susa! YES! YES! YES!
Deborah, I’m sorry I missed you when I visited in August. Next summer I’ll come again. Maybe we’ll sing!! love to you and your family always, Susa
yahooooo!!!
Thank you for this.
Beautiful!