I was in the foyer of our local credit union one day a number of years ago, when a woman stopped me to say she’d enjoyed my performances in several shows over the years. She then said, “But I haven’t seen you onstage in awhile – how come?” I replied that I also work in the healing arts and that that work had been keeping me very busy, etc. She put her hand on my arm, looked directly into my eyes and said, “Theater is healing, too. Get back on the boards. We need you.”
We seldom know how deeply our words may have touched someone. Hers certainly did me. So, lovely woman, whoever and wherever you are, my heartfelt thanks.
For much of my adult life up to that point, I had struggled to come to terms with the considerable amount of time and energy I’d been putting into the performing arts realms. Performing – especially acting – sometimes seemed…..self-indulgent, a less than altruistic use of time and energy.
A little family-of-origin background is called for here: I deeply love and respect my late father. He was an incredible man, and a very loving, giving father. And, as a research engineer, he considered the human intellect the end-all and be-all. Thus, he derived great satisfaction – and a sense of safety – from measuring everything against the gold standard of Rational Thought. As absolute as Descartes’ “I think therefore I am,” in our family the edict by which the worth and validity of everything (and everyone) was judged was “It is rational or it is not.”
Thus, actors were judged, consistently if not overtly, to be at best narcissistic, at worst, inferior creatures, by virtue of the fact that they chose to muck around in the messy world of human emotions – an obviously highly irrational state of being to be avoided whenever possible.
So….with that as my upbringing, it’s been an interesting process for me to fully embrace my deep attraction to this microcosm of “messy human emotions.”
Add to that my even deeper draw and desire to be of service in the healing arts.
And then consider….in 1999, I went through having cancer. Within a short span of years, I also went through it with my beloved daughter, my son’s first serious girlfriend (who was like a family member), several friends and extended family members, as well as a number of clients. As I emerged from “The Cancer Years”, I was questioning even more deeply how best to focus my time, energies and God-given gifts.
As many “survivors” do, I felt an even more heightened desire to give in any way I could to make others’ journeys through cancer (or any major healing process)…and through life!…. a little easier. My Relax Into Healing™ series of spoken audio CDs was one of the ways that desire manifested, and I am thrilled and humbled to say my wish is continuing to come true. That body of work (along with my previously published relaxation titles) is helping untold numbers of people, some of whom I’m fortunate enough to hear from, most of whom I never will. But I know my CDs are “out there” with a life of their own, reaching people in need. That feels good.
I also love doing private healing work with folks, and group presentations, addressing all sorts of healing issues.
And…!
The woman from the credit union was right. Theater (and other forms of performing and visual arts) can indeed be very healing, for artist and audience alike. Her few simple words helped me come to terms with the fact that I also love and need the kind of self-expression and sharing of Energy that the Performing Arts afford me. (see Performing Arts page for more on this…)
The same holds true for the movement classes I teach, as well as for my current endeavors in the powerful, transcendent realms of Sound Healing. They are huge and important expressions of my Being.
Such seemingly diverse areas of interest, yet all intrinsically interconnected! At any given time, one arena may be more in the forefront for a week, a month, a season…But they’re all interwoven, and ever-present in who I AM.
So in a sense, this new website is a proclamation, an affirmation, an admission?….a way to symbolically embrace and celebrate that I Am All of the Above…and so much more!
Indeed, we are all magnificantly multi-faceted beings! Thus, any title or label that attempts to define us also by nature limits us.
I am a Healing Artist, Performing Artist, and Innerpreneur. Hmmm….. As labels go, it’s not a bad one. And as an elevator speech, it’s elegantly brief, yet comprehensive.
Yep, for the time being, I think I’ve done it – I finally have a concise, pragmatic answer to the inevitable question, “And what do you do?”
Open those elevator doors, world! I’m ready.
(NOTE: This train of thought continues in my next blog post: The Grandness of Being – Part Two. Just thought we’d all take a little “7th inning stretch” here!)