Art and Life!

Good morning everyone!  Even though I have sleep in my eyes and my thoughts are jumbled, if I don't post in the morning it never happens.
  One huge motivating factor for posting to my blog again is Facebook, where I was posting weekly, removed six months of my postings for every year I've been on Facebook without notifying me.  Gone.  Everything I thought about and shared was wiped out and gone!  Like a bomb wiping out a city.  A part of my history is now gone.  Oh well, I'm now a forward marching soldier into the world of blogging.  Even though my blog says I have 38 followers, it seems now that my blog is Google hosted, none of my followers receive my notifications when I post.  So I guess for now, until I figure out how to relink to my followers and to find other places to post, this blog will be my personal journal. Kind of cool!  I hope I don't rant and rave and spill too many beans. Lol!
  Okay, what is currently happening with me?   I'm finally feeling better, and yes I have a smile on my face.  I have been fighting an intestinal bug for a couple of months now.  I was waking up with horrible intestinal cramping and then severe diarrhea.  I would have to take four Imodium Ads in the morning to make it through my music teaching day, or to make it through my recording sessions in April, and even to make it through the conference I attended in LA, and then I would collapse at night.  It has made a huge dent in my energy level and in my ability to get things done.  So, yeah, I'm glad to finally be feeling better.  Now I have a ton of house cleaning and organizing, business, music business, art business, and social media to complete.
  My drawing, 'Christmas Dance', will be exhibited this coming weekend at the Juried Gallery of the Edmonds Arts Festival.  It is for Sale!  Yahoo!
  I'm getting ready to finish and release a new CD - I love my new tracks - they are the best ever!
I'm also planning on submitting for new gallery shows with my beautiful new 'Rain Painting' series, and finishing the documentary film associated with the 'Rain Paintings'.
You can view my art at my art site: www.lauriemillermodernart.com.

Thank you for looking and reading, and if anyone can tell me how to notify my followers or to link my postings, I would greatly appreciate it.

xoxo,
Laurie

New Song - 'Give Up Me'

                                                             Hi everyone,

My blog postings have decreased from almost daily for a year to once a month.  Hopefully I will get back to posting more frequently.  Last month was a busy one.  I finally have my in-home studio up and running.  Here is the first song, 'Give Up Me' I tracked (vocals & guitar).  I still plan on producing a version of this song with some strings and a few other instruments added. In the middle of April I went to Los Angeles for the ASCAP Expo conference.  It was the motivating factor in getting my studio set up.   I plan on completing my new CD with my studio in July and August.  Another new song I recently tracked,  'What Does Bob Think?', placed Honorable Mention in the Song of the Year contest.  I was happy that it placed against completed (fully produced) tracks, when the song is only a rough and raw 'first take' vocal and acoustic guitar tracks.  I will produce 'What Does Bob Think?' this summer too, as well as the rest of my new songs.  I will be running a fundraiser to finish my CD and a series of paintings with Kickstarter starting next month.  This month is crunch time for my teaching business.  I have 20 students preparing for Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory - The Achievement Program exams this month, and then I have my student recital to prepare for.
  Eight of my nine art entries were accepted and juried into the Edmonds Arts Festival 2012 Juried Galleries.
  Continue to say your prayers and send positive energy for my 17 year old bass student, Ruby Smith, who is fighting cancer.  She is always in my thoughts.
  I will write more soon!  Have a nice day. xxoo Laurie

2011 New Year's Resolutions

Hi everyone! To quote my good friend, Sal, "I feel more like I do today, then when I first got here." I have enjoyed a wonderful past couple of weeks, due to having my wonderful son home with me. I've also finally had a few days of 'down time' where I can recharge my life instead of living inside a never slowing gerbil wheel, "Going nowhere fast." I've finally started painting and writing songs again which soothes my soul. The picture I'm including with this post is an acrylic painting I created over the past two days. The entire image doesn't fit on the scanner, so here is a portion of the painting.
It reflects 'somewhat' the Expressionist movement I've been studying. One goal for the New Year is to create my new art web site including my new artist statement. I hope to submit art to shows again, and to have a solo show and/or to be included in group shows.
In regards to my music, I plan on recording a couple of new tunes I've written and then release my CD. I also plan on booking acoustic original gigs. Thanks to all of my bffs for listening to me bend their ears this past year; my sister-Kristie, Susan, Maureen, Cathy, Cindy, and Carol. Thanks to all of the musicians I've made music with; Tim, Hans, Freddy, Billy, Rick, Dr. Z, Sheldon, Jeff, Doug, Eric, Chris, etc. Thanks to my wonderful students. Thanks most of all to my son and cat! Instead of a poem I'm including a list of New Year's Resolutions I wrote last night. I've also linked Claude Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun to this posting. Have a Nice Day! xxoo


2011 New Year’s Resolutions
1. To love myself more, thus I will be able to love other people more.
2. To not be so hard on myself.
3. To forgive myself constantly, and to forgive other people.
4. To be true to myself, my dreams, and my desires.
5. To continue having an ‘attitude of gratitude.’
6. To not take myself so seriously. (Dr. Wayne Dyer)
7. To live with courage, integrity, and kindness as my foundation.
8. To remember that if I can’t say something nice,
even in defense of myself, I shall not say anything at all.
9. To remember not to throw my pearls before swine,
and if I have to (to earn a living ), then to turn a deaf ear to criticism (consider the source), and to not give them my energy.
10. To create the best life I can, where my creativity will flourish and my spirituality will grow to new heights.
To create a life protected and surrounded with love.
Copyright 2010 - LAM