I’ve just started singing lessons again after decade-long intermission. Once again, singing is teaching me more about living than any book ever could. Each breath makes a space in me for my authentic sound to come through. Using the instrument of my body to shape that sound has mostly to do with not doing something. There is a great and subtle work required to perfect that skill. This week’s lesson is to be the glove rather than the fist. And I am, once again, a...
Read More »
Twenty-seven years ago, as my mother lay dying in her bed, she looked up at me, drew a deep breath and exhaled these words: “I never got my turn.” I was stunned, horrified and heartbroken that a woman of her education, experience and impact would come to the end of her life with that feeling on her heart. As her only child, about to be orphaned, I felt compelled to understand.What did she mean?I was confused and left to draw my own conclusions. How should I interpret her...
Read More »
Why are we all so angry? Thirty years ago I spent a day in Cook County Jail in Chicago. I was there to shoot a segment for a documentary program I was producing about prisons. That day I met 25 teenage boys (most awaiting trial on murder charges) locked in a classroom with their teacher. I felt privileged to spend the day with them, and to interview a few about their experiences. Through their program with led by their teacher Charles Rankin (based on the work of Les...
Read More »
Thedra’s got cancer and she’s putting it on canvas. I met the artist Thedra Cullar-Ledford last summer in Houston, Texas during my 2013 book tour. We’ve stayed connected via Facebook. And then about a month ago, I began seeing her posts about her breasts and cancer. What came after that, for me, was extraordinary. She was painting. And she was sharing her work. This is her story of her creativity and breast cancer. K: How would you describe what you do, Thedra? T: I’m a...
Read More »
Your life is a creative process. What’s yours look like? Feel like? Here, all on one page, are the 12 steps you’ll take to consciously create a life you love. It’s that simple. Not easy, but simple. These steps reflect the experiences and work of each station of the Wheel of Creativity. [listly id=”7i7″ layout=”full”] How long is this going to take? Well, that depends on you, what you’re looking to create, and...
Read More »
