A Plate of Peace (or peas)

Food that Feeds the Soul
Written by Christina Major

In older times, soul foods were rich and hearty. They focused on what was not plentiful most other times, like meats, fats and fruits. You see, the typical diet of the average person about 100 years ago focused on vegetables. Hence, soul food was richer in nutrients and money.

Today, soul foods are the same, the rest of our diet isn’t. That’s why we have increased heart disease and other debilitating problems well over 1000-fold.

But sometimes these soul foods are needed. My grandmother made a lamb stew that was rich in vegetables and meats. It’s rich in nutrients and when sick, it was wonderful.

When you are down, it’s sometimes difficult to choose healthy foods over soul foods. I generally recommend skipping foods that were fried or have no vegetable component. When you are down, you need more nutrients to combat the stress.

A wonderful stew, slow cooked with lots of vegetables and spices can remind you of home and a simpler time. A rich chicken soup really does help to fight the common cold. This may be what is needed more for the body and the soul.

Christina Major, Holistic Nutritionist, Naturopathic Doctor, author, speaker,  radio personality & The Health Recovery Expert.  Join Christina for a free 20-minute Health Breakthrough Session.

Bookless Library, Artless Gallery, mp3 Opera House

Are we headed to pageless books, bookless libraries, computer classrooms, digital galleries, big screen dance stages, mp3 auditoriums? How do you think the future of the performing, visual artists and writers will change in the future?

iQ, mEq, uQ, eQ, WeQ

While working on my website and emails today, a tweet popped up about college students and getting grades for their emotional intelligence.
I clicked on the link and read through the artical.  I reminded me of the book published in 1998 called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”

The question was whether college students should be given grades for emotional intelligence?    (the question)

Then I read a comment from a person who asked “give credit for breathing?”   That got me thinking — look out folks.   I’m back at it again, analyzing.   So, consider the fact that at age nine I started learning to play oboe.  My lungs not yet fully developed (that process is completed at age 12), and there I was holding an instrument in my hands in which I had to, ever so slowly, hold and control my breath.   hmmm, I think.  I became a professional oboist about 12 years later (getting paid to perform and/or teach).   Did I get “credit” for breathing or for controling my breath?   I sorta think so.   You can see my breath condensate (my science knowledge) on the inside of this oboe.  Does that makes my invisible breath real?

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At what point will we as humans, begin to accept that emotions ARE part of our existence.   They are as real (or unreal, sometimes) as our breath.  Emotions ARE real.  Ask the folks who lost a loved one in one of the countless, senseless shootings across this country and world.   What is the worst part of a death — not the loss of the body — but the loss of the spirit of the person, the personality, the air space the person occupied, the feelings that came WITH the person.   Emotions can not be replaced with things or money.   They ARE real.  They need to heal just as any other part of our body needs to heal after a “boo boo” or down right surgery.   Emotions are housed in our brains.

Subjective. Sure.  So is art, music, writing, reading, dance, sports, medicine, lanquage, science.  Lots of subjects are subjective.  What we need is a form of measurement like the mathmeticians have managed to get to work in their favor.   “It’s all about the numbers.”  — one of my very unfavorite comments in the last year.   There are SO many aspects of life that are “priceless” that have nothing to do with numbers.

iQ vs eQ (the difference)

Poder These:

iQ – intelligence quotient (answer)

eQ – emotional quotient (answer)

mEq – abbreviation for milliequivalent

hiQ – (answer)

uQ – university quotient — OK, this was odd

WeQ – wind erosion eQuation, worry emotionality questionaire, war event questionaire, work experience questionaire (check this out)

wiQ – Waring Intimacy Questionaire, Walking Impairment Questionaire, (huh?)

theyQ – alien emotions — just kiddin’ (or not?)

I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. (answer)

Creative Process

The creative process is not without its troubles. I too, am an artist, and snicker (or grimace) at the comments or questions about how easy it must be for me to draw, paint or create something “from your imagination.” I think “amazing what 15 years training will do for ‘ya.”

I can understand young children being in awe of my skills and assuming that if they just say the word “elephant”, I will know exactly how to draw one. (now is that an African or Asian elephant?) Dog or Cat (100s of breeds), horse (yikes, they have lots of muscles), chair (how many millions of those are there?). A person (running, walking, standing, sitting, age, etc)

So do you kinda understand how complex the “just draw something simple” comment is to a real artist? Sometimes people actually think that in art school you can do anything you want to do. You can’t be right or wrong — afterall it’s YOUR work. Not so. There are assignments with guidelines and grades. After art school, if you only do what you want to do … you may be a starving artist OR you just count on being the one in half a million artists to get “discovered” and make it rich.

Cartoonists — there are limitations to the space alloted in newspaper publications. Ever wonder why you see the same cartoons for decades even after the death of the artist? Comic books have morphed into “graphic novels” — picture books for mostly teens and grown-ups. The artwork is fabulous, skilled, creative, dynamic. Artists making their mark — tiny as it may be — in the huge world of art. There are SO many styles of “cartooning” you could spend a lifetime studying, exploring them.

See what Laurissa is learning about the process of creating art:
Today I Learned: 100!.

lestwentytwo

This is the 100th official “Today I Learned:”!  Technically though, including Interims / con reviews / other drawings / etc. I have posted 136 things on here!

Again, thank you to everyone who reads this comic, it’s awesome that so many people like it! 😀  Onward to more comics in the future!

Also, I wanted to thank Melissa and John, who I went snowboarding with a couple of days ago, and they took that awesome first picture.

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Selecting your Season

I have a theory that people often enjoy or feel most comfortable in the season in which they were born.  What do you think?
Take this quick survey.

Four Seasons is Antonio Vivaldi’s most famous work.

January is my birth month and I prefer colder temperature to warm temperature. I don’t tolerate the summer well.
I enjoy this season of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by the renowned Itzhak Perlman.

4 panel painting

I prefer to hear a flute play the melody — more pleasing as the violin even with the greatest performer can get scratchy to my ears.
Which is your favoite season of the year?  Factors that may effect your answer may be from what area in the world you live.

As far as my favorite time of day — that’s also probably uncommon. I prefer the nightime because it’s a great time to write, read — think.

The Long and Winding Road

The path to peace is a long and winding road for survivors of violence.
There may be no guiderails. We get near the edge or end of the road often feeling discouraged.
But when we look around, we discover great beauty and comfort during our travel to wellness.

A problem that really exists – Media, Advertising, Family.
People believe and perpetuate what they see, read and hear.

Time to Heal

_____________

End the old

Begin the new

Reflect and hope

This is a safer year.

_____________

Meet new people

Find new places

Comfort and help

This is a better year.

_____________

Replace a memory

Discover a talent

Peace and laughter

This is a happier year.

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

Songwriters: LENNON, JOHN / MCCARTNEY, PAUL

The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I’ve seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door

The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way

Many times I’ve been alone
And many times I’ve cried
Anyway you’ll never know
The many ways I’ve tried

And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don’t leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door

But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don’t keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door

_______________________________________

Fall2011 – Voices

Winter2012 – Voices

Summer2012 – Voices

Fall2012 – Voices

gig-a-bites — feed the musicians

How do musicians land performing gigs in a time when more people play tunes on their phones than on their pianos?   Many venues where musicians were hosted weekly, monthly or even yearly have removed music performances from their budget.

What do musicians do when economic times don’t even give space on a street corner for them to earn money with the skill that took a decade or more to learn?

Back in the 1990s, I began marketing small music ensembles to my local area.  It was possible to get my woodwind quintet work at almost bimonthly.  Then it was quarterly, yearly — until the gigs dried up and we all returned our individual instrumental parts to the owner of the score. Paring down to a quartet helped for a brief time.   The most “popular” group to be hired was a trio.   Eventually, the request was for a duo.  Then — down to a soloist.

Our training is extensive as well as expensive when we consider the potential job market.  “Fall back” positions as teachers is an insult to my ears considering I decided and prepared to be an educator since the age of twelve.  I often wonder if your doctor, dentist, lawyer would “love” their work for a concilation for not making a respectable income.

There were times when I received phone calls from “charities” inquiring about musicians to help them earn money for their cause.   They always seem to think the artist and/or musican is able to donate his/her skills or product because they “enjoy” what they do and may benefit from the “exposure.”    When I became more skilled at discerning the intent or asking bluntly “do you have a budget?”, the request for a “free performer” did not make my skin crawl as often.

At some point, I began to question whether the fundraiser consisdered asking a garage mechanic, electrician or plumber to donate their time.    I replied to a lady who expected I find someone to be a volunteer so SHE could earn money, “the electric company is not impressed that I’m a musician when they send me a bill, or that I volunteered for your organization.”   Her “tune” changed and she said she could afford $75.  Wow, from $0 – $75 in only 5 minutes.   Good work on my part.

There still is the problem of skilled musicians that have “real” day jobs and then volunteer.  They play for fun by volunteering their service for local symphonies who don’t even pay the musicians!    The symphony will pay for tote bags, advertisement — but not pay the musicians?! (more on this topic another time)

This topic is open for discussion and suggestions for how to preserve our heritage of live music performance (not “pop stars”)