Inspiration
The Gift of Music
Celebrate the holidays with the gift of music! Download any of my albums and 100% of your purchase price will be donated to Reading in Motion, a stellar Chicago-based non-profit organization which uses the arts to teach at-risk primary grade students how to read.
Click on the link below to go to my music page:
Thank you for sharing the love and may your holidays be filled with peace and blessings!
The Journey for Peace Continues
Thank you to everyone who joined me at the Online Gathering for Peace. If you are on Facebook, you can see all the wonderful posts of music, art, poetry, quotes, videos, photographs and messages that different people shared.
I believe peace comes to the planet one person at a time, and the journey continues with every one of us who does anything to live and promote peace. I am moved by one man’s effort to promote peace that has expanded in an incredible outpouring of love from many unexpected places. Watch the TED video presentation of Ronny Edry’s simple yet profound contribution by clicking the link below:
Israel and Iran: A love story?
Online Gathering For Peace
Welcome Friends,
Let’s focus our attention on peace and see what we can create.
When each of us decides to create peace in our lives no matter what challenges or circumstances are present, world consciousness will change, and there will be peace on earth.
In spite of the personal and public events that may assault our sensibilities, challenge our beliefs, and make us angry, once a decision to create peace inside is made, all kinds of creative solutions to every challenge we face in our lives and in the world become available.
As the New Year approaches, take a moment to make peace inside you a priority. Use this space or join me at my Online Gathering for Peace on Facebook during the last days of 2012 and on New Year’s Day 2013 to share the ideas and answers that appear as you step back, calm down, and breathe into your own place of peace.
Here’s to peace in this moment for everyone everywhere!
Linda
“Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh, Teachings on Love
“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace
Old and New All At Once
I had a big birthday this past year and suddenly felt very old and very new all at once. I crossed over a threshold into the rest of my life. It was a very painful crossing, but now that I’m here, I feel great. Whew. I feel motivated to work on my creative bucket list in a more take charge sort of way. Looking at the What can I do, and not What haven’t I done. So what’s on my creative bucket list for this year? Well, number one is the new album of original songs, Geography, which is being released in September. I’m halfway there and I’ll keep you posted on my Kickstarter fundraising campaign, which is scheduled to go live in February and March. I’m working with a filmmaker right now to create the video for the web page and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you when it’s ready.
I spent the last year learning new things and re-learning old ones.
For example, that patience is a virtue is one of the old ones. That sometimes not getting some things you think you want turns out to be for the best in the end. Patience. Everything in its time. Applies to just about everything. I know that. Repeat. I know that. Breathe. Allow, allow, allow… And I find if I focus on being creative every day, laughing more, being kind, being responsible for my choices, the rest of life seems to take care of itself.
I learned practical new things, too, like additional songwriting techniques last winter from Neil Diercks and the online version of Berklee College of Music, and during the summer, had an in-depth immersion into Pro Tools music composing and recording software thanks to Dave Franz at the same school and a grant I received from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. These new skills have come in handy each creative day since.
So here’s to 2012… I wish you a new year filled with all the favorite things you love to experience.
In honor of that wish, here’s a song for you from my second album, Time, Seasons and the Moon featuring Bradley Williams on piano, John Whitfield on bass and Greg Sergo on drums.
My Favorite Things by Linda Tate
Laugh More
Lately, I have been clearing my space to make room for more creativity and inspiration when I came upon something from August 10, 1998. It reminded me about the value of everyday laughter as a tool for maintaining a positive mental attitude and as a source of inspiration for creative pursuits. The simple act of actually finding a random piece of paper I had saved from 1998 made me laugh at myself for being such a pack rat, but what is on the paper was worth reading again and definitely worth sharing. It’s from a time when I had been a subscriber to a website that emails its subscribers a joke a day. I went back there and signed up again because I believe whenever we can lighten up and laugh more, something good is bound to happen. So thank you to www.ajokeaday.com/ for the following:
Kids Finishing Sayings
A first grade teacher collected old, well-known proverbs. She gave each kid in her class the first half of a proverb and had them come up with the rest.
Better Be Safe Than… Punch A 5th Grader.
It’s Always Darkest Before… Daylight Savings Time.
Strike While The… Bug Is Close.
Never Underestimate The Power Of… Termites.
You Can Lead A Horse To Water But… How?
Don’t Bite The Hand That… Looks Dirty.
No News Is… Impossible.
A Miss Is As Good As A… Mr.
You Can’t Teach An Old Dog… New Math.
If You Lie Down With The Dogs, You’ll… Stink In The Morning.
Love All, Trust… Me.
The Pen Is Mightier Than The… Pigs.
An Idle Mind Is… The Best Way To Relax.
Where There’s Smoke, There’s… Pollution.
Happy The Bride Who… Gets All The Presents!
A Penny Saved Is… Not Much.
Two’s Company, Three’s… The Musketeers.
Don’t Put Off Tomorrow What… You Put On To Go To Bed.
Laugh And The Whole World Laughs With You, Cry And… You Have To Blow Your Nose.
Children Should Be Seen And Not… Spanked Or Grounded.
If At First You Don’t Succeed… Get New Batteries.
You Get Out Of Something What You… See Pictured On The Box.
When The Blind Leadeth The Blind… Get Out Of The Way.
There is No Fool Like… Aunt Edie.
A Quote
Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
– Albert Einstein
Quotes can be inspiring, and sometimes just the right one appears when we need it most. I have a collection of quotes on my website. Check out my favorites and send me yours. I’d love to hear about what inspires you.
The Source
The source of all creativity, imagination, and inspiration resides in awareness. It is the conscious process of observation, of feeling, of listening, of exploration that feeds the work of every artist, every painter, sculptor, musician, vocalist, composer, writer, dancer, chef, designer, healer, actor, architect, photographer, and anyone who makes or does anything creative. Awareness puts us in contact with our muse, the beginning, the middle, and the endless. It enriches the search for meaning. It sparks the ever-present, at our fingertips, nudge to do, be, go, see. It encourages us to be playful. It presents the question “what if?” and urges us to find out what will happen if the “what” is made manifest.
As we challenge ourselves to be aware, sensitive and present in each moment, let’s share some of what we discover as we observe, feel, listen, and explore.
I encourage you to use this as an interactive, artistic space where we can share ideas about creativity, imagination, and inspiration. What we are creating, how we are creating, and where it all comes from.
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