Since the inauguration, I’ve been experiencing an uncharacteristic inertia. A malaise has insinuated itself into my psyche, and my days are often void of the requisite energy to write or practice. As such, my productivity has tanked to a troubling low. This feels different than depression. Still, I’m not exactly sure what’s up. I’m curious if other artists are experiencing this too. Reality has flipped on its ear. Every fucking day is weirder than the one before it. Lying is the new norm. Corruption and…
I recently came across a post by Jennifer Garam entitled “How to Keep Writing When No One Gives a Shit.” She begins the piece with an unflinching overview of the current state of her writing career: “…no publisher is wooing me with six figure advances…nothing I’ve written has gone viral…no one is compulsively refreshing my website, checking for my next blog post to be published.” She goes on to discuss other cruel metrics−sluggish web traffic, low engagement on social media, etc.− that seem to confirm…
My brain has been sitting across the room from me with its arms folded. It’s not given up anything: a workable idea, an intriguing metaphor or even a cool word. I’ve tried cajoling, bribing and even a few threats. But it continues to hold out on me. The standoff started a few days ago. I’m crazy excited about a new project and have been trying to grab every spare moment to write. Things were firing along nicely; the idea engine was cranking and the language had…
A week ago today, I was riding across the rocky hills of Texas on a beautiful Appaloosa mare named Dee Dee. The sky was wide and endless. The cypress-lined vistas were peaceful. Dee Dee was a sweet and steady girl. I grew up riding horses, even competitively. Still, it had been at least 30 years since I’d been on a horse. I wondered if I’d remember what to do. But the moment I climbed into that saddle, it all came back to me. The southern…
Assholes. Every creative community has a few. They slime around the scene, inflicting varying degrees of unpleasantness and leaving an acrid aftertaste in their wake. Ugh. Assholes aren’t a particularly upbeat thing to write about; neither are cockroaches or plumbing problems. But we all encounter them from time to time, right? It’s good to think about how we might be more skilled at dealing with them. Here are six ideas: 1. Ascertain the degree of assholery you’re dealing with. Not all assholes are created equal. They…
A month or so ago, I made the decision to take a brief hiatus from music. For the most part, it was a purely practical move. I’ve been slamming on a couple of big writing projects. I’ve also been putting in extra muscle on this beautiful new website. Both of these have exacted an inordinate amount of time. Throw in practice, gigs and the daily demands of parenting and what you have is one frazzled chick. There are only so many hours in a day…
A few weeks ago, my landlord sent (finally) the maintenance guy (Waffi) over to deal with a variety of problems in the apartment: an oven that wouldn’t light, a bathroom sink that wasn’t draining properly, a busted hinge on the hall closet door and a perpetually dripping faucet in the kitchen. We’d been living in a state of disrepair for several weeks. Waffi is a sweet but incredibly busy guy. Everyone wants a spot on his dance card and we’d been waiting a long…
The other day, I was talking to a guy who, by most definitions, would be considered a success. He earns six figures a year and works in a beautiful office in the Galleria Office Tower in Houston. (To those unfamiliar with the Galleria, think swanky.) He recently got remarried. His new wife is super smart, highly successful in her own career and lovely in every way. He adores her. They honeymooned in Budapest, by way of Paris. Upon their return to Houston, they bought a…
My Old School OK, I’m having a mom conundrum. This particular issue spins around and around in my brain like a crazy dog endlessly chasing its tail. Sometimes it keeps me up nights. It’s certainly caused some considerable drama in our household over the past few years. In the big picture scheme of it all, I’m not even sure if all my fuss and worry is warranted. The issue I’m talking about is education. We have a struggle on our…
The infamous voiceover that started each episode of Star Trek called space the final frontier. Of course, that particular reference was about outer space, with planets, moons, galaxies and all of that cosmic stuff. Certainly, there are many ways to think about space and the concept has been the center of many lively metaphysical discussions throughout the history of mankind. When I think about it relative to our creative lives, space is the ultimate frontier. This could be a slightly goofy ride, but hang…