Don’t We Need More?
It takes two to tango, but as a writer or an artist, don’t we need more? It’s easy to think we do. We live in a world that motivates us to acquire a multitude of followers, get tons of likes, and sell boatloads of books or art. That’s the business of art. Does that give […]
Just Relax
Just relax. Nothing stresses me out more than when someone says that to me. Relax is a confusing instruction. While it sounds like the person is telling me what to do, in reality they are telling me what not to do. They are telling me not to be tense. And the moment I think of […]
Women’s Stories
As with cocktails, changing a few elements can completely transform a story. Over the past year, a group of fellow Maggidot, female Jewish storytellers, and I have discovered the power of this transformation. Our mission—to put together a collection of Jewish stories where women take the leading role. Some of the stories are our re-interpretation […]
Manhattan Monday
Mondays are rough. When I wake up in the morning, my mind buzzes with everything on my To Do list, and I feel overwhelmed. But since summer, I have something to look forward to on Mondays—the creative search for a variation of my favorite cocktail, the Manhattan. Inspired by my cousin, who posts pictures of himself and […]
Hidden Stories
Every morning I walk my dog through my neighborhood. We stroll down the street past boutique stores, art galleries, bars and restaurants. I peer through the windows and wonder what stories these places could tell. What dreams came alive here? Or perhaps, what dreams died? Did people fall in love or did they argue? It […]
Feeling Unseen
I’ll be honest. I’ve been feeling a little unseen lately. Everything was going pretty well this spring. I was venturing out more, meeting up with friends, and even taking risks like auditioning for a local play. (I didn’t get the role, but I put myself out there! I’d never done that before.) Then Alan came […]
Hidden Growth
I discovered something astonishing recently, and it’s influenced how I view creativity. It all started when Alan and I set out to create a peaceful habitat for bees and butterflies in our front yard. For years, our huge cedar trees dropped fronds every fall, turning the soil in our yard too acidic for grass but […]
Raining Writers Block
In March, I sat down to write my newsletter but couldn’t. Writers block had hit me hard. Winter in Portland is cold and wet. By March, I crave sunshine, but this year we got snow and sleet followed by days of rain. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed. I had no […]
Appreciating Failure
A couple of weeks ago, the sun came out briefly. I suggested that Alan and I play hooky and go see the cherry blossoms at the Portland Japanese Garden. When we got there, we saw a sign—Closed on Tuesdays. Too disheartened to go home, we went to the zoo instead. Harbor seals glided through water. […]
Walking Dance
Tango is a walking dance. What could be simpler? Walking in tango is simple. It is also really hard. Last month, Alan, and I couldn’t do anything right. Minor changes in his balance threw me off. Slight tension in my body threw him off. Even our embrace felt uncomfortable. Our instructor, Elizabeth Wartluft, told us not […]