Hello Everyone!
It has been a busy couple of weeks.....
First, I've started work on a project for a dear friend. I'm composing some music to her recitation of selected Baha'i Writings. She used to be an actress in the old Hollywood days and she has a wonderful, dramatic voice. Check out her website at www.lisajanti.com. It is the first time I'm doing something like this and it is exciting and challenging at the same time. I am definitely stretching my composing chops. The CD will probably be out early next year. More about it as it unfolds.
Second, some other friends and I have started a new project called Arts Rising: The Living Room Series. It is a venue for artists ( musical artists, visual artists, film artists, dancers, writers, , etc...) who create art with the intention that it can be a channel for change and empowerment. It is very community-involved, with a special Q&A section for the artist to talk about their creative process. We had had our first one earlier this month, with a rockin' performance by our guest artist Jay-Bird the Straybird, a L.A based rapper who did his entire set with only an acoustic guitar....amazing stuff. Our next one in December will feature Bobby Azami who is a director and photographer. He will be doing storytelling! Yours truly is one of the House Artists, so you can pretty much hear a couple of songs from me at any show you come check out. Our new website www. artsrisingthelivingroomseries.com is coming soon.
Third, we are going on a road trip!...and in the throws of preparation. Yay! My husband, who has worked in the film industry doing computer-related stuff for the last few years ( anybody reading this that also works in that industry knows the demanding hours one has to put in so it is a much needed break) , has been planning this trip for a long time. We are going up to visit his childhood friend in Washington for Thanksgiving, and visiting all sorts of friends and relatives along the way.... it should be amazingly fun:)
Okay, last but not least. I need to do a quick update as to how my "Technology Study" is progressing. Well, I have learned to create an artist Facebook page ( different from a profile page) and all the cool and useful things you can do with it. Like, create a fan list, how to use it to advertise your stuff etc... Also, I'm learning to build a website ( for Arts Rising) through Weebly.com. So cool. Weebly is a tool you can use to build your own website for free! It is so easy too. Just click and drag mostly. I am still in the beginning stages of my creation, so I will keep you posted.
The progress on my own website is slow, I know. I have some brand new music coming and a lot more pics and links. I'm getting there!!!! Hopefully by December things will be up and ready for your listening and viewing pleasure:)
That's it! Remember to smile and be happy. Sending love.

Afraid of technology?

Here it is...my first blog ever. There is really no avoiding it anymore. As an artist, one of the most important aspects of my job is to connect with my audience and to contribute to the growth of the community. In this day and age, that means connecting offline activities with the online world and visa verse. The truth is, I am afraid of technology. Not in the sense that I am afraid of what it can do. It is a fantastic tool. What I am afraid of is the headache that slowly starts to move up from the base of my head to in between my eyes, throbbing, as I move the mouse around TRYING to figure out what the heck I am doing on the screen. I do email, a little bit of Facebook...... and that's about it. That is the extent of my vocabulary. "Computer" is a language that I have chosen not to speak very well. Until, now.
This is the beginning of my journey.... no, OUR journey ( for those of you who want to follow my growth) as I, the right brained artist, nurtures her left brained techie side. I will be learning how to maintain my website, keep the content fresh by uploading new music tracks, videos, blogs, pictures etc. So lets get started.