Every morning this week I have walked by a set of open doors with the smell of freshly baked bread wafting around me. I love this smell and it has been a great reminder of the verse, "His mercies are new every morning." In the original language, these words allude to the baking of bread every morning that would be eaten duing the day. It is a lovely, beautiful smell to start my morning with. In my life, a lot of things seem to be coming into being all at once like several loaves of bread being served up out of the oven at once. There are many new paths to take, many new things to enjoy. So much so, that I feel like I am entering into a new chapter in my life, not because of any major life change, but I can hear the music going into a new and rather surprising movement. I like it, it is filled with many of the things I have wanted to do in my life but wasn't sure how they would come about. It is quite exciting even as as they come with a long list of "To Do's".
In the midst of all this, God, or Papa as I have come to call Her, (See "The Shack" by William P. Young - www.TheShackBook.com. That's another post), has brought things into my life that feed my love to laugh and to make others laugh in turn. The biggest one of these is a live radio show called LiveWire! Their tagline is "Variety for the eyes, vaudville for the mind." And they certainly deliver. I discovered this show through an actress I know, also incredible, who is in many of the comedy sketches they perform. For months I had been wanting to check it out but until April, I had been unable to attend their show. Then, in late March, I heard some of their broadcast before I headed in to see a play at the Salem Repretory Theatre, my favorite theatre troupe. What I heard made me laugh so hard that I knew I had to see this show in person. So for April, I made it a priority, bought the ticket, and made plans to go after attending my niece's second birthday party in Portland, Oregon. (Portland is where they record the show in front of the live audience.) I knew the general area around the Aladin Theatre so had little trouble finding a place to park and easily saw the line stretching around the block to get in. Once in this old style theatre, I found a seat near the front, (usually my favorite place in any theatre), next to someone who turned out to be the author they were interviewing that night. I was excited. I knew this was going to be good and just the sort of thing I loved. From the beginning, with music, interesting interviews, comedy, and audience participation, I was in my element. If I had tried, I could not have created something more lively or entertaining. I think I was laughing most of the time, it was SOOOO funny!
The interview with the author was one of my favorite parts as she said many things I took to heart such as, "If you can't marry money, don't marry insecurity." What she meant by this was don't marry someone who is not supportive of your work as a musician, artist, writer, dancer, or whatnot. Marry someone who will encourage you, believe in you, and encourage your creativity. As a single artist in my late twenties, this was fantastic advice. I think I will always remember it. She was someone who wrote hugely succesful science fiction books starting in the 50's and 60's continuing into today and raised a family when doing both was unheard of. She said in those days, you usually had books or kids, not both, and they came from the same place. As an author myself, I knew exactly what she meant. Being an author of a published book is like having a kid and writing and publishing it is like giving birth. It is a common metaphor within the author circuit. During intermission, I asked her how she did it, published books and raised a family at the same time? She told me her husband had been incredibly supportive by sharing in the taking care of the kids and the house so she would have time to write. It was so nice to know both could indeed be done. I think there are many artists out there with kids and it does take a supportive spouse and/or community aruond them that values their art and works in partnership with them. If I ever marry, that is is a quality I'll be looking for. My art is incredibally important to me and vital to who I am as a person.
So as an artist, I loved the creative elements of LiveWire! It's a fun show led by lots of very creative and fun people. I would highly recomend it to anyone who loves to laugh, is open to all types of expression, and can enjoy irreverence in the good humor in which it is written and performed.
The day after their show I looked up their website, www.LiveWireRadio.com, and listened to their podcasts of previous shows while I worked on a quilt a woman in California commissioned me to make. I must admit, I spent most of that Sunday afternoon in laughter. Even their interviews are both interesting and filled with humor. At a time when so much is going on in my life and it feels like I always have a long list of things to get done, laughter is a wonderful and delightful release. No matter how many times I listen to those shows, they still make me grin and laugh. I highly reccomend them, especially if you live outside the area and can't go see a live recording.
So thank you LiveWire! for doing what you do, you have brought a lot of laughter and joy into the lives of many including my own. I already have plans to see the May 17th show and am looking forward to going again, and again, and again... You made a fan out of me!
Labels: Art, Creativity, LiveWire, Radio, Variety Show