HABITAT HOUSE FUND - Pervis Rice Family

In 1992 I moved to Tennessee to start my life over after a divorce, and to pursue my career as a southern country rock artist.  I had fallen in love with Nashville, TN and the surrounding countryside on my initial visit, and thought it would be a perfect place to start my life anew.

After arriving and beginning my pursuit, I started picking up odd jobs here and there to make a few dollars. I worked as an administrative temp, a singer for Pepsi Co., a songwriter, an actor, a cocktail waitress, and on weekends, I'd work at a bed and breakfast cleaning up rooms and dusting the rest of the mansion.  It was at the B&B where I met Pervis.  She too was working there to pick up a few extra dollars on the weekend.  We hit it off immediately, and after a few years when I could afford it, Pervis came to work for me cleaning my house.  But the thing was, we worked together, and she'd spend the weekend with me, and after we finished cleaning, we'd have FUN together.

Many years have passed, and Pervis is now raising her GREAT-Grandson's - there are THREE of them!  She lives in Gallatin, TN where she was raised.  She has traveled around the World, but came home to live with her Mother in her final years... now she's raising three GROWING boys.

She applied for a HABITAT house and was denied. But because Pervis doesn't give up easily, she applied again a few years later and qualified.  She and the boys move into the house in just a couple of weeks and I'd like to help her out with some of the expenses.

So, give what you can - $1, $5, $10, $20, $40, $50, $100, $250, $500 - Whatever your heart moves you to do.  I've put in $100, and two other friends/family have put in another $250.  So I'm already part of the way to my goal.

Thanks so much!!!

PURPLE Bottles

PURPLE is my favorite color - Creating random interestingly artistic photos is one of my favorite pastimes. My iPhone allows me to take random photos that I wouldn't normally get to take with my professional camera. Sometimes when I lift up my pro equipment, I'm quickly told I can't do that... my iPhone has stopped this irritation.

I gotta say, I really LOVE this photo! The light is so beautiful with the shadows pronounced!

THOUGHT

We are powerful beyond our wildest imagination - I'm proving it! And YOU can too! Come with me on this path to fulfillment of every desire... And so it is!

Day 4 - Finding the Reason

365 Days of what I've learned for that day...

Maybe that's what I'll write about...

We'll just have to see.

I do know that today went by really fast.

Mom said it will be the fastest year of my life.

Damn, she's always right... well about life anyway.

Day 3 - Work & Pray

I worked a bit today
Not too much
Just enough so I could say
Thank God for such a
B E A U T I F U L Day!!!

Day 2 - Takin' it Easy

I took it easy today.
Because I wanted to...
Because I needed to...

Sometimes I just have to do nothing.

10 Reasons You Should Have An Email List & Newsletter

Indie Artist Tip Of The Day – 10 Reasons You Should Have An Email List & Newsletter
By IndieVinny, on January 2nd, 2012 © 2011 Vinny Ribas

1. You can target-market your communications to people who honestly want to hear from you.
2. Your newsletter is a great place to sell advertising space or trade it for a sponsorship.
3. You can create anticipation for your shows and your music.
4. You can conduct surveys to learn important information about your fans.
5. You can introduce new music, try out new songs or even get opinions on new merchandise ideas.
6. You can drive your fans to your website, to iTunes and/or to YouTube. You control what you want them to see and hear.
7. You can market your shows directly to fans in the specific geographic regions you’ll be performing in.
8. Monthly or bi-monthly newsletters keep your music and your shows in the forefront of your fans minds. Remember, out of sight, out of mind.
9. You can attract and mobilize a street team.
10.You can share your personal stories, anecdotes, challenges etc. with people who really want to know more about you. There may be some things you don’t necessarily want the whole world to know.

This list could easily be modified for the visual artist.

A New Beginning - Again - Thank You!

It was the first day of a new year.
I wanted to do something meaningful.
I took care ... of me.
Rest. Renew. Rebirth.

2012 - I can't wait to see what you have for me.

ARTlightenment 2011

Pictured: Robyn Morshead, Camille Engel, Carla Christina Contreras (me), and Thomas Royalty - We each won the BEST award for our art medium.

Being a FEATURED ARTIST in this show was an AMAZING experience! I also taught a workshop for artists on "Marketing, Promoting, and Branding YOU & Your Art!"

PLEASE Use this LINK for Amazon - we get a hit!

Unmasking Mental Health Art Benefit - The Mental Health Cooperative

I was Juried into this AMAZING art show - SOLD six works of ART!

10 Things Artists Should Be Thankful For

by Sylvia White

This was sent to me by another Artist... It struck a nerve... caused some sinus activity... I think about this almost EVERY day as I struggle to be the Artist I think I should be...

By the time most artists come to see me, they are usually beaten down and depressed by the struggles of the artworld. They have been abused by their galleries, taken for granted by their collectors, misunderstood by their families and exhausted from juggling real life with creative need. It is so easy to forget how special you are, when there is no one around to remind you, but you. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I give you my list of 10 Things Artists Should Be Thankful For. Print this out, fold it up and put in your wallet. Send it to your artist friends. Read it whenever you feel all your work is for nothing and you are thinking maybe you should just stop making art and grow up. Post it in your studio when you are wondering what the heck you are going to do with all this work? But, most of all…believe it. Remember, it is impossible to feel thankful and be depressed at the same time.

1. I am thankful that I am not one of the majority of people in this world that wakes up every morning, goes to a job they hate, just to come home and do it all over again.

2. I am thankful that when I am away from my studio, my ideas come with me, they keep me company everywhere I go.

3. I am thankful for this passion that gives me so much joy (and angst) but mostly joy.

4. I am thankful that when I have left this earth, I will leave something meaningful behind.

5. I am thankful that I have a mind that can not sleep, I will never be bored.

6. I am thankful that there is a part of my life that nobody but me can control.

7. I am thankful that no one in the world can ever take this gift from me.

8. I am thankful that I am brave, it takes courage to pursue my gift.

9. I am thankful that I am never satisfied, it forces me to move forward and grow.

10. I am thankful I discovered this list! Pass it on.


Reprinted from:

In response to FEAR

I don't do fear... it focuses on the negative... I have learned that fear is the opposite of love... and I am all about the LOVE! I choose LOVE as my religion.

What can I do in these times for my country I ask myself [daily]? I can continue to live the life that many have died for me to live ... I can continue to believe in the fact that I live in a country where my choices are my choices ... I can smile at my fellow Americans and those who are here visiting our great country each day I am out in the world, and be kind in thought word and deed ... and remember to live each day like it is my last ... for now, that is all I can do ... but FEAR is not one of the things I choose.

We are in a GREAT transition ... for me, it is important that we stand together as countrymen and women with a consciousness of the freedom that we've earned with our history ... Yes, things are really different today than we've known in the past, but all I can do is the BEST that I can do with my individual life... I talk to God every day about my life and hand it over to him/her once again... and it makes it easier for me. I do trust that God has a higher plan... a better plan than I could ever imagine... but sometimes it looks like God has screwed up, and then I remember that it isn't always 'pretty' walking through the muck...

Thinking back in my lifetime, it seems this President has had a lot more muck to deal with from the get go... more than any other President in the history of my life... I do not envy him at all. I wouldn't want the job, and don't understand why he would either... but I choose to lift him up rather than to beat him down ...

The last President wasn't my choice, and especially not one of my favorites... but he was our President ... I had to learn to lift him up for the bigger picture. HE is the reason I can do that today.

I once thought about a political career... I was very young (late teens)... but that was then, and this is NOW...

TODAY I am just living for today...

No turtles, only cardinals...

Totally for the birds... I was headed out to take some pictures of turtles down by the creek... when two cardinals kept teasing me...

Now, I'm not much of a bird photographer... but they were really flying close to me, churping for attention... soooooo... I snapped a couple of shots. This is my favorite one. So cute in all his glorious RED!

BTW, I walked about a quarter mile from my car to get a shot of about 14 turtles on a log in the middle of the creek... as soon as I lifted the lens up... they all fell into the water... I was about 50 yards away from the turtles... little $#!&'s.

Nashville Lucy LOVES the SNOW!!!!

It seems like winter just isn't finished with us here in Tennessee just yet... today's snow was like sparkly little powder crystals coming down from the heavens... it was GORGEOUS!
Lucy and I went out to play in the white stuff for a little bit! LOVE my POOCH!