After Effects

After the concert on that Thursday I was on such a natural high I couldn't sit still or anything. So Chansi came to the rescue and we went out to some resturant. I had so many compliments on my costume I which I was skeptical about in the beginning. Well it was pretty frightfully in getting everything together but it was a success in the end. I believe I was more blessed than anything just to be a part of it. Next semester is going to be a blast and I can't wait.

After the journey, and onward

So, here we are, on the other side of MIGRATIONS.

I want to thank all of the Mechanics, for your hard work, commitment, creativity and energy. This art would not have existed without you. I’m not sure if any other ensemble could make it exist, certainly not as you have. What we do is at times a hard thing, very demanding. It is always a great risk. But it is also a great joy. All of you have made this effort much more joy than work, and an exceptional reward for the risk. I’m very proud of you, and deeply grateful I get to share the stage with you all. Bravo!

Thanks also go to our soul brother and composer, Todd Harper. It has been our privilege to bring your creation to life. As a group, as individuals, as musicians and as people, we have grown. We have moved on from where we were before.

Heartfelt thanks also go to our guest soloist, Garrett Ward. You are a rock, our foundation in this piece, and to me a great friend. Thank you so much for being here with us.

I also want to say “thank you” to any and all audience members who might be reading this. You were very much a part of tonight’s performance; indeed, your presence made it all the more special. Thanks for your enthusiasm and support for our efforts. Hope the food was good.

Many thanks to everyone behind the scenes who made it happen, and to the other artists who joined in the ancillary efforts. You added so much to the event, it is impossible to think of it without you.

So, here we are, after this journey, starting a new one---no, many new journeys, many pathways will radiate out from this event. I can’t wait to see where we go….and we go...

Migrations

I love the idea of migrations, it relates to everyone. I have been wanting to put a name on the cycles of my life and migrations is no longer too limited of a term for me. I have so many parts of my life where, when I was finished I picked up and moved on and took what I felt was important for the future of my life. I have seen myself change in what I take with me and what I leave behind. I no longer leave the useful and take the useless. This migrations piece is something I will take with me after this station.

The idea of migrating has been implemented in such a musical way where it is comprehensive. The traveling instrument that we take, representing the useful tools I take with me to to every station (or setting) of my life. Using the instrument at each station shows how we take our surrounding and put them to use. Just as I move to a new town I go to that grocery store rather than traveling across state to go to the grocery store.

This experience as a whole has been amazing, opening my mind to new ideas. It has inspired me in my poetry and in my music as a whole not to mention my spiritual practices my personal artistic ideas have made leaps and bounds. Exposing myself musically has broadened my horizon so to speak. I have been able get out of the box that society has placed me into I believe that this is just the beginning. This "station" has been my favorite so far. "And we go......."

My migration

I am a native Kansan, and other than conferences and vacations, have always been in Kansas. Thus, physically at least, I've only migrated back and forth over a 400 mile stretch of the plains. Even in that, however, I've been honed and sharpened by every different landscape and their varied inhabitants. From the slow moving west, I've learned to appreciate the wide open space, the sunsets and stars, and a good (long) conversation. From the faster paced north east, I developed an appreciation for all things cultural and was first exposed to the peoples of the rest of the planet (at KSU I volunteered in the international student center). I settled down in a small town, Arkansas City, for over a decade, and there I rooted in community and service.

Then, when my father died, I returned to my native land of SW Kansas, thinking I could thrive anywhere...but finding I was malnourished, I returned to the greater Wichita area. Here, I find it possible to have the best of both worlds: when I want to be anonymous I can easily meld into the metro mix...when I want to stand up, stand out, or take a stand, I can generally find groups, like the Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas, roll up my sleeves and get involved.

Another migration I have experienced is one of spirit. I was born into a non-practicing Methodist household. I became a flaming southern Baptist. I found it too strictured. I've visited almost every house of faith, but I have yet to call one home. Some call it waffling, others exploring. I consider matters of the spirit to be paramount, and I resent those who label me as "lukewarm." It seems the more important something is to me, the longer I take to take hold. (It took me over 40 years to warm up to having children, for example.) So, in short, I'm moving all over the place on the topic of faith.

I'll attach my migration in music. It's not terribly interesting, but it's me.