MLK Dream -- A Winner!

Several weeks ago I posted my dream to a local MLK Dream contest. This morning, I received a call that I am one of the winners of a finalist spot. On Friday, I'll be interviewed by the judges and Friday night I'll be at the Diversity Banquet at the Hyatt Hotel. This is one more win for Votre Vray and one more step toward getting the word about about all the creative women I've been so blessed to interview this year. Thank you, everyone, for your unending support! Together, we'll make living your creative dream a viable alternative for ALL people.

My dream is to empower women of all shapes, sizes, ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, physical ability to be able to live an artistic or creative life that is not only personally and spiritually fulfilling, but also financially rewarding enough to pay her bills and foster her growth in her work. I have created a one-woman presentation called “Shout: Kiss My Art” that showcases parts of 75 different female artists/creatives dreams, but now I want to put those dreams (along with my own) and the dreams of artistic Greenville women into a book. (Next year I plan to expand to do all of the same for male artists.) I have received some support and my blog also showcases some of the women I’ve had the pleasure to meet in the past few months. (www.votrevray.blogspot.com) It is my final goal to use at least 20% of the money raised from sales of tickets to my show, sales of the book, or sales of T-shirts to fund grassroots scholarships to women who want to try to begin their creative dreams. I would hand over scholarship money directly to artists and arts organizations who will teach women how to do their art and begin their creative path. (However, right now this dream has cost me several thousand dollars, and before I can give scholarships, I need to have my materials ready to go to market.) I would deeply appreciate any assistance or partners I can find in this journey. (The Metropolitan Arts Council has already given me a small grant, and the yW has partnered with me to hand out Women’s Empowerment (entrepreneurial) info. Both organizations have been essential to moving this dream forward. Thank you.)

Point of claification: My win at this point is like a finalist in a beauty pageant. I haven't won the whole shebang yet...but I feel it. I really do.

Ladies, Been to NYC Solo? Call for Stories!

CALL FOR STORIES!
Ladies, have you ever traveled to NYCity solo? You can submit your story to Gina Greenlee for consideration and you might just end up in her next book!

Gina Greenlee gave attendees of Votre Vray's Shout: Kiss My Art! November 11th performance a free copy of her book Postcards and Pearls, so you know she's a sweet woman who supports creative and artistic folks. Why not return the favor by sharing your expriences with her?

To submit your story for consideration, visit Gina's website and follow the links.

Good-bye 2008, and Thanks for all the Hits!

Dear Friends, Followers and Fans,

I most sincerely thank you for a great 2008!

Together, we can continue to follow our dreams, teach the world about what positive work we do in the universe, and be friends. (How cool is that?)

My first note of thanks goes to Peter Shankman, of HARO, because without HARO I wouldn't have had such wondrous ladies to interview for Votre Vray Creative Women.

Second thank you, but no less significant, I thank each of the ladies who went through the interview process. (See Friends of Votre Vray on the sidebar for a listing of those with websites and blogs.)

Third, and possibly most important of all, I need to thank the readers and followers of Votre Vray blog. Without an audience our work isn't worth much for than tension release of the creative mind.

I fully believe 2009 will be exponentially more fulfilling for the Votre Vray community because we're learning and growing together. Make friends. Play Nice. Spread the word that there's a community focused upon the positive work of amazing creative people...and invite them to Votre Vray. It is all free and will continue as long as I'm alive and kicking.

Happy New Year!
-Mel., founder of Votre Vray

@shoutkissmyart on Twitter
Mel Edwards on Facebook
Mel Edwards is LinkedIn
Votre Vray group on Facebook - Where you can post your work for free!
Shout: Kiss My Art group on Facebook - Shout here at anyone who didn't belive you'd make it
Monthly Votre Vray Newsletter Sign-up Link

P.S. Don't forget to send me press releases so I can blog about all the great things you're up to in 2009!

Temperament Guide to Truth

Do you know your learning style? Your temperament? If you've never taken the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, you can do so here.

I've taken it several times in my life and get a sliding view of answers. When I first was in college (back in the late 80s) I tested as an "artisan." By the time I earned my BA degree in 1991, I was a "rational." Did I change or did my overview of the world change?



Here's a bit about the Rational Temperament that I feel Resonates with Me:

• In working with problems, Rationals try to find solutions that have application in the real world, but they are even more interested in the abstract concepts involved, the fundamental principles or natural laws that underlie the particular case.
• Rationals have an insatiable hunger to accomplish their goals and will work tirelessly on any project they have set their mind to.
• Seek to acquire and apply expertise.
• In your ideal job, you independently analyze systems and make recommendations about how objectives will best be reached; someone else does the work of delegating work, motivating people, or enforcing work duties.

If you've been following my blog, I'm sure you can see how the Votre Vray project relates to who I am in my thought processes.

• I want to help people find solutions so they can live their truth, not just dream about it.
• I am constantly trying to open my mind to new solutions and never stop thinking about how I can help others find their truth.
• I do not pretend to be an expert, but seek out others who have expertise and get permission to use their ideas in sharing with others.
• I coach others in finding their truth, but ultimately it is up to them.

So what happened to the artisan within?

Did she die off? I think not. Instead, my artistic views are one system I use to relate to the world and connect with others.

Until next time, keep creating.
-Mel.

p.s. The image above is my first official self-portrait created in kindergarten.

Good Artist Have Great Perception

Through the Votre Vray Creative Women interview process I had the opportunity to ask women how they felt when someone called them an artist and most women didn't pick up the title and claim it. In fact, that the time I wasn't willing to claim it. Why?

I believe this stems from our perception of what makes a creation art. Is it connecting with the zeitgeist of our times? Is it beauty? Is it truth? Does it require a degree? If so, what about folk artists? Are only "fine" arts legit? Shouldn't performance and literary artists be given the same props for years of training, practice and production? 

Who are you excluding from your definition of art? How does this exclusion limit your vision and create blind spots that may be also curbing your ability to work?

These are all questions people have debated endlessly, much like the old comfortable arguments between political factions, religious groups and so on. Stop fighting. Start looking and question YOUR perception. Attitude and openness can alter your entire experience on this earth. It does not diminish you to give credit to others where it is due. Be a better artist by opening your horizons, stealing energy (but not work) from each other, and question your artistic authority over the efforts of others. Elitism is more than unbecoming.

Until next time,

keep creating.

-Mel.

Most Popular Artist Searches

If you've never been to Artcyclopedia, you might be interested to know that they regularly compile a list of most popular searches for artisits.

Take a minute and guess...who is number one?
(No, the picture I've posted isn't by number one, but he's close.)
Who would you expect to be in the top ten?
Then check your answers.

Are you surprised?
Unfortunately, I was not the least bit shocked but instead, deeply saddened to see that only ONE woman made it in their list of the top 30 searches in August 2008.
What does that say for women? Does it mean you cannot be famous no matter what you do?
Or does it free you from expectations? If I were a male artists, would I want the other top 29 shadows over all that I do and attempt? I think not.

What you can do...
Perhaps there is nothing you can do while you're alive but amass a mighty heap of work, show it to anyone who will look and listen, and then, never look back. It is very likely your work will earn far more for those who gain the rights to it when you're gone than in the years you created it unless you embrace modern marketing techniques that will make you a household name...someday, if not this month, year or decade.

What should you do?
Create. Don't worry about being famous. If that really matters, hire a PR firm and /or publicist. Blog your heart out. In the end, though, what will matter is that you created a body of work and shared it continually. Don't expect to be a shooting star in the starry night. Expect to work until you cannot work anymore. That is the life of a creative. You'll be compelled to create and when you're restricted you'll become unable to manage well in your own skin. Your art is your mental processing until and your communication with the world. Don't second-guess your purpose in each stroke, step, bauble, or piece of ephemera. Keep moving and know, creating will offer you more avenues to live a healthy, sane, well-adjusted life than giving it up and forcing yourself to be whatever society claims you should.

Until next time,
keep creating.
-Mel.

Feeling Odd and Different? Maybe You're a Flamingo, too!

Remember your favorite treasured story from childhood? Maybe We Are Flamingos, by Arizona author “Safari” Sue Thurman, has those magical elements, wrapped in humor, love, and beautiful illustrations, by Kevin Collier. For a sneak preview, watch the book trailer.

This story is a great way to add some Pink to your holidays and makes the perfect gift for every child on your list at only $10.95. It is gaining popularity at zoo gift shops across the country.

Flora and Fernando Flamingo hatch into a family of very tall, very pink birds. Soon the siblings worry about their white color . . . until the day they each discover a dark gray feather.

When mum explains flamingos are white, gray, then pink, the little flamingos dance on their tiptoes with happiness. Adult flamingos stay pink because of the foods they eat. Amid giggles the birds wonder what the flock would look like if they ate a diet of only broccoli or tacos? Using their vivid imaginations, the young flamingos draw funny pictures. That night their mum explains, “The color of your feathers is not important, but what is in your heart.”

Inspired by producing programs for millions of children and their families, Thurman is now focused on producing and directing a television pilot based on igniting children’s creative thinking with the best key to unlock the imagination . . . books.

Maybe We Are Flamingos is available now online at: Guardian Angel Publishing, Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and other locations worldwide.

You can visit Safari Sue here. Tell her Mel Edwards' Votre Vray sent you!
(Sue is one of the original 75 women who interviewed for the Votre Vray Creative Women project.)

Sian Designs Offer to Votre Vray Creative Women

Sian Lindemann, of Sian Designs in Monument, Colorado, is an accomplished artist and visionary, and brings to the arts and entertainment community, 29 years experience in arts promotion, marketing, and career development for artists. An accomplished artist, in a variety of mediums, Sian is equally responsible for contributing to the success of hundreds of artists during her career, to date. Notably, as VP, Dolphin Galleries, Inc, Maui, Hawaii, Sian provided practical and financial expertise to an industry which is known to lack the ability to generate consistent revenues. Her capacity to promote, produce and launch successful showings of the artists in her care, Sian, contributed to the growth of Dolphin Galleries over a 10 year period, taking the company from 200K per year, to annual sales in the millions of dollars. Additionally, she contributes innumerable skills as they relate to all aspects of arts cultivation and artistic career development. A master mentor of the creative spirit, there is nothing short of wizardry she imparts to support the artist in the creation of new ideas, new works, while simultaneously encouraging growth, depth, and scope in the artist with whom she chooses to focus. And finally, Sian, is considered visionary in recognizing the most practical applications by which these works can then be sold or placed.

Adept in purchasing, gallery design, show design, professional and creative display, sales and sales training, creative framing, creative placement of public works, stage design, costume design, image design, vocal coaching, and, finally, an extremely refined skill in accessing the people for whom these works would hold the greatest value.

An award winning designer of environment, landscaping and floral design, Sian is masterful in her ability to create an awe inspiring, sensory rich experience for the viewer, the artists, and the company.
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Sian has been featured earlier in this blog but since then she has sent gift certificates for the attendees of Shout: Kiss My Art on the November 11th date. This information is provided again in her company's branded information and in thanks from me, creator of Votre Vray. Together, each and every one of us as a team, we can stand tall for creative women everywhere.
-Mel.

Creative Ways to Love Your Body?

October 15th, yesterday, was NOW campaign's Love Your Body day.

One of the T-shirts they designed said "I LOVE  MY THIGHS" and it got me wondering, how can we as creative people combat the messages some fashion folks stoke that we must look a certain way to be beautiful? What art or craft do you make that honors what women ARE instead of what we are not?

I know Carla Sanders does a lot of work honoring the feminine form...but her work is not for everyone (perhaps too spiritual/sexual/New Age for some).

Unessalyn Sweet's My Junky Trunk honors women with rounded backsides by having thier images as inspiration instead of hiding them.

I admit I've addressed child-rearing as a "must do" attitude but not my body....hmm....perhaps today that will be my inspiration.

Best wishes, Creative People. May you love how your maker/mama made  you!

-Mel.

Dream a BIG Dream

What is your BIG creative dream? 

Not the one create full-time and make enough to pay the bills. That should be a must-do, not your no-holds-barred BIG dream. I like to say BIG stands for Best Ingenious Goal.

Ask yourself:

If money were no object, and no one would stop me, what is the largest impact I can imagine my creativity could have upon the world? 

Then, expand that vision. That's right. Don't settle for the first vision that pops into your head. Stretch it to its limits. Make it so outrageously large that you giggle when you think about it. If you can't giggle over it, it is too small. From now on I'll call this the giggle test.

Example:

My first big dream was for the Votre Vray Creative Women project to be so big that I'd get to do it for an HBO special.

Expansion: 

• We would have a national "Shout: Kiss My Art Day" with everyone in sky blue -- the color associated with the campaign -- with communities everywhere staging SKMA shows, where all artists could display their works and tell their stories.
  
• Then, we could have celebrities and politicians and other world leaders also shouting Kiss My Art.
  
• There would be a whole series of books, like the Chicken Soup series, where you could Kiss the Art of painters, sculptors, novelists, poets, actors, metal smiths, and so on. 
  

This is a pretty big expansion, but let's go up another notch because I'm not giggling yet:

• Have Shout: Kiss My Art action figures of heroines of the art world
  
• A cartoon show of art figures as action heroines
  
• Kid could dress up as art heroines for Halloween
  
• Lunch boxes and other collateral material could be marketed to promote art across America!
  

Artists, how does that sound to you? Not giggling? Okay, now imagine YOU are the person the action heroine looks like! Kids in your neighborhood run up to you and shout your name because you're an art celebrity! I can tell you that makes me giggle with delight. 

So, now you try it. What is your BIG dream? 

Until Next Time, 

Keep Creating!

-Mel.

Creative Women Honored and Call for Submissions

http://www,free-press-release.com/news/200809/1222548725.html

Attention all media outlets, a press release about Votre Vray and the Creative Women project has been posted on the above link. 

*****

All Votre Vray Creative Women will be honored by having their names, art modality and websites listed on this blog, in the programs for "Shout: Kiss My Art" and in the book, whose working title is Votre Vray Creative Women. 

It isn't too late to share your story. 

Yes, the interview portion is over, and your story won't be part of the play, but much like the Chicken Soup books, you can still write your story and submit it for consideration in the book and in this blog. Tell your friends and colleagues.

Guidelines: 

Submissions should not be longer than 2000 words.

Send as inline text or as an rtf document to: MelEdwardConnect [at] Yahoo [dot] com by deadline, November 14, 2008.

Your personal story should include (but is not limited to):

• What is your art?
  
• When did you realize you were a creative person?
  
• Who supported your art/creativity?
  
• What advice have you been given or can you give to someone who is trying to live a creative life?
• Also submit your contact information (address, phone, e-mail) in case there are editing questions.
• You may submit your website and business name for inclusion in the final product if your work is chosen.

What you write should be something that does not appear in any other media format (online or in print). If it is found to be a duplicate story it cannot be used in publication as you cannot give first rights to Votre Vray.

No submission of stories about other people, please. This must be original work sent directly from the woman who wrote it.

Thank you for supporting each other and the Votre Vray project. With you, the whole world can know that your truth is your way!

Metropolitan Arts Council Grants Votre Vray!

The Metropolitan Arts Council of greater Greenville County, SC, has quite generously granted the Votre Vray Creative Women project funds to put "Shout: Kiss My Art!" in front of three local audiences the final quarter of the year.

This is a dream come true, as every woman who has been interviewed, and each woman who has answered questions or shared her story in her own words outside the interview process is receiving validation. Your story is important and others need to see your, hear of your success and know they can follow in your footsteps. 

Thank you most certainly to the grant committee, the board and most of all, to all the Votre Vray Creative Women who have been part of the project thus far. You each give me another reason to count my blessings every day. 

-Mel.

Community to "Shout: Kiss My Art!"

On Tuesday, November 11th, regardless of who the new president-elect may be, Greenville, South Carolina women will have a chance to "Shout: Kiss My Art!" The Votre Vray Creative Women show is based upon the answers of the 75 interviewees and surveys from over 80 local women taken at the Upstate Women's Show. "Shout: Kiss My Art" will begin at 7 p.m. at the Hughes Branch of the Greenville County Library. Admission is free. (Please note this show is about adult women's lives, and is not suitable for children.)

I'm so excited to be able to offer this event free to the public. I truly want to reach out to populations that normally would not be able to afford or interested in attending a regular theatre event. To encourage women to come, the first thirty women who e-mail me at MelEdwardsConnect [at] Yahoo [dot] com will get a gift bag of goodies from sponsors and a "Shout: Kiss My Art" T-shirt with the blog address on the back. The goody bag will also have a listing of all the women who have been part of Votre Vray as well as their websites, even if they didn't get to do a full-blown interview. Basically, if you signed a release, gave your input on the launch questions, and got it to me in time, you're in! This is win for all involved!

Thank you, Votre Vray women! This is your chance to be seen as creative mentor for others who dare to dream!

Eileen Favotire, Creative Woman Accepts No Excuses

I recently had the pleasure to interview Eileen Favorite, writer and instructor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago about the creative life. I began by asking her if she believes we’re all creative, and artists are heart. “That’s a good question. If a banker is called an artist, then they’re in engaged in their art all of the time. That concept conflates a certain consciousness about what one does. What is art? Kindness? Perfection? Awareness? Engagement with something materially? I guess I’d have to say I don’t see a banker as an artist because mindfulness + creativity does not necessarily create an artistic product.” She goes on to acknowledge that the same banker might create art outside of his/her work life.
What makes one an artist? “Artists must be engaged in the practice of their art. That is elemental. If you’re not trying to create something all of the time, then you’re not really living the life of an artist.”

How does an artist keep going forward on the path? For Eileen there was encouragement from friends, teachers and family, the main core of her personal relationships, and the one group that many artists feel they need kudos from to feel supported in their art. “Nobody can keep making art without any success at it,” Eileen admits. Adding, “Ultimately, I couldn’t rely solely upon outside sources (to be encouraged to continue). The power to create and persevere in the face of rejection and discouragement came from within myself. It has to. If you expect the outside world to push you, you’ll get nowhere. You need encouragement here an there to keep going, but the world is accomplished through nothing but your own initiative and the desire to create.”

What is her best advice to artists? “I believe the world is discouraging art making. You must value it even if no one sees it. Success in America is measurable. You can’t change the world’s perception of art. You can only change yourself. It is harder than most work, but it is not going to come if you’re not engaged in the process. Find joy in the process but be disciplined in the amount of time you devote to it. Take risks. Play. Create as if you think no on will ever read/hear/see your work.”

I asked her if it seemed like many artists see their desire to create a lot like building a castle in the air. Eileen agrees for many it is a far off dream that is romantic and wonderful, but it can also be a burden to keep up that castle. “Ask yourself, what can I do now? What resources do I have? Don’t wait for a time when you’ll be able to have all the trappings of a writing office or you’ll never get there.”

Ketra Oberlander, A Woman of Possiblity twice over

Ketra Oberlander was a writer and editor for years when she was dealt a hand most literary folk would consider a spiritual death knell. She became blind at age 40, after years of deteriorating vision in her 30s. “I see the glamour shot view of people, that soft focus, no color, no edges. There are many levels to vision loss that cannot be corrected. My vision was never great.” What would you do? Ketra began to walk to adult education classes just to get out of the house. “I did a few paintings, joined the local art club, and then a miracle happened.” No, she did not regain her vision. “People liked my work,” she beams. “I picked up a paintbrush and my life changed.”

Last January, after five years of increasing her recognition in the art community, Ketra founded an art licensing agency that represents physically disabled artists exclusively. She did it, “so we can connect with a broader audience despite our limitations.” She assures me that she lives a “fully integrated life” and I certainly believe her, even before she offers evidence.
What is her advice? “Emily Dickinson was hiding all her work. I just don’t get that at all. That’s masturbation. There’s a lot of good work that needs to get on a surface where it can be shared and enjoyed. Some people use the word ‘balance’ as an excuse not to do. If it comes out badly, throw it out. So what. If you’re tired, go to sleep. Then get up and do what you want to do as long as it is a contribution. We need more displays of affection, love and goodness in humanity.”

Is there a market for what you create? “The market can’t tell you the value of your work if you don’t put it out there for others to see. Do it to your comfort level. It is okay to be a hobbyist if you don’t want to sell it, but share it. Make your own choices about your work. Not knowing what you want to do with the final product is okay. We change. Ideas can be revisited. I know a 72 year old who just now was ready to show her sculptures for the first time in her life. Life is not an either/or proposition. Being a painter is not my mission critical. My main focus is to be a conduit for love, which usually starts with me giving.”

What about those who don’t create because of other commitments, including stay-at-home moms, or working mothers who are expected to also do all the care taking and cleaning of the household? “You CAN be a writer and a mom, or have a full-time job and be a musician. Do I care if I don’t have balance? No. If my house is a mess, it doesn’t matter. I’m blind!”

See more of what Ketra is about via her site: Art of Possibility Studios

More Votre Vray Creative Women Featured

Hello, and good day, creative folks. (With an extra prayer and blessing to all those in Ike's path.)

I'm happy to present more Votre Vray Creative Women today.

Colleen Bronstein
When a woman is told she will probably never have children, sometimes she feels a void, a creative space has been taken from her, and she must develop something personal to fill that place. This is how Colleen Bronstein came to the world of a metal smith.
Little did she know, she would be blessed with a daughter, Juliet, who is now a grown woman. Just when all seemed right in her creative world, Colleen was given a new hurdle. She was diagnosed with melanoma. It may not be a surprise to readers to know that she has a pool and has gone twice a year to the islands for years. Her love of the sun and disregard for sun safety nearly cost her no only her livelihood and recreational activities, but her life as well. Thankfully, she has been cancer free for some time now, and is checked twice a year for recurrence. “There is no reason anyone should get skin cancer,” she says. Her newer company Sunsafe Designs helps others remain skin cancer free.
Back in 2005, after her diagnosis and recovery, Colleen reevaluated the way she did her metal working. “I changed the entire process. I now carve the piece, send it to a caster, have it cast, and have the caster do the finishing.” Her reasoning? “I looked back at (my metal working) and thought there could be a connection to all the chemicals I use for my art and the processes that were used in school. Some used heated tar, and that was extremely toxic.”
So, what keeps her going? “As a parent, I wanted to spend as much time with my daughter as I could. I wanted to give her a parent, a mother at home, to be there for her.” As an artist, she was spurred on by her own determination to make it. “I’m a competitor. If I saw and opportunity to put myself out there, I did it.”
How does she interweave the world of a Sunsafe Clothing and sun safety advocate with her art? “My art has a new focus. The sun, sea and sand. It is connected to my passion. My new work is around those images including crabs, Irish moss, seaweed.”
As a creative woman, how does she recharge and have energy to move ahead? “My ideal, complete and total relaxation, is a beach chair, the beach, the ocean and a book.” In the end, her truest peace comes from knowing who she is, what she loves and what matters most to her. That’s all anyone could ever hope to achieve in a lifetime.

Hurricane Season Interrupts Creativity

If you haven't noticed her comment below, Votre Vray Creative Woman, Rachelle Matherne of GreenKangaroo.com is alive and well and just barely returned home after evacuating for Gustav. Now, she and millions of others wait to hear if Ike is on the way.

The question that comes to mind is, how many of us not directly in the path of the storms this season fitter away time as we watch the storm path again and again on the Internet, the news and listen to it on the radio. So often, the craziness of an event grabs at our consciousness and won't let go...unless we do something drastic about it.

Timothy Ferriss, famed author of The Four-Hour Workweek advocates keeping business e-mail to one hour per week, not multitasking (so we can pay attention and appreciate the moments in our days), stopping repetitive tasks (like checking the aforementioned e-mail countless times per day...or in the case of the hurricanes, looking for hourly updates on a storm's progress) and having a brief list of must-do activities per day. [If you haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend it, especially if you say you have no time to live your creative dreams.]

Even with a hurricane streaking toward your town, you can do ONE thing per day that is creative, even if that means packing a notebook or sketch pad for something to put your ideas and observations in once the storm knocks out your electricity.

May you all be safe, well and peaceful and at ease today, and in doing so, find some space to make your creative sanctuary in times when we have no control but must wait to endure the process and results.

-Mel.

Nancy Digman, Votre Vray Creative Woman Joins Gallery

wUG LAKU'S STUDIO AND gARAGE is proud to announce the addition of a new artist to the gallery and studio. Nancy Lee Digman is a metalsmith/jeweler of extraordinary talent and vision. You can see her creations as part of the 'Earth Poems' exhibition during the upcoming IDADA First Friday gallery tour, this week on Sept. 5th from 5-9 p.m.

The STUDIO AND gARAGE is located at 1125 Brookside Ave, Suite C7, Indianapolis, in the Circle Center Industrial Complex. Look for the IDADA banner outside the door, and be sure to tell Nancy that Votre Vray sent you!

Bill Status - Paycheck Fairness Act

H.R.1338 - Paycheck Fairness Act

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.
Introduced: March 05, 2007
Status: Voted on by House
Next step: Voted on by Senate
Latest action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sponsor: Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D, CT-3]
View Bill >>News Coverage Blog Coverage
Powered by OpenCongress

Votre Vray is not a political site, but the Creative project this site is focused upon is all about women, creativity and living the life you desire based upon your truth. No one can tell you how to vote, what to think, who you should put your trust in or follow politically. That said, I thought many of the participants and readers here would be interested in knowing about this bill, who has passed it, abstained or voted against it. Please do your own research, and come to your own conclusions. Then, remember how it all turned out when it comes to election day. May you exercise your write to vote and may that vote mirror the image of the world you want to come to pass.

Until next time,
keep creating.
-Mel.

Secret Passion become Creative Goal

For many, following a creative path does not manifest as organically or easily as you might expect, or hope. A person can be born with an interest or affinity for creativity and never see that creativity as more than something he or she does for themselves. Sabine Garvey was no exception. She kept her work to herself, away from all friends and her own husband, for most of her life. “I wrote my first poem as a young teenager and shared it only with my mother. My writing was kept secret from the world for many years. Approximately fifteen years later, I wrote my second poem and again shared it with only her.” 

Sabine admits her faulty perception kept her work in the shadows. She felt that poetry didn’t seem like an accepted form of self-expression and she feared others would laugh at her work. “I came across a website of poetry and then I realized there was a bigger community.” Community is what sustains everyone, in some form, knowing we are not alone in our hearts and minds and that others find joy in some of the same creative pursuits that we do. Once community has been found, the path becomes a bit easier. “While writing is my passion, it is not currently the main means by which I make my financial living. It is my ambition, however, to change this sooner than later. It is my passion, my dream and my destiny.”

Best wishes to Sabine, and all other creative souls who walk the same path.

-Mel.