I DID IT !!!!

 
Last month I sat down and made a list of about 8 goals to accomplish before the end of 2010. One of those goals was to complete a full draft of a single monologue, just 1. At the present time I have about 4 or 5 that I've begun but I haven't completed, they aren't ready for anyone to look at or to be performed. The other day I was cleaning and picked up my journal book that I'd been writing in. I stared at it for a moment, just kind of took a second. You know when you're in the middle of a project and you stop to work on something else.....you keep meaning to go back to that project but something always comes up. So when you finally come back to it....you have this moment, this realization that you have purposely kind of left this project because of ....maybe fear. At least, that's why I think I've had an extended pause from my writing project.

In this moment with my book in hand, I realized I was nervous to open it. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue pursuing this dream of my mine, wasn't sure if I could actualize it. *deep breath*...but I decided, I love theater and appreciate creativity, even my own. So I opened it and was pleasantly surprised. I really LIKED what I had written, it was pretty damn good! (at least I thought so).

I read through each page with a fresh desire to write, so I did. As these new creative juices and energy flowed through my fingertips I couldn't stop. With each word I became more and more excited, more and more inspired. Roughly 2:30am I silently stared at the pages 1...2.....3....4....5....about five seconds passed and I realized I had completed my first monologue, I'd achieved one of my goals! Of course I had to do a reading and thankfully my friend was awake to be my guinea pig. MY.....FIRST.....PIECE. *exhale*

I'm proud to say, I DID IT! 

The Creative Juices

Ah yes, the creative juices are flowing!

So, I'm working on a theater piece that focuses on the lives of Queer Women of Color (qwoc). That's pretty generic, I know, but that's the beauty of this idea and journey because it can take me ANYWHERE! We are so multi-dimensional....I'd like people to see that we cannot be put into a simple little box unless its one of our choosing. ;-)

The juices, oh the juices. I was sharing with a buddhist friend this morning and telling her some of what has inspired me to get back into theater and specifically writing. Last year, I had the opportunity to take a trip to New York for the OUT Music Awards with Misstress Ent. and it was incredible! The venue they used was Webster Hall which was beautiful (most of it). Ok, well there were many rooms that when you first looked at it you might think "this old ass, drafty, run-down hall" but you've gotta look past the top layer and realize what lies beneath. You could tell there was this long history buried there and as soon as I walked into the main hall I immediately began thinking of staging for the type of show I want to do. I could imagine a murder mystery dinner theater, a cabaret, the Vagina Monologues....the list goes on & on, the ideas keep expanding. But that's in New York which I am not. But it got some of my creative juices flowing and yearning to actualize my ideas.

Back in the Bay I am looking for groups/organizations/companies that are possibly doing what I'm envisioning but I don't see or hear of any. Here's my opportunity....but I'm frightened that I don't have enough resources, enough money, enough support, enough material, enough time, enough motivation, etc etc etc. As soon as I was excited and driven to do it, I stopped my project at the thought of failing before I even tried. I put the idea out there to some folks and everyone was excited. I immediately had support from some people at the theater I work for, film makers in the community, other theater buffs and the qwoc community ....so what the hell has stopped me. My own self-doubt. *sigh*

but I'm back.....with the creative juices flowing. !!!!

(Below: Webster Hall)

The Beginning

Wow, its been at least 2 years since I've blogged but thanks to my homegirl I've been inspired to begin documenting my journey. Specifically my creative journey. Let me introduce a side of me that many of you do not know...or haven't had the opportunity to witness.

Hi, my name is Kiki and I'm a theater geek. Yes, a theater geek. I'm the person in the car next to you belting out each and every word to RENT (along with all of the facial expressions and choreography if I can pull it off), I'm the person with the Wicked musical station on Pandora, I'm the person who begins to tell a story with "a funny thing happened" and then completes it with "on the way to the forum" (if you understood that joke you are definitely a theater geek as well, just sayin), I'm the person who rushed to the Parkway Theater when they had a sing-a-long for The Wiz and sat up front, I'm also the person who is proud of her days as a co-director for FAME (and is quick to jump up and do some of the choreography whether you ask me to or not).

With that background I'd like to see more theatrical shows that are based around the lesbian community, more representative of who I am. As the mover & shaker I'd like to believe that I am, I've decided to create my own piece. I have this idea and I've been able to pick a few brains but the project fell by the waist side as I had to deal with other personal stuff (we all know how that goes). But recently a friend of mine said she'd love to follow a blogger as they were on a creative journey. Further into our conversation we both began sharing the blogs we had once written and I was re-inspired. Not only to continue my creative writing but to share my journey.

As we begin to create a piece that is very personal to us, it will most definitely be a journey. This will bring up feelings buried deep, memories left behind and emotions forgotten. Now I'm excited to journal this, share it and revisit it later on.          

So here goes ....I hope you enjoy the ride