Geisha

 Geisha

This fabric panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

"Geisha" was inspired by the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" and my own memories of growing up in a multi-cultural community in Hawaii.

EXPERIENCE DIVERSITY

I grew up in a small community and went to school with friends and teachers of many cultures and religions.  We went to each other's cultural festivals and churches.  We played together, swam together, studied together and ate lunch at the same table.  Acceptance was not an intangible word with complicated meanings; it was a part of our lifestyle.  It was what gave us a sense of community, a sense of belonging.  It was simply "simple."

DIFFERENT SHOES

When I left the islands and found a new home in California, I experienced the effects of knowing that I was different.  I had difficulty comprehending this new experience, and for many years, I didn't know what to do with it or what to do about it.  All I knew is that I was in a different place that recognized me as "different."

When we experience a change of any kind, 

we symbolically put on the shoes of another; 

we erase the lines of division and expand the space of understanding.  ~Fannie Narte

I LIKE TO SING AND DANCE

Over the years, I've come to realize that being different isn't something that needed to be fixed or changed.  I've learned that knowing who I am and liking me as I am is important, and trying to make sense of the senseless was a waste of energy.  Instead, what if I simply chose to live my best life by sharing, caring, giving and loving; what if I simply applied the ideas of grace, generosity and gratitude to every spoken word, to each thought and behavior, to my music, to my art and to my silliness; and what if all these things elevated just one person sometime, somewhere--then that would make my heart sing and dance.  And I like to sing and dance.

SAME HEART'S SONGS AND SIMILAR NEEDS

We may speak different languages, worship differently, dress differently and our appearances may be different, but our heart's songs and needs are the same regardless of our zip codes.

Let's sing and dance . . . together . . . and talk about butterflies and birds and bunnies and rainbows and sunshine and . . . magic.