(no subject)
Long over-due entry about an AMAZING day last month.
Saturday August 24th: I left work early to drive to Culver City for the Francesa Lia Block "Love, Write, Play Workshop". I arrived at the address her home was supposed to be a few minutes before 1...and as i was walking up trying to figure out which house was hers a short brunette said, "Hi! Are you here for the workshop?" She introduced herself to me as Mccabe. She was who everyone called "The Dancing Mermaid" with a blog by the same name. She was going to be doing the art part of the workshop. I could tell already that she was a really awesome woman. She showed me where Franceca's house was and we walked to the door together. Francesca emerged and gave Mccabe a hug and then shook my hand very delicately and I told her I met her at the Weetzie reading because she said I looked familiar but she couldn't place me. She invited us in and I showed her that I had brought a bunch of snacks from Trader Joes so she took me to the kitchen to set everything down. Then she started to talk to me about myself. She said she received my poems in the email and said "Are you a song writer?" Hearing her ask me this question was like the biggest compliment of my life! I casually laughed and said that no I wasn't but I really want to be. "Interesting.. because your poems read like songs to me." she says. We continued to chat and I told her that my fiance was a musician and she inquired about the kind of music he plays. It was all too surreal. I was standing in Francesca Lia Mother-fucking Block's KITCHEN talking to her about my life! We talked a bit more in the kitchen and I told her that I've always wanted to be a singer/songwriting and that i play a little bit of guitar but I'm not confident enough/too self-conscious to actually do it. We moved into her living room and more of the guests started showing up. The next girl was Zoe (obviously a friend/fan of Francesca's) she seemed to know her quite well. This was also not Zoe's first time at her workshop. She was really cute. Dark brown hair, full mod bangs, a cute little black and white striped dress. Zoe was from Canada, Toronto to be exact and her boyfriend Aaron played My Secret Agent Lover Man in the Weetzie Bat reading. Two more girls showed up and then we began. Mccabe sat on the floor across from me and she kept giving me these looks from across the room. They were sweet smiles with some sort of familiarity there. It was almost as if she felt a kinship with me instantly. I can't explain it. But I felt the same way. Francesca began with starting off with some basic guidelines she uses for writing. Then she asked us all to read out loud a love poem from a favorite author we'd brought with us to the workshop. I chose E.E Cummings "I carry your heart with me"
After we all read our love poems Francesca announced that we would start with my poems since i was the first to submit them via email. My stomach was a little bit in my chest. I knew these woman had all read my poems.. words from deep inside my soul and heart.. and now they were about to tell me how they felt about them. I was scared but not as scared as I thought I might be. I knew this was good. Francesca started with her critiques/ comments. I submitted 6 poems. A couple unfinished... She was intrigued with the first. "Conversations with your eyes" which was about Anne and I seeing some of the people from Phantom Planet and The Like at the 101 and never talking to them but "talking" to them with our eyes. I didn't tell Francesca and the group that was it was about specifically. I left more mystery for everyone to wonder. Her main critiques were that I should try not to rhyme. I explained that with most of them I didn't try to rhyme but that the words just flowed out of me in rhyme. Her suggestion was that I re-write some of my poems without rhyme and try that way so as not to limit myself. She also said I need to elaborate more and be more descriptive and show more of what's going on in the setting. Its funny because when I write stories/ journal entries that is one I do not have a problem with--being descriptive and detailed.. but my poems are really simplistic. An interesting contrast.
Francesca picked out a couple of my poems and said "they are already songs and you should keep them as songs." One I wrote when I was 16 and living in Alaska. Its about wanting to live my dream and sing on stage. She picked out a few verses/line sequence and said, "those lines are so hypnotic." Ahhh! The last poem was about Alaska though none of the people at the workshop could figure out what it was about until I told them. Then Francecsa Lia Block was incredibly intrigued as to why I lived in Alaska for 3 years.. but we didn't talk about it. There was too much to get done. After FLB had given her feedback on my works then it was time for anyone else in the room to put in their opinions. I got some really positive feedback from everyone. It was all supportive. That Zoe girl said that she loved that my poems had a simple cohesive idea throughout and that it was nice because most people try to put so much into poems and she liked that mine were simple. After everyone gave their feedback on my writing we moved on to the rest of the girls poems and stories. I learned a lot from all of it. Everyone had such positive things to say about each others writing and good ideas and critiques.
It was now time to paint with The Dancing Mermaid! We all went into the backyard and laid out a big paint-stained blanket on the grass and Mccabe gave us acrylics, stencils, glitter, gold spray paint.. I was nervous to try and paint. I'm not a painter or artist and I was slightly afraid. Francesca also said she was nervous about it as well which was more comforting to me. As I was starting to reluctantly put color on my canvas I told Mccabe that I was nervous that it wasn't going to be good. She said, "Instead of thinking of it like that.. think of it like something that has to come out of you." As soon as she said that I was able to let go. We painted layers upon layers.. each becoming something else. It was so amazing to just let it go.. let it out.. as if I was vomiting bits of my soul onto a canvas. Arcade fire played on the Ipod in the background. This garden had become magical with little fairies.. muses that were whispering bits of sparkle dust in our ears.
After we completed our paintings we helped clean up and everything had winded down. It was time to go home and I didn't want the day to end. Just as I was realizing that it had come to a close Francesca announced that she was having a party at 8 and we were all welcome to stay! I hesitated for a split second going through it in my head as if I really need to think about whether or not I should stay. So Keri (another girl I bonded with) and I decided to leave and go get some dinner and we would return to Francesca's house just before the party started. Keri took me took a great burger place up the street and we chatted and got to know each other better. Telling "our story" to one another. We both gushed over how amazing the workshop had been and how it was nice to make new friends and how crazy it was that we were about to go back to Francesca Lia Block's house and party with her.
We arrived back at her house a little after 8. Rose petals had been scattered along the walkway up to her doorstep. A detail I later learned was attributed to Mccabe. Some of the guests were also arriving. The blonde surfer who played Duck at the Weetzie reading who also starred in "Elephant" came up behind us. I've never seen the movie but I imd'b him and learned that. An extremely friendly girl carrying Champagne called "Bitch Bubbly" inquired, "Are you friends of Francesca's?" We told her that we had taken a workshop of hers and then she invited us to come back for the party. Francesca opened the door and greeted us again and we made our way inside and then to the back where her back yard really looked as though fairies lived there. All lit up with candles and Indian statues.
I hung out with my new friend, Kerri in the backyard mingling, chatting with Francesca's friends and even her neighbors. Francesca decided she wanted to dance and bring the party inside so she announced it and people started making their way inside and we had a dance party in her living room! She opened up Itunes on her computer and our soundtrack was Silversun Pickups, The Runaways and Metric, as we bopped, head-banged and jumped around flailing arms wildly. The term "dance like nobody's watching" was definitely my theme for the night. I haven't felt that free in a while. As I spun around I felt as though I was inside of a dream. This couldn't really be happening, could it? It was. I would have stayed there all night if I could have. I thanked Francesca and Mccabe and hugged them and Francesca said "Keep writing" to me. I got in my car and drove home..tripped out recalling the events in my head. High on life and the wonderment it can sometimes bring.
Saturday August 24th: I left work early to drive to Culver City for the Francesa Lia Block "Love, Write, Play Workshop". I arrived at the address her home was supposed to be a few minutes before 1...and as i was walking up trying to figure out which house was hers a short brunette said, "Hi! Are you here for the workshop?" She introduced herself to me as Mccabe. She was who everyone called "The Dancing Mermaid" with a blog by the same name. She was going to be doing the art part of the workshop. I could tell already that she was a really awesome woman. She showed me where Franceca's house was and we walked to the door together. Francesca emerged and gave Mccabe a hug and then shook my hand very delicately and I told her I met her at the Weetzie reading because she said I looked familiar but she couldn't place me. She invited us in and I showed her that I had brought a bunch of snacks from Trader Joes so she took me to the kitchen to set everything down. Then she started to talk to me about myself. She said she received my poems in the email and said "Are you a song writer?" Hearing her ask me this question was like the biggest compliment of my life! I casually laughed and said that no I wasn't but I really want to be. "Interesting.. because your poems read like songs to me." she says. We continued to chat and I told her that my fiance was a musician and she inquired about the kind of music he plays. It was all too surreal. I was standing in Francesca Lia Mother-fucking Block's KITCHEN talking to her about my life! We talked a bit more in the kitchen and I told her that I've always wanted to be a singer/songwriting and that i play a little bit of guitar but I'm not confident enough/too self-conscious to actually do it. We moved into her living room and more of the guests started showing up. The next girl was Zoe (obviously a friend/fan of Francesca's) she seemed to know her quite well. This was also not Zoe's first time at her workshop. She was really cute. Dark brown hair, full mod bangs, a cute little black and white striped dress. Zoe was from Canada, Toronto to be exact and her boyfriend Aaron played My Secret Agent Lover Man in the Weetzie Bat reading. Two more girls showed up and then we began. Mccabe sat on the floor across from me and she kept giving me these looks from across the room. They were sweet smiles with some sort of familiarity there. It was almost as if she felt a kinship with me instantly. I can't explain it. But I felt the same way. Francesca began with starting off with some basic guidelines she uses for writing. Then she asked us all to read out loud a love poem from a favorite author we'd brought with us to the workshop. I chose E.E Cummings "I carry your heart with me"
After we all read our love poems Francesca announced that we would start with my poems since i was the first to submit them via email. My stomach was a little bit in my chest. I knew these woman had all read my poems.. words from deep inside my soul and heart.. and now they were about to tell me how they felt about them. I was scared but not as scared as I thought I might be. I knew this was good. Francesca started with her critiques/ comments. I submitted 6 poems. A couple unfinished... She was intrigued with the first. "Conversations with your eyes" which was about Anne and I seeing some of the people from Phantom Planet and The Like at the 101 and never talking to them but "talking" to them with our eyes. I didn't tell Francesca and the group that was it was about specifically. I left more mystery for everyone to wonder. Her main critiques were that I should try not to rhyme. I explained that with most of them I didn't try to rhyme but that the words just flowed out of me in rhyme. Her suggestion was that I re-write some of my poems without rhyme and try that way so as not to limit myself. She also said I need to elaborate more and be more descriptive and show more of what's going on in the setting. Its funny because when I write stories/ journal entries that is one I do not have a problem with--being descriptive and detailed.. but my poems are really simplistic. An interesting contrast.
Francesca picked out a couple of my poems and said "they are already songs and you should keep them as songs." One I wrote when I was 16 and living in Alaska. Its about wanting to live my dream and sing on stage. She picked out a few verses/line sequence and said, "those lines are so hypnotic." Ahhh! The last poem was about Alaska though none of the people at the workshop could figure out what it was about until I told them. Then Francecsa Lia Block was incredibly intrigued as to why I lived in Alaska for 3 years.. but we didn't talk about it. There was too much to get done. After FLB had given her feedback on my works then it was time for anyone else in the room to put in their opinions. I got some really positive feedback from everyone. It was all supportive. That Zoe girl said that she loved that my poems had a simple cohesive idea throughout and that it was nice because most people try to put so much into poems and she liked that mine were simple. After everyone gave their feedback on my writing we moved on to the rest of the girls poems and stories. I learned a lot from all of it. Everyone had such positive things to say about each others writing and good ideas and critiques.
It was now time to paint with The Dancing Mermaid! We all went into the backyard and laid out a big paint-stained blanket on the grass and Mccabe gave us acrylics, stencils, glitter, gold spray paint.. I was nervous to try and paint. I'm not a painter or artist and I was slightly afraid. Francesca also said she was nervous about it as well which was more comforting to me. As I was starting to reluctantly put color on my canvas I told Mccabe that I was nervous that it wasn't going to be good. She said, "Instead of thinking of it like that.. think of it like something that has to come out of you." As soon as she said that I was able to let go. We painted layers upon layers.. each becoming something else. It was so amazing to just let it go.. let it out.. as if I was vomiting bits of my soul onto a canvas. Arcade fire played on the Ipod in the background. This garden had become magical with little fairies.. muses that were whispering bits of sparkle dust in our ears.
After we completed our paintings we helped clean up and everything had winded down. It was time to go home and I didn't want the day to end. Just as I was realizing that it had come to a close Francesca announced that she was having a party at 8 and we were all welcome to stay! I hesitated for a split second going through it in my head as if I really need to think about whether or not I should stay. So Keri (another girl I bonded with) and I decided to leave and go get some dinner and we would return to Francesca's house just before the party started. Keri took me took a great burger place up the street and we chatted and got to know each other better. Telling "our story" to one another. We both gushed over how amazing the workshop had been and how it was nice to make new friends and how crazy it was that we were about to go back to Francesca Lia Block's house and party with her.
We arrived back at her house a little after 8. Rose petals had been scattered along the walkway up to her doorstep. A detail I later learned was attributed to Mccabe. Some of the guests were also arriving. The blonde surfer who played Duck at the Weetzie reading who also starred in "Elephant" came up behind us. I've never seen the movie but I imd'b him and learned that. An extremely friendly girl carrying Champagne called "Bitch Bubbly" inquired, "Are you friends of Francesca's?" We told her that we had taken a workshop of hers and then she invited us to come back for the party. Francesca opened the door and greeted us again and we made our way inside and then to the back where her back yard really looked as though fairies lived there. All lit up with candles and Indian statues.
I hung out with my new friend, Kerri in the backyard mingling, chatting with Francesca's friends and even her neighbors. Francesca decided she wanted to dance and bring the party inside so she announced it and people started making their way inside and we had a dance party in her living room! She opened up Itunes on her computer and our soundtrack was Silversun Pickups, The Runaways and Metric, as we bopped, head-banged and jumped around flailing arms wildly. The term "dance like nobody's watching" was definitely my theme for the night. I haven't felt that free in a while. As I spun around I felt as though I was inside of a dream. This couldn't really be happening, could it? It was. I would have stayed there all night if I could have. I thanked Francesca and Mccabe and hugged them and Francesca said "Keep writing" to me. I got in my car and drove home..tripped out recalling the events in my head. High on life and the wonderment it can sometimes bring.