Wow! Hi!

I finally did it. This is it. My first blog.

Toast to the Creative Life- one screenwriting storytelling mom’s dedication to living the creative life in LA. An eclectic mix of opinions, observations, rants and shout-outs. Trippin’ down memory lane, throwing wishes to the wind, deep breaths to the Mother Earth, and prayers to the sky. …and toasts to all that makes this life so sometimes chaotic and complicated, yet lovely and filled with blessings.

Okay, maybe this is my first official blog because those of you on my FB know that I often have posts that read like blog entries…shit, some of my emails to some of you read like blog entries…lol!

But, I’ve been talking about this blog for months now…and I’m still curious about my hesitation.

The other day after a cycling class with my dear friend, I was telling her I was working on going live with this blog (in conjunction with a FB professional fan page- as a filmmaker) and I said something about how I was afraid to put myself out there. We were actually discussing Lean In by Sheryl Sandburg, women, shame, vulnerability as an artist…ya know, your usual sweat-covered, post-workout chat.  It was easy for me to just put it out there to her because she’ a friend and brilliant, but even moreso, because she’s safe.  Saying, I’m afraid I have nothing to say is huge when you’re writer because if I truly have nothing to say then what am I doing?

So the truth is, I do have something to say.  I feel so blessed. Really really blessed. I’m living the life I created in my dreams a long time ago.  And I have to remember to honor that every day.  Which, ya know…is not always that easy because life is messy.  And there’s a lot of shit in my head that can rear up and get in the way of But I’m blessed because I’ve not only discovered what I feel passionately about and therefore what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m doing it.  I’m a Mixed –Blood, Native, Black and French Canadian storyteller.  A mom, a wife, a friend, a woman in a full-fledge state of transformation.  I write passionately about families, race, change, poverty, pain and healing. So..shit yeah, I have something to say.

This blog will always have a “toast” to something creative, or something that influences my creative life.  That could be a person, a song, a saying, a film, tv show, story, novel, food…oh…there will be discussions about food.  See- for those of you who don’t know, “toast” isn’t just the raise your glass gesture of good cheer. “Toast” is also an addiction I fully admit to.  For real.  I don’t party like I used to because age and maturity kicked in and the world doesn’t need to see me like that, so my addictions these day are toast and chocolate.  I love bread… and jellies and jams and spreads…have you ever had Minnesota apple butter on thick hot crusty toast? Divine. Yes.

Anyway…wow, I just sorta went away there for a minute- thinking about apple butter and the North Shore at the cabins.  Nice.

So this morning, though, my “toast” goes out to the Los Angeles Film Festival.  I’m reading the loglines of the screenings, picking out my choices, remembering attending other years with my family, and then as a filmmaker when I was a Project Involve Fellow.  I’m a proud USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni and I’m looking forward to supporting a fellow filmmaker, Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station. And yes, this means I’m already thinking about what I’m going to wear to the Gala screening.

And my second “toast” goes out to all of you.   Peace.