When I was fresh out of college I had what I thought was a great idea for a restaurant. It would be a lunch place with....OK....so I'm not going to tell you just in case I ever get to act on it. Then when I knew I wanted to quit my job and stay home to raise our three young sons, I was pretty sure I'd spend some of that time writing children's stories. Somehow with both the fun and work of Momhood, that didn't happen either. I don't regret not pursuing those things. That's not the point because I'm proud of, and happy with, what I did spend time doing. However there was still a creative itch bugging me, so a couple years ago I signed up for a photography workshop in a small Montana town I'd never been to before. After entering my info into the computer and clicking 'submit', I felt like I'd just done something ridiculously impulsive. It took a few minutes of doubting to remember that I've carried a camera around most of my adult life. In fact it was the first purchase I made right out of college. That, coupled with the fact that someone, well meaning I'm sure, wondered out loud to me what I would ever do when my kids were grown up and out of the house.......as if there might not be much.......encouraged me to take a chance. I know there are plenty of options and plan to spend some time exploring. So let me just say: I've always had kind of a soft spot for those who act on dreams at any age. A soft spot for those who know when whatever it is that makes them want to get out of bed in the morning feels right to pursue. For those who know when it's time. Those who take advantage of it.
That's how I felt when I met Darah Fogarty, a friend of my son Peter. I was in Missoula last October and saw her perform twice in the same week. The first was 'open mike' night at a local winery and I was impressed. She played acoustic guitar and sang mostly original songs. Her music and lyrics were soulful and authentic. Her voice earthy, sweet and a bit haunting all at once. When she performed, I knew I was listening to a piece that belonged to her. She did a couple cover tunes as well. I'm just going to go ahead and say it. When she sang Bob Dylan's Make You Feel My Love, I spent a couple minutes trying to hide tears that kept forming.
Although I enjoyed her show at the winery, a couple nights later when she opened for David Boone I was in awe. I made the switch from rooting for someone brave enough to put herself and a dream out there, to fan. I think she sang five songs. I'm not a music critic but I know what I like, what feels real and what moves me. And I like her even more because of how dedicated I hear she is. Getting exposure. Working hard. If you want to listen to some of Darah's music and read more about her go to http://www.reverbnation.com/darahfogarty. Best of luck, Darah.
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Hey....... if you have a little time and you're around the Greenwood area of Seattle, in the next week or so, stop in at Assemble gallery and take a look at their fiber art show. The theme of the group show is "This Will Be Our Year." My sister Michele, accomplished embroidery artist extraordinaire, has two pieces showing. This is what she says about them:
“ My thought was, this is our year--our time--and, good or bad, it is built on what has come before us. So, my pieces are new stitching over old, anonymous work. The first one is over a stamped pattern of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep prayer, and it's called Text Message. It's hard to see, but the colored lines between the letters are SOS dots and dashes. The second is new stitching over crewel work lions, and it is called Lions and Lines.”
And here she is with her lovely pieces. Awesome! Don't you just love them?!
http://www.assembleshop.com/ (Photos for this post were generously offered for my use by someone else....thank you!....not taken by me.)
Happy Friday all!
Margaret
PS....Comments: Feel free to comment by clicking on 'comment' below. Would love to hear what you're thinking about these artists, the posts.....anything else that comes to mind!
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