Once again, it’s Sunday night and I am sitting with my laptop awaiting inspiration. All the good intentions I had to write this post earlier in the weekend are off paving some road. Hmm.

(A-ha, a spark!)

…

At one of my (many) jobs, the following quote was written on the blackboard.

“Discipline is remembering what you want.”
– David Campbell

(Having stifled the urge to find the Saks Fifth Avenue founder and shake him until his eyeballs rattle) I admit … I agree.

Because let’s be honest — the only reason I’m up late writing a blog post that I hope will turn out to be insightful and interesting (but mostly I hope will turn out to be finished) instead of going to bed to prep for my 12-hour Monday schedule is because I want to.

It’s part of my bigger picture. It’s part of me feeling connected to each and every one of you. It’s about creating, singing and building community.

…

It’s about what the Universe is trying to tell me that most of the time I foolishly believe is what I’m trying to tell you. *smile*

It’s about scheduling time and space to be creative and seeing what can happen. In this blog, I make a space for myself to ruminate and write about improvisation. (It says so right in the title!)

…

It’s about nurturing (dare I say nourishing?) the “reflecting and being” part of my life even when the “running and doing” parts of my life have the upper hand.

It’s about sitting down with the blank page, the blank space (or, in the case of spontaneous singing, the silence) and once again being blessed and amazed by what I can create.

…

In case you were wondering why the title seemed vaguely familiar … *wink*

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”

“Great acts are made up of small deeds.”
— Lao Tzu

And from a card I received a few years ago …

“Princes[ses] wear crowns to remind themselves they are beautiful and special because some days it’s easy to forget.”

…
Remember: Songtaneous is TOMORROW (Saturday) at 2pm. Visit the Events page for all the details.

When you write a blog, you spend a lot of time wandering the web. Meandering online helps me come up with ideas for blog posts. Another thing that inspires are the blogs I read.

I’ve found a lot of valuable, interesting, funny and just downright bizarre stuff in cyberspace. A lot of it never grows up to be a Songtaneous blog post. This post includes a cornucopia of things I’ve come across during my virtual travels.

…

Series-ous about Improv

One of my favorite local bloggers is doing a series on improvisation for MNartists. Happy day.

Bloggity Goodness

Sparky Firepants – a great name and a funny, insightful blog by a west coast graphic designer.

My friend J hipped me to this hip blog by singer/songwriter, life coach and blogger Christine Kane.

Donate to Haiti Relief Efforts

I donated through Oxfam and I read on their site that donations made before 2/28 can be deducted on 2009 returns. Needless to say, a variety of sites are taking donations. I’ve listed a few others below.

• Partners In Health
• Architecture for Humanity
• American Red Cross

By the way …

If you can’t afford to give a donation, you can send your thoughts, prayers, and energy to the people there. I believe that that’s as powerful (and as needed!) as financial support.

Making Music

If you’re a local and into singing, I recommend Never Stop Singing (and not just because the name is awesome *wink*). It’s a documentary about the choral phenomenon in Minnesota. And, if you’re a MN choral conductor, you can request a FREE copy of the DVD.

The Nudge site‘s motto is “Everyone can create music.” I’m all for that. It’s also a great way give up an hour of your life to the Cyber gods. (You were warned.)

Then again …

Just because we can make music doesn’t mean we should.

Check out this “impossibly awful” video about Microsoft’s Songsmith. My favorite part of the video is the guy who’s in the band and is going to use Songsmith to write better material. Wow. (Actually to be fair, the singing is just fine, it’s the marketing that smells.)

…

Remember: Songtaneous is THIS Saturday at 2pm. Visit the Events page for all the details.