I loved you 2012!

 

 

As the New Year approaches I am excited for all that 2013 will hold for me. I love going back through the last year and creating a list of highlights. I had a wonderful year and as far as I am concerned, any year that I get through alive and healthy is a winner for me. I am so winning. For 2013 I am recommiting myself to doing all the things that bring me joy and going hard on branding Lady Terror and creating new theater and performance opportunities.

I have no vision board created for the New Year! I usually create one but want to shake things up and wing it. Instead, I plan to stay connected to my joy and be grateful for every single thing that comes my way. I believe that joy and meditation breed happiness and if you follow your bliss all that you ever could want or need will come to you.

Here are some highlights of 2012:

Moved to a new house - about to move into another one - riding the waves!

 Taught puppetry to over 1,000 kids- in one weekend for the National Black Arts Festival!

 Attended two amazing lectures at the Candler School of Theology.

 Started my application to the Candler School of Theology – will complete it next week.

 Sold items at a Flea Market.

 Ditched my car three days a week and took public transportation for fitness.

 Applied to present my work at program called “Breaking Dawn” at the Theater School at Emory University. I will present a rewrite of my one woman show called “I Will Not Calm Down" on Jan. 28, 2013.

 Was a guest artist for a week at DePaul University Theater School in Chicago for MFA students. Taught a class on hustling, puppetry and creating artist statements.

 Taught poetry to high school students.

 Fulfilled my foodie obsession by working at two award winning, world class southern food spots.

 Created my handmade collage art biz called TerrorChic Designs and made over $500 in sales with little to no marketing.

 Filmed a short poetry video to promote my Lady Terror brand.

 Applied for a $1,000 Idea Capital Grant for my Poetic Therapy Performance Art Stunt. I even got the application in 1 month earlier. Bye bye procrastination.

 Began writing and developing a new piece of theater called “Love: Its All the Rage.”

 Reconnected with my faith and now pray and meditate regularly. Fell back in love with spirituality and religion.

Refined my hustle skills and no longer scared of losing a job.

 

 

What are some highlights of your 2012? What are you looking forward to for 2013?

 

 

 

Love: Its All the Rage!!

My newest theater piece is being developed and written right now.
It is set to premeire in Atlanta on Valentines Day 2013
Rants, Musings, Liberation Theology, Modern Dance, Motown and Amy Winehouse love songs inspire the work.

                                "LOVE: Its All The Rage"

An experimental performance art piece that blends spoken word and modern dance. With all the hate why not art inspired by love in all its glory and gore?

Excerpt from the work:

For your love:

I will modern interpretative dance

To every Amy Winehouse song ever made

While crying and holding a glass of rum

The spirit of hilarious drunk auntie

At every black family reunion

Will embody my physical form

I care nothing about being graceful

For your love I become love clown

I will kiss every part of your body

Yes, there too and the other place you are thinking

I will do it on pay per view right now

I am a sad country song mixed with a powerful blues joint

I will rent a car for you so you can use it to stunt

I encourage the fronting if it makes you happy

Love me is my only requirement

 

-Lady Terror 2012

                                           Stay tuned for how you can be apart of the work!!

I will always be grateful! (The Mantra this month)

I grew up in a fire and brimstone
Tent revivals in summer
Church on Tuesday, Friday and all day Sunday
Shut ins over Easter weekend - we spent the night at church
New Years Watch Service
You are handed a real pillow during prayer
So you could get on your knees for 20 minutes straight
My daddy singing and preaching about redemption
He created a bible study in front of the local liquor store once
Sunshine Choir
Youth Choir
Adult Choir rehearsals
Prayer warriors
Holy ghost speaking in tongues energy

I remember watching the saints give a testimony and then take off running up and down the aisle with  hands raised and screaming, "Thank you!" Up and down the aisle fast in tears from gratefulness. As a child I never really understand what sparked this entire dramatic scene.

                                     I finally get it!

Being grateful is hypnotic. So powerful to be grateful and feel what mercy feels like.

What are you grateful for today?

Liberation is my new word!

What I am reading and using as I write essays for my graduate school application and think about new work for Lady Terror theater projects:

Strength to Love by Martin Luther King Jr. - I adore the writing of MLK Jr. So empowering, radical and lovely. I recommend any of his work for reading.

Chanting Down Babylon: A Reader: - This is am amazing collection of articles and essays about Rastafarian ism. I am always hyped by liberation theology and movements. This is a fascinating book that is the end all text for study on this movement.

Peace: Quotes by Gandhi -  A gorgeously put together book on the quotes of Gandhi. I love quotes and these are very thought provoking and real truth.

What are you reading and being inspired from? Share your titles below!!

Marinate on this...

 

 

 

"In spirit the Arts are gods: They heal, revolutionize, fullfill, perfect.

 

-Peter Schumann

 

 

I love to collect quotes. I am inspired by the power of words to touch a nerve, to jolt, to wake up and to make you think. Do you have a favorite quote? Share it with me below. Let's celebrate them.

 



Collaboration brings me JOY

It is essential to collaborate as an artist. Many of my artistic highs have come at the hands of a group of individuals. I feel pushed and invigorated when I work with other artists who share the same vision. Art comes alive when it gains the involvement of more than one mind. My entire professional life has consisted of collaborations. Its truly the only way I thrive. Even when writing a solo piece of theater, it gained true momentum once I began the technical process of producing it. As I worked with the lighting designer on my cues and the overall feeling I wanted to achieve through lights, I felt the scenes really take life and form.

My greatest collaborators have been the children and young people I have been blessed to encounter. I started my career as a poetry writing teacher and book group leader for teen mothers. This lead to a career in Chicago for over 10 years where I have taught blues poetry to kindergartners, taught Zora Neale Hurston at alternative schools and public aide offices, taught hip hop yoga to 5th graders and lead a residency with 8th graders that ended with a 4 hour poetry reading  marathon on a bullhorn. I have worked with every grade starting from kindergarten all the way through college. I have been stretched, tested and inspired by the natural creative abilities of children. I have said a mouth full. But, to keep it short and sweet: I need others to reach my highest potential as an artist.

Over the past 15 years I have collaborated on poetry, writing, theater and social justice inspired projects with the following:

Center for Puppetry Arts                                   
Chicago Public Schools                                  
City of East Point Summer Programs                            
Columbia College Chicago                             
DePaul University Theatre School                 
Literature for All of Us                                
Literature for Life                                         
Northwestern University                              
United States Peace Corps                             

I would love to take you out for coffee to discuss your needs. My areas of expertise include:

• After School Programming for K -12

• Summer School Programming for K-12

• Extended Learning/Extracurricular Programming for K-12

• Artist Residencies for Theater, Performance Art, Sociology and African American Studies Departments at College and Universities

• Black History Programming

• Workshops for Not for Profit Organizations with a mission to empower youth and under served communities

Do you have a dream project or topic you would like to infuse with art for your students or organization?

The Words Heal: Poetic Therapy Spectacle

The thread that runs through the mission of Lady Terror?

WORDS.

I believe words have the ability to heal and words hold extreme power.

The stunts and spectacles that I attempt to create serve specific goals: to raise awareness, to connect community and provide a creative solution to our social issues. With all that said, I simply wanted to serve and empower human beings to connect with their potential. The medium that I experimented with when developing the persona of Lady Terror was Performance Art. I found this cool definition for Performance Art:
 
"Performance Art was a global term, and its definition a bit more specific. "Performance Art" meant that it was live, and it was art, not theater. Performance Art also meant that it was art that could not be bought, sold or traded as a commodity. Actually, the latter sentence is of major importance. Performance artists saw (and see) the movement as a means of taking their art directly to a public forum, thus completely eliminating the need for galleries, agents, brokers, tax accountants and any other aspect of capitalism. It's a sort of social commentary on the purity of art."
So, the stunts started organically once I decided to use the bullhorn and soapbox as the symbols for the mission.

My next stunt is coming Spring 2013 and involves:

•  a typewriter
• mobile office with desk and chair
• original poetry written
• poetry from my favs (Sonia Sanchez, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lansgton Hughes, Wanda Coleman and more.)
• the streets of Atlanta

Photo I snapped at the East Point, Georgia Historical Society

I will be outside with a mobile office ready to type poems, chants, affirmations and other word science to help heal particular issues of passer-bys. I will also create community participation by leading mini poetry workshops filled with writing prompts.  The concept of Poetry Therapy examines the power of language. It is one of the dopest therapeutic tools. Peep the National Association of Poetry Therapy if you are interested in learning more.

The deets:

• I love stunts and shaking up the mundane rituals of daily life in shocking and unexpected ways.
• April/May 2013 The Words Heal Stunt will take place on streets in hoods through out Atlanta.
• Schedule of dates, location and times will be posted here (if you are in Atlanta area and have location ideas or requests email me at ladyterroreducation@gmail.com)

 

 

Has a book or poem ever changed your life in any way? Share the names below. I would love to read them.  

 

 



Lady Terror Reloaded

Lady Terror Productions creates:

-solo work suitable for small theater venues with special expertise in fringe festivals
-guest artist residencies for universities and colleges
-site specific performance art installations
-workshops on poetry, entrepeneurship for artists, creative empowerment, puppetry, arts education, social justice, youth education
-guerilla art spectacles to bring awareness to social justice issues
-community art events

Lady Terror is available for:

-acting
-voice over
-teaching artist projects
-guest artist residencies
-arts education curriculum creation
-after school programming
-panelist for conferences on education, socal justice, theater, writing
-creative based collaborations and shenanigans
-puppeteering
-spoken word performances
-not for profit consultant and trainer

Email us at: ladyterroreducation@gmail.com

Brain Dump

I have not blogged for some time. I have no excuse. I just wasn't feeling it. But, I have been up to some fun and exciting stuff.

Here goes the dump:

I celebrated my birthday June 5th. I had yummy seafood and drinks at a cute place called Six Feet Under in Atlanta.

I was invited to be a guest artist for a week at DePaul University School of Theater in Chicago. I worked with MFA Acting students. I had so much fun and presented workshops on Puppetry, Hustling/Entrepreneurship and Artists Statements. We created shadow puppets together, inspired each other and I didn't want to leave.

Our 5 year old started summer camp and we both have been loving it.
I volunteered to lead a workshop to the kids at my son's summer camp. We made cat hand puppets and learned about the art of puppeteering.

I started to attend a cool church that I like.

I got booked to do voice over work for a British Electronic dance song. I was able to channel Maya Angelou and it was a fun experience.

I am a puppet ambassador at my gig at the Center for Puppetry Arts and had the chance to do outreach at the National Black Arts Festival and the Coretta Scott King National Book Fair.  Over the course of 2 days last week I was able to interact with close to 1,000 kids while giving instruction on creating a cute bird and tree puppet. Good times.

I have become more addicted to any and all reality shows.

What have you been up to this summer?

Mason Jar Madness

I LOVE Mason Jars! I want to drink from them, use the as vases for fresh flowers, store dry beans and rice in them and turn them into candle holders. I used tissue paper to give it a latern effect once its lit. I also used a image from a vintage hair ad that I found in a 1965 Jet magazine. It turned out cute. I am gonna keep experimenting since I have a large box full of jars. I can't stop buying and finding them.

Poetry Monday.

i be an artist

i be an artist cuz my great granny was

kept 18 kids alive in rural Mississippi
holding a pistol in her apron to creatively solve any problems
cuz my mama was painting metal church chairs  with red spray paint
using yellow electrical tape to trim our counter tops
cuz she always wanted a yellow and red kitchen
but my daddy paycheck wasn’t long like that to afford remodeling
so she made due
cuz my granny had a whole lotta kids to feed
so she grew huge gardens
and let me help her can peaches
and made medicine
cuz them white doctors be trying to kill us
and who can afford an ER bill
that’s my art school

 i be an artist cuz my hands and mind just keep moving

ahead of me like a motor with no destination
and I feel funny inside when I haven’t written a poem in a few months
cuz lady terror came to me one night in our basement
built a soapbox
as a salve to help me heal from my daddy’s death
created herself to give me some solace
a place to rant and cry and scream
cuz I be mad
and still mad
that my daddy died on a cold hospital table like that

 i be an artist cuz I think differently

and the bills keep coming
so I made something outta paper
someone said they would buy it
since they love beauty
so I sold it
gave the money to the light bill
all is good with the world

 i be an artist cuz I grew up on wooden church pews

watching performance art in the pulpit
old ladies swimming in mid air
foaming at the mouth
chanting Jesus for hours
until
heads flung back and holy ghost took over
poetry spit every sunday
preachers are my art teachers

My great granny Rhodie born in 1894.

National Poetry Month 30 days in 30 days: Poem #1

What becomes?

A bloody maxi pad tied to door knob to ward off evil spirits

Addicts shooting up babies
A two headed dog
Mutant forces
Threesomes in front of churches with no protection
Agent Orange sprinkled on salad as dressing
A freak sighting
Immaculate Conception thru prison walls
Fresh wild boar being served in Harold’s Chicken
Trees bent into the peace symbol by wind
The killing of black babies for skin

 I am worried

Silicone booties and sliced bodies the standard of beauty
Artists locked in cubicles for hours
Hunted black boys laying in morgues cell phone still ringing
Strange occurrences
Words forbidden
Natural anything spit on
Flamboyant freedom rejected
Debit cards over cash
Robots over breathing

I am scared

Celebrate life!

So I have been out of the blog world for a minute. I lost my favorite auntie, Norma Jean on January 31st. This date is also the anniversary of the 6th year of being without the love of my life, my daddy. I also moved into a new house and still have boxes to unpack. Thru it all I give thanks for all the blessings and grace the Creator has shown me and my family. I will be back with more musings and writings on creative empowerment. Life is short. Live strong!

Here is poem I wrote for my auntie and read at her services in Chicago.


For our Norma Jean

this isn’t a poem

its words put together when words can never say enough

its a whirlwind

a big smile

a tight hug from a favorite aunt

that looks just like my mama

its love

this isn’t a poem

its a family story

it begins in a busy house that used to stand not too far from here

with a wild backyard

a warm kitchen upstairs

tall, steep concrete steps

that provided us many scraped knees

all our hearts can remember is

her laughing and smiling

if we counted all the times we heard her laughing

beautiful gap teeth smiling

head leaned back

soul a glow

we are rich

this isn’t a poem

since words can never be enough

to celebrate

to speak on the essence of her spirit

while the body is fragile

it bends

it fails

it gives out

spirit is stronger

no force is greater than pure love

her journey to short for us

lovely many times

bumpy some times

cuz life can serve up bumps and valleys and peaks along the way

her chapters unfolded like a large novel

i wanna keep turning the pages

we wish for more volumes

more hugs

more of her laughs

more comedy

more of her sweet nature

just more

more

more norma jean love

the essence of her spirit

will live on

your brothers, sisters, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, cousins, friends

deep down wish our collective love for you would pull you back here

our tears would drown out all pain

but

with deep breathes

we release you to the creator

rest now

rest in perfect light dear one

the essence of your spirit will live on

Tricia Hersey

from left to right: My Auntie Norma Jean and My mama Jean Marie

Do what you love. I love Glitter!

I think the Gemini in me makes me flickle and flighty or the full and new moons have been making me to go off into dreamland. I have just been all over the place mentally thus why I haven't been blogging much. I will do betta. I promise.
Anyhoo, I have been pushing along with TerrorChic Designs. I am at the stage where I just love creating so I have just been focusing on creating new stuff when I am inspired. For all the folks who are creative entrepeneurs it can be a fine line from doing what you love and creating things strictly to sell to others. I really, really want the notecards and decoupage art to sell to everyone for a few reasons:

- I think that everyone deserves and should receive a handwritten note on a piece of art that is made slowly and deliberatley with human hands.

-It is nothing sweeter than seeing glitter on anything. I wish I could glitter my entire body. Glitter is joy.

-Handmade is better than factory produced cards that you buy at your local store.

-I LOVEEEEE making them. They bring me happiness and I still believe in the saying, "Do what you love and the money will come."

Since my last post, I made my big sister a decoupage candle jar for her 40th birthday. I didn't get a photo of it before I shipped it to Chicago but will have her take one and share later. I also sold a card, and made two more inspired by Etta James and Erykah Badu. Check them out:

I have also been sending Happy New Year cards to friends and family. I love surprising them!
In a few weeks I will be attending a Rubber Stamp and Paper Arts Festival - woo hooo! I snagged a free weekend pass as part of a crafters Meetup group I am a member of. They have a class on wet embossing and I am super hyped to take it and learn some new techniques. In the meantime, I will be sending out more surprise handwritten cards.

When was the last time you received a handwritten letter or card?

New Stuff

Remember the haul from the craft store that I told you about? Well, I have been busy making some new designs with all my goodies. I am still experimenting and sourcing materials for the mini journals. They will be super cute for your purses to skecth at a moments notice or to write down your grocery list. I totally adore this new card I did called "The ReBirth:" Doesn't it make you want to grab it and write a letter to a friend to wish them a Happy New Year full of possibilities?

Who doesn't love a Soul Singer draped in red snakeskin? I know I can't deny it. Check out "Keep it Classy."

Both of these cards will be on sale in my Etsy shop and are 4 X 6 and come with a lovely gold metallic envelope.

These photographs serve a double purpose today:

1. To share my new designs and hopefully inspire you to write more handwritten letters.

2. They are Day 1 of a photography project called Project 365 that I am participating in over at Stars for Streetlights I love this blog because she takes amazing photographs and has fun DIY projects. I am hoping to become a better photographer so this project was the perfect one for me. I will be taking a new photograph everyday and sharing it here with you. The best way to get better is to practice and experiment. Come back often to see my progress and to support TerrorChic Designs

Keep creating!

New Years Day Frolicking

New Year Manifesto: Vision.

Happy New Year to everyone. I wish you all blessings and opportunities. I am spending my New Year chilling with my family and creating. I will be making Happy 2012 TerrorChic Cards for friends and family. I never got around to Christmas cards and feel way more inspired about cards to welcome in the beautiful new year. 2011 was full of many ups and downs but through it all I learned a lot about growth and creativity. I pushed myself creatively in so many ways:

-Filmed an empowerment poetry video and stunt.
-Performed as a puppeteer in the XPT Festival at the Center for Puppetry Arts
-Started crafting and created TerrorChic Designs - sold two pieces from it too!
-Lost a job and learned how to creatively survive on less income
-Gained a new creative part time job as a teaching artist at the Center for Puppetry Arts
-Re-imagned ny career goals with renewed focus on being self employed
-Got a new tattoo that represents creative freedom

I ended 2011 on a high with my Paper Arts. I am filled daily with ideas for decoupage and collage. Its amazing how once you start creating you get so much inspiration for more. I did digital vision board last year and never once looked at it. I just found it online and it was a nice to see that I had actually did many of the items (One of my favorite concepts of Law of Attraction is the belief that you don't have to stare at your vision board daily for it to manifest. Once its created it becomes a part of your unconscious intentions. The Universe doesn't need a visual aid made on paper or digitally to work for you.) I decided  to do another one this year. Check it out:

Highlights from 2012 Vision board are:
1. Travel More. Family trip to resort in Jamaica is top priority.
2. Self employed with multiple streams of income
3. Get fit by walking and running
4. Brand and push TerrorChic Designs
5. Eat healthy
6. Perform original work with Lady Terror Productions

I also discovered another cool way to display goals for the year. It is a New Years Manifesto. I found it on a cool creative and craft blog that I am now a fan of called creating clever I decided to try one and liked the results. I am jazzed about finding a printing biz to get it digitally printed on larger paper so I can hang in my bedroom.

What is your vision for 2012?