I thank my lucky stars, in a period of such intense global struggle, to be able to allow myself a return to my roots, a real Mediterranean retreat. Dual citizenship helps, as do dearest friends, and an indelible nomadic spirit. I navigate every day among umbrella pines and giant cacti, ultra salty seas, boisterous characters, ludicrously large hunks of feta, and real mozzarella, as big as a baby’s head. From an idyllic, big bday autumn in Paxos, Greece to my roots in Napoli, Italy – I’ve harvested olives, discussed heated politics of the moment, and walked more rocky cliffs than even tiny local lizards manage to.
Napoli. My mamma was born here, my big sister… my grandparents greeted us for decades in their home perched above one of the most majestic gulfs in the world. Although I can’t hug anyone, and masked smiles happen only through sparkling eyes, I say thank you life – thanks for delivering me safely to this place.
2021 is here. I’m evaluating. Where to live? How best to evolve my career? How to spend the next half of my life? Art, fashion, the electronic dance world, the fastest, coolest cities in the world – these were the motivators in the first half. Ever lucky stars! Parties, festivals, productions, fashion shoots and shows, trips to work at the source of heritage cloths and artisan traditions – all had a major thread in common – a love for passionate self expression, the stories of people told in celebration and style. And even as things have gotten tough – illness, work challenges, most profound loss and massive changes – I still aim to live celebrating and working out the story, if only in fragments, in redux for now, between one lockdown and another.
I am certainly cultivating a deeper relationship with “what I do,” working on a new project, bringing together long time dreams of making the world a better place with best use of my skills as a communicator and entrepreneur.
I’ll be sharing more over next months about The Artivist Nest (!!) an arts activism non profit for social good of which I am a co-founder. Please click through below to read about our evolving mission and developing concepts for yearly retreats, the first of which is happening in June 2022, corona virus be damned! Teen refugee community building and integration is our first endeavor to spread some good luck. Other themes involve accessible sound therapy, the securing and elevation of women’s place in the world, a simple strategy for a big personal reduction in carbon emission, and so much more….. Here’s to brighter times ahead!