the shadowlands

I have two good friends enjoying success at the moment; long fought, well-deserved success, I might add. One is the writer, D. A. Adams, who has persevered through the near-destruction of his writing in graduate school, a horrific divorce/separation from his children (she left him on Christmas day), and through the insane rigors of his College's duel enrollment program, -which throws college professors into high school classrooms on top of their normal teaching load. Through it all, he has churned out 3 novels and good ones at that. Alex, as I know him, is a warrior. That's the greatest compliment I can give someone. He recently signed with a new publisher and his long-awaited third novel is due out soon. This recent post from his blog was a much-needed boost for me when I read it yesterday.

Another long-time friend is drummer extraordinaire George Sluppick, who recently gave me mad love on his own blog (thanks brotherman) and who is crazy busy with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ripping up and down the California coast. This guy has played with legends, and by that I mean think of the first 5 blues or soul legends that come to mind who are still living and yeah, he's probably played with them all. Everyone who knows George is blown away with his positivity and killer smile. He's one of those cats who makes you happy the moment he walks into a room. He is a true inspiration and quite often a lifeline. If you live in Cali, check the tour schedule for the CRB. When not on the west coast, he is split-life living in Memphis and jamming with his killer band The City Champs.

I keep coming here and I keep painting and I keep putting it out there and the disappointments, failures, discouragements, rejections and ignoring continue to happen all the time. I don't let it alter the course. I listen to honest feedback and I keep going. Some days it feels as though I will live in obscurity forever, but at the end of the day when I'm cleaning the paint off my hands I know I am living true to myself. With that knowledge, I sleep like a baby.

Back to work............