Ben Taylor Archives -

Turning Point

By Simone Lipscomb | May 11, 2013

The dark, heavy energy has shifted. I’ve been sitting on my back porch listening to the rain, listening to distant thunder over the Gulf and to wind chimes slowly moving in the slight breeze, their deep tones filling the courtyard with celestial music and serving as background sound to drops splatting and thumping on the metal roof. Frogs sing occasionally, adding their baritone to the soprano whistles and trills of birds darting to and fro.

In the distance, the sounds of children laughing and playing in the rain provide nurturance to the joy taking root within the dark recesses in me that have stored grief over bad new– environmental reports this week that seemed endless. Swinging in my hammock chair with my buddy Stanley Kubrick purring contentedly on my lap, I realized that I have ridden the wave of grief to the other side.

A spark of light ignited this shift. A favorite musician posted yesterday on his FaceBook page, “So happy to be playing music. There is no finer place on earth today than Oklahoma.” Ben Taylor’s post planted a seed of light. I nurtured it by having a session of Thai Yoga yesterday afternoon that helped stretch me out of my funk. Then the morning of rain and gentleness helped me grow the light seed and expand it like a candle igniting a thousand inner lamps.

Being present in the moment and happy to be doing something I love to do is something to celebrate. Finding joy within a storm of bad environmental news gives me a stronger foundation from which to work and helps me gain footing on the Path so I can take the next step in my work. With my inner lamps rekindled I move forward with joy, in celebration of this beautiful water planet.

Stanley Kubrick and I celebrated this delicious, rainy, soft morning by dancing on the back porch while listening to Jolly Holiday. “Ain’t it a glorious day? Right as a mornin’ in May, I feel like I could fly….When the day is gray and ordinary, <Stanley> makes the sun shine bright!”

Staying present with grief, with joy…with beauty. It’s all part of this turning point in which we find ourselves on our Earthly planet.

The Creative Process

By Simone Lipscomb | May 3, 2013

It’s messy, never linear, filled with interruptions and unexpected flashes of inspiration. And unexpected help…I cannot forget his help or Stanley would protest. My orange tabby friend is negotiating co-author status on the new book in process.

Today’s substantial rainfall prompted me to hunker-down and bring the outline of my book into form and to set up the ebook formatting…not my favorite part of the creative process….but a necessary one. The energy of this project is pushing me to create the form that will contain it. I got a good lesson in that ability last night.

I sat on the front row of an intimate Ben Taylor concert and marveled at his talent…not just his songwriting, singing and guitar-playing but the ability to create through electronic gadgetry. Observing his process inspired me to move forward courageously. He balanced the music flowing through him with knowledge of how to operate his toys. It seemed a perfect balance of passion and flow.

And speaking of flow–during a break from the torrential water pouring from the sky, I needed a break so took a walk and saw the river near my home flowing wildly. If I wasn’t concerned about high bacteria counts that comes with flooding, I would have been tempted to don a life vest and take my SUP board out for a ride. And while I made the correct decision for safety, a girl can still dream of racing downriver using her paddle only for steering. Alas, my project called me back home and I resisted the temptation to allow distractions to change my focus.

*a little friend greeted me on my walk to the river*

During this rainy day, fits of writing and organizing the project were interrupted with much-needed breaks such as my walkabout. These times of movement and stimulus, away from the computer, kept the process fresh and exciting. And while assistance is always appreciated, I must say that it’s not always helpful. And yet having my arms filled with a loving little helper, the creative process was boosted to greater levels. Stanley approved of the music and dozed happily as I engaged in the process of birthing a new book.