Jane Fonda, dinner with Bonnie Raitt & Joni Mitchell on: Life, Faith, Peace
- At October 12, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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Jane Fonda, has for many years been one of my ‘she-roes’. As a single Mom I exercised with her videos daily, & I was in sync with her activism for Peace, during the Viet Nam war years. Jane and Oprah together often kept me in stock of hope and going for my life vision, as an artist and Peace activist myself, a single Mom. They feel like my very own friends, ahem, mine and a few million other women. Today’s post with Jane, Joni & Bonnie at dinner touching for me, as I read it, I felt exactly the conversation I would be having as well, if I were there with them. We are lucky to live in a time of some pretty cool peers, of course, include us. Jane continues to rally our involvement, a call to action, find the cause that inspires you and “get involved”.
Thank you Jane.
Oct 11.11 Jane Fonda blog:
Had dinner with Joni Mitchell Saturday night. Never met her before but she’s known Richard for ever. I can’t remember when I’ve had a more intense, far-reaching, multifaceted conversation (right from the moment we sat down…no small talk with Joni)—from Christianity, Buddhism, the Gnostics, different forms of meditation, Ego as the original sin, to living in the wilderness north of Vancouver, the beauty of blue herons, our Black bear encounters (mine more dramatic than hers), medical challenges (hers more dramatic than mine), Georgia O’Keefe (she stayed with her in New Mexico when O’Keefe was 90), painting (Joni paints), innovators versus copy cats and music. It thrills me to listen to musical people (Joni and Richard…or Keith Richards in his autobiography) dig into the minutia of creating musical art. Much is Greek to me but they got into what it meant to have started on the banjo (Joni) and how that influences chords and tuning. She talked fascinatingly about how she always liked to do what hadn’t been done musically–unresolved chords, etc, that often made the music honchos nervous. I should have taken notes.
Sunday morning I found myself on a plane (major delay!) to go to San Francisco to speak at the San Francisco Ultimate Women’s Expo. I was there to speak about my latest book PRIME TIME, and what I’ve learned from writing. I’ve spoken on this quite a bit over the last few months or more and I’m still enjoying seeing all the heads nodding (especially the gray heads…and nodding, not nodding off!). My PRIME TIME brand has created quite a community, which is why I’m excited to be able to continue the conversations from my book here on my blog, on my Facebook page, and on twitter now that my book tour has wound down.
Tonight, I’m having a small gathering for Bonnie Raitt. Joni will be there and Robbie Robertson, Eddie Olmos, Steve Bing and Paul Allen. I look forward to another fascinating and intense evening…if I make it back in time!
Thinking x’s 3
- At October 3, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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Thinking, planning, creating, this drawing symbolizes the myriad of styles/viewpoints that arise for me as I sort out my next direction + action. I’m always intrigued by each of our different approaches to sorting out choices + actions. What’s yours?
Fall morning sketch 2011
- At September 28, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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This Fall morning, very early, stillness & coffee, all is simply well. Sketch fabric from my skirt. 2011
Plywood People Presents: Social Innovation
- At September 2, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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Plywood People Presents – Social Innovation – Atlanta, Ga., High Museum of Art
I have finally gotten time to dive into the book : WE FIRST, how brands & consumers use social media to build a better world , authored by the keynote speaker: Simon Mainwaring. I have been impressed by the use of Social Media to create a greater good for ourselves and our world. No, I’m not saying all social media has that as a goal, there are many great uses and some not so great uses for social media. My interest in attending this conference is: how can I use social media to have a great life and a better world. Simon Waring is a thought leader who is blazing the way for better, ” With each passing day, it became more obvious to me – and to many thought leaders around the world- that the entire system of free market capitalism, as it is practiced in the United States and in many Western nations, is leading us further and further down the wrong path, toward a world dominated by narrow self-interest, greed, corporatism, and insensitivity to the greater good of humanity and to the planet itself.” The shift that needs to occur is from “me first” to “we first”. “consumers and corporations need to become partners in re-engineering the foundation principles of capitalism to honor not only profits, but also purpose, mutual self-interest, sustainability, human values, collaboration and collective prosperity.” He talked about our greatest leverage is what we purchase, that we might become ‘curators’ of expenditures, how we engage in social media, not only by what we purchase but what we endorse. “Social Media is the technological differentiator t
The level of inspiration coupled with solid information was really awesome. I was impressed that the room was filled with folks mid 40’s and under; movers and shakers for a world with vision that works for all.The drawing in this post was sketched while I was listening to another presenter: Rashid Nuri, community organizer of Truly Living Well, right here in my neighborhood, the Old Fourth Ward. “Rashid provides overall executive and operational leadership to the Company. Rashid possess over forty years of experience in both industrial and organic agriculture, where he has managed public, private and community-based food and agriculture businesses in over 30 countries. Through his travels, Rashid has observed and learned about local food economies around the world. His experience has included managing farms in excess of 13,000 acres as well as more than 12 years with agricultural giant Cargill.” Quite a character, storyteller and passionate about eating healthy and neighbors growing our own organic food.
Among many excellent presentations throughout the entire day, my favorite was a company founded by 3 young entrepreneurs, Better World Books.“Better World Books collects and sells books online to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. With more than 8 million new and used titles in stock, we’re a self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value for all our stakeholders.” The vision of Better World Books is to end illiteracy, by contributing up to 10% of every used book, training teachers/mentors to teach, giving away books and more. As of last week, they have raised and given away TEN MILLION DOLLARS to nonprofits engaged in ending illiteracy, promoting reading, empowering communities.I was really blown away by this group, and now I order nearly all my books from them; they are competitive, (actually a bit less) than other outlets, and FREE SHIPPING every day (in USA)
End of Summer 2011 – Double Flower Whimsy
- At September 2, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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August New Moon
Mask
- At August 3, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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Faces # 1
- At July 28, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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This summer I made a commitment to myself to produce ‘a drawing a day’, and this face is one of my recent ones. I am working here with the concept of ‘mirror image’ drawing, i.e. each side is a reflection of the other. This face reminds me of one of the characters (a gal) from “Where the Wild things Are”, she still needs a name, suggestions welcome. Last night I watched a fabulous documentary on Milton Glaser, a true Renaissance man, this morning hungry for more I found this Ted Talk by Milton Glaser. The visual range and the whole of his life were expressions (reflections, if you will) of the richness and incredible variety in his Art. Two points that stood out for me in the Milton Glaser interviews were : 1) Drawing is thinking 2) Art becomes limited when it becomes a style. Milton Glaser has an openhandedness, a sense of adventure, and a clarity of intention to do artwork that would go out to the people, versus, art that was primarily intended for art galleries, museums, and private collections. Most people know his image of I (heart/image) NYC. He is another affirmation for me to just do the work, draw, draw, draw.
Now, Now, Now
- At July 21, 2011
- By Callahan McDonough
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My summertime commitment com that allows you free access to both your free-credits-report.com report and your free-credits-report.com score. to myself is draw, draw, draw, including “doodles” which this piece is & yet, whimsy, doodles, all drawing. As Ram Dass, and Eckhardt Tolle have told us, ” Be here NOW” & I will add, once there, act NOW.
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