So much awesome.

So this happened last night.

Yep, I got to meet my long-time crush Billy Bob Thornton after a concert at the Franklin Theatre. What a great venue they have created for that place–we sat about 25 feet from the stage. After, the Boxmasters held a signing and I actually got to shake his hand and have a real 5 minute conversation with the man himself.

He was so gracious with his time. If he's not genuine then he's a better actor than I thought. (beaversandducks!)

As an aside, Mr. Thornton, this is the video trailer I told you about last night. I know someone who would love for you to be involved in this project!
Her documentary is called Raised in the South of Normal and is something I am definitely looking forward to seeing!



Anyway, this theater has been around for years. My family lived in Williamson County for most of my childhood and any movie that I saw, I saw in this theater. I saw Benji there when I was about 11 or so and I cried so hard my mom had to take me out and calm me down.

In the late 90s I went there for foreign films, and one ill fated trip to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show. (Long story short we didn't KNOW they didn't want you to throw rice. Oops.) They tried to revive it as a venue space, added food to the menu, and a lot of other things.

This current redesign debuted in 2011 and has been met with much success by all accounts. I have attended several music shows there, as well as movies. The building is now a beautiful venue used as a very intimate setting for movies, music and theater. They have a bar in addition to the concession stand in the lobby and still retain the original charm of the building (like the balcony and theater seating) in addition to the modern upgrades (like bigger restrooms and cabaret style seating in the front).

My hometown in Kentucky has a theater left from the 20's and it is a beautiful space. A few years ago a resident put millions of dollars into restoring it to its former glory. However, no one has ever quite been able to grasp the concept of making it a multi-purpose venue. Since it was deeded over to the local Industrial Authority (because who is more creative than businessmen....not), it sits around empty most of the year and serves as a site for wedding receptions occasionally. Hopefully one day they will see the light, much as the folks did in Franklin, TN with this theater.

When it comes to live music I can't think of a better place to see a show. And we saw Budapest Hotel here a couple of years ago as a new release, majestic on the big screen. If you don't know about the Franklin Theater, check it out on their site at franklintheatre.com

New thoughts, new art, new life

Original thought. For me, it is a requirement. A natural state of being. As a liberal, crazy, flighty artist-type, “What if?” is a phrase that flies through my head 20 times a day.

But for others, life exists inside the framework of what came before. The ideas are there, but sometimes that person lacks the ability, courage or voice to bring them out into the world. 

Staying the same is safe. Letting things continue as they always have. Not speaking up. Overlooking injustice and unfairness. Smiling at someone when they make a sexist comment rather than correcting them. Ignoring someone when they make a racist statement rather than pointing it out. 

All of these are ways in which we deny our own original thought, and conform to the way things have always been. Not rocking the boat breeds more of the same. 

Original thoughts, ideas and talents are things each of us possess that are solely our own. They belong to us, but they don't have to stop with us.

Making it a point to share them with others, to create the opportunity for discussion, to use those thoughts and ideas to make life better, this is the stuff of which life is made. In my opinion, at least.

This month, the local gallery in my small Kentucky town opened a new show that epitomized original thought. From the concept to the artists to the art itself, this show was a first for the gallery, and a first for the town. 

For a small town Gallery that normally showcases beautifully crafted watercolors and oil paintings, it was a risk to put a show on the walls that spoke to those of us in the "under 50" generation. 

As a part of GenX, we grew up with comic books, skateboards and street art long before artists like Banksy made it a real part of the fabric of our society. Without his original thinking, his courage, his attitude and his voice, street art would never have hung on gallery walls anywhere. 

And now, in a small gallery in a small southern town, standing in contrast to the bucolic landscapes and beautifully crafted wood pieces, comic book art, skateboard art, screenprinting and street art gave a pop to the exhibit wall at Gallery on the Square. 

For Gallery Director Barb Markell-Thomas, the show's opening day was the culmination of a year's worth of planning. One local citizen was the sponsor of the show, Janice Keith, an artist and outspoken freethinker in her own right.

Rather than a stuffy reception for opening night, Markell-Thomas held a Saturday event in which attendees could watch the art being created. These panels allowed the public to have a voice and create their own art.

Loyd Gant

 Franklin native Loyd Gant, who is a published comic book author and artist, drew cartoons for people and showcased his comics. 

Coty DiMichele

 Thomas Kennedy and Coty DiMichele of Pyramid Prints showed off their artistic prowess and demonstrated screenprinting by printing a shirt for each attendee at the show.








 

Derek Williamson, a Nashville, Tn. artist, was on hand to help with an actual outside display of street art in which attendees of the opening could make their own social, political and personal statement on the giant panels. His custom painted skateboard art hangs as the centerpiece of the newest exhibit, featuring everything from Nashville themes to movies to social statements.

I am writing this today because I want to show that free thought, original thought, new and different thought, all of these things can exist anywhere. Even people from the smallest, most conservative towns can support it when they have the courage to give a voice to these freethinkers. 

Thank you, ladies, for having courage to give these artists a voice in our community.

Change

About a month ago one of my bffs Amy, made a huge decision and a huge change in her life. After 21 years at the same job, as photojournalist for our local newspaper, she left to take a wonderful new opportunity as the Executive Director of our local Arts Council.

21 years is over half our lives. And it is the majority of our adult lives. I can not imagine doing the same job for that long. I started my first real job in 1988 and have moved around as new opportunities for growth have presented themselves. I am on my third career change, going back to school at 38 to complete a degree in graphic design.

Until my first graphic design job as an intern with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, I never knew what it was like to love going to work every day. Not just that but to get up and NOT dread going into work. I knew immediately that I had made the right choice. And it didn't hurt that I had a supportive, eternally patient boss and hilarious co-workers.

My friend struggled with her decision. For me it would have been a snap, but she loves what she does at the paper. She has her own photography studio and always is running from place to place. As the single photojournalist at a small town newspaper, she has covered every town event, from school board meetings to football friday nights to baseball to graduations and ribbon cuttings. She routinely worked far more than 40 hours per week, and gave up evenings and weekends to take pictures at sporting events and other activities.

When she first interviewed for her new job she told me and I said, "did you tell them YES!?" and she said, "well....." and listed a litany of reasons she didn't want to leave. When she told another friend of ours the friend said, "did you ask them when can I start?!" And still she couldn't resolve taking the new job. Even though it was less stress, less hours, and fewer weekends.

In the end, she painfully left her 21-year career at the newspaper and has settled into her new job at the Arts Council. She is going to be amazing. She has encouraged the arts in our small town over the past 20-some years and I think it's only natural for her to be where she is now.

Change is tough for all of us. I challenge everyone out there to think about change in 2012. Shaking things up. Making things different. It stimulates you, keeps you on your toes, keeps you learning.

One of my big pet peeves is people who just complain all the time. If you don't like something make a change, offer a solution, or walk away and find something else. Complaint without action means nothing. And y'all. Complaining all the time is so unattractive. Seriously.

I found this image about a year ago and it's on my desktop. I look at it every day and I encourage all of you to read it and think about it. Think of what's wrong or unacceptable in your life and what you might do to change it. Try to put away the negative this year, it's so draining! Make 2012 your best year ever!

I found this somewhere on the interwebz.
I have no idea who to give credit to. Sorry,.