Alma - the Soul of Brazil in NYC
Great news! The above CD design is for a great compilation of Brazilian Soul recently released by Wave Music…hot and bouncy!
Joanne Jimenez and I designed the cover, worked it for a couple of weeks, and finalized this lovely visual treat. Our combined creativity made the design electric, to compliment the incredible tracks.
Besos mil,
Melissa
THE conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.
We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society.
Our invisible governors are, in many cases, unaware of the identity of their fellow members in the inner cabinet.
“Propaganda” Edward Bernays
Anonymous is Legion. Incredibly well done. I believe certain clam diggers should be worried, cause wow, this is M worthy, this is 1984 and Manchurian Candidate. This is Guy Fawkes calling you out, Scientology. I believe it will soon be 3 pm on the school yard and you’re gonna get a whooping.
Even if it takes a long time, Anonymous certainly threw down the gauntlet and made statements of sincere and deep conviction. Scientology IS a cult. Why is everyone so afraid to say it? Legal documents worldwide have proven this since 1977, and for chrissakes, this is all based on a bet!
Yes, that’s right, L Ron made a bet with a fellow science fiction writer that he could start a religion. One that believes humans evolved from clams cause we both have a hinge on our jaw (bwahahaha) and believes we are all possessed by 30,000 Thetans (aka alien souls). And I thought the stigmata was a stretch!
The internet is abuzz with people saying this is real, a fake, watch for Feb 10, etc. I think its fascinating and well targeted video campaign. Even if its not real, its definitely been effective!
This organization understands Bernays so well. But keep watch - Scientology is only a clumsy, semi-retarded scam. The real threat is those who will use our fears to keep us uneducated, in our homes isolated, poor and silent. In this election year, keep an open mind while listening, but look for the holes in those well crafted media images.
Peace,
Melissa
We are each of us angels with one wing, and we can only fly embracing each other.
- Liciano de Crescenzo
Love of all levels comes naturally to very young children - they laugh, smile, fully express awe and wonder at the world around them. Kids will eagerly embrace any person who comes close enough, touching and grabbing in an exploratory way that reminds us what safe touch is like. When a child brushes your cheek gently (or not so gently), you tend to feel grace in that little moment.
Children love everything, and to them love is a never ending well of delight, always available, never conditional. They can love to different degrees people, pets, food, colors, etc. Love is not exclusive, limited, held back for something proper or better.
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.
- Morrie Schwartz
As adults, we lose this - the ability to love and touch different people. Love is reserved for family, for lovers, for spouses. Touch is discouraged in public. Love is limited by Hallmark Card defined days where expression is pre-packaged, and affection is something you express only in private. (more…)
Check out the three most hilarious videos of the past month for me:
Which one of these is not like the others? And why does that make it EVEN FUNNIER?!?!?!
Peace,
Melissa
Blower’s Daughter - Damien Rice
É Isso Ai - Ana Carolina E Seu Jorge
I love this song - so achingly loving, full of gorgeous longing. And yet in Portuguese, (such a lovely language), it sounds strong and passionate. Both version stir something in my soul - one sad and reaching, one alive and powerful.
I so miss Lisbon…the people, the art, the energy. It was full of wide open love and laughter, with no strings, no pressure, just fun and free. It seems to a be a place where one can rest easy in happiness and extend in art.
Besos mil,
Melissa
Oh so very very true…
Love is elemental, necessary, important even, but art, oh my god. Art is like that crazy boyfriend - hot, then cold, volatile, withholding, abundant, bitchy even. As much as he drove you nuts, you craved, needed, lusted for him.
Art mirrors sexuality - first we start tentatively, gingerly attempting what we long for but aren’t sure how to do. Then we get a taste - oooh, such a sweet sting - and we go crazy for it. There is nothing we won’t do to feed that bitch of a master. We cajole, we sink into oblivion, we beg, we even abandon.
Art tends to sit on the edge of your mind, pushing up on the top of your heart, squeezing out all vision so the tunnel only holds one single thought - create. Make. Do. Be. Express. Expand. And love me…
The muses are often amused at the machinations of humans to create. One must simply get out of one’s own way, and listen. Your art, your passion - it’s yours, and yet its not. It’s connected to the universal mind, the higher consciousness that runs like electricity through us all. You must trust, let go, express, shut the editor off and be. Dive in.
I am both muse and maker. Eventually, the artist understands that they themselves are a complex work of art. For that is the true lesson - not the things created but the process of creation itself, by a human being, aided by the divine.
In Buddhism, one of the paths to Divine Grace is Detachment:
“Eventually we detach from any expected outcome of our activities. This is called detached attachment. It seems paradoxical, but in this form of detachment, the activity itself is the important thing. Being in the moment is the only item of importance. Concentration is so complete that any thought of a goal involving the activity becomes absorbed in the process of doing the activity itself.”
- Thomas Ashley-Farrand
So losing yourself in the work is actually finding yourself. You embody your purpose, your passion, and add to the multiplicity of voices that create from genuine experience.
I embrace and flourish on my path these days. Art is a good and honorable master, once you give over to it.
Peace,
Melissa
Smokifantastic dancing away…
Great news! For those of you interested in purchasing the beautiful and moving documentary, The Art of Love & Struggle, you can now get it at Film Baby!
This was an absolute labor of love, between director Jessica Habie and I. We slaved into the wee hours to get this in the can and we were thrilled with the result.
Please scoop up your copy today!
Peace,
Melissa
Lizzie White looking down on the good work…
Great news! Updates on the progress of MHB on the festival circuit! MHB was accepted to the Independents Film Festival and the Gloria Film Festival this past fall. Nancy O’Mallon was a great director to work with and the result of our joint efforts continues to bear sweet fruit.
Peace,
Melissa
I recently finished a group of clips for the new site BMI.tv (Body Mass Index). Check out the sample below and the site here!
Peace,
Melissa
Featured Video on Gravel Site
The spots I directed and edited are getting great feedback online. From the reviews of viewers, to the amount of views on YouTube.com, the spots seem to have hit a nerve. They are also currently being broadcast in New Hampshire on WMUR and MCAM. And one of the spots is featured on Gravel’s website front page, helping bolster views well over the 2800 mark in under a week.
Peace,
Melissa
G Love
I uploaded all my recent event pix - the tour with The Sounds & The Bravery, Tristan Prettyman with G Love & Special Sauce, and of course, the holiday party at XS in York, PA.
Enjoy and happy new year!
Peace,
Melissa
