I've been faithfully following The Daily Love on Twitter for the last couple of years. Along with about 500k other love sponges, I enjoy soaking up Mister Mastin Kipp's down-to-earth doses of insight & inspiration throughout the day. Little reminders of goodness in the world.

I noticed they were promoting a Love & Relationship Workshop in Hollywood, hosted by Mastin & the beautiful love of his life, Jenna. After my *ahem* Dramatic 2012, I figured it was perfect timing to attend.



It was an all-day event. 10AM-10PM on Saturday, February 9th at Smashbox Studios, conveniently located a block from Trader Joe's and my favorite trail mix. They told us to wear comfortable attire, as we'd be participating in multiple Kundalini Yoga sessions throughout the twelve hours. My inner-hippie was overjoyed.

There were about 150 women and only 10 men in attendance (totally meowable thing to do, btw, gents). I scribbled about 7 hours worth of notes and consolidated it down to what I deemed most important and worthy of sharing with you...

(Two quick side-notes: the male/female references aren't to take away from same sex couples, it's just for the sake of brevity, and a lot of these concepts come off as conservative and traditional, but by all means, be you, always in all ways.)

Passionate Love happens when Women embrace their Feminine Energy fully and Men embrace their Masculine Energy completely.

These days, women have turned all "I don't need a man" ballsy, and guys tend to lean more metro. While I'll admit that there are some admirable things about both shifts, i.e. boldness & sensitivity, most of us are wired to find the original characteristics attractive in a prospective mate.

I've caught myself touching on this transformation before. I once had a guy say, "Why don't you let me get the door for you?!", to which I replied, "I'm not going to stand there and wait for you to open it. Unless you make an obvious effort to get there ahead of me, I'm going to get it myself and hold it open for you." BOOM POW.

This demonstrated three things:
A. My lady card must be up for renewal.
B. I like a man who knows how to take charge.
C. A gal will generally like playing the girly role if the gent is being a leading man, and vice versa.

"Women are so busy being the man they want to attract instead of being the woman he could love." -Jenna

Mastin pointed out that women like to verbally & emotionally kick a man in the bouncy beach balls to test how strong he is. If he stands there and takes it without flinching and says "WHAT ELSE YA GOT?", we'll instantly back down and most likely ravage you because THAT is ferociously fetching.

A man's core need is to be respected, a woman's core need is to be cherished. This is why he should lead with authority and she should be seductively sweet. If either shows weakness in their respective role, the other may sympathetically swap spots. I'm not saying that women shouldn't be strong and that men shouldn't be vulnerable sometimes, but we can do that WITHIN our roles.


The Potential

"Don't date someone's potential; date someone who has realized their potential."
"If you're dating someone who hasn't realized their potential, you haven't either."

I felt both of those quoted lessons were worth sharing even though they're similar. I do believe there's beauty in chasing after dreams together, yet I understand the importance of giving each other time to develop before stealing all of the focus from the other's development, which tends to happen in a new & exciting relationship. It's a tricky balance. Bad timing can be the death of love. If you can find someone who gives you freedom, space, and encouragement to passionately pursue your own thang while they courageously pursue theirs, and ALSO adores you with extreme devotion: MAGIC.

"My soulmate is not going to come along, my soulmate will be where I'm going."

I am so very thankful to have known great love in my lifetime. One of my nearest and dearest referred to it as "Gross Love, the kind that makes everyone else sick." Right in the middle of the workshop, I had a stirring little reminder of it when I turned the page in my notebook and found this written on a random page:




One of the last things Mastin & Jenna reminded us of is that sometimes things have to fall completely apart so that we can put them back together the right way. This could refer to rebuilding a broken relationship, or starting a fresh one properly. For me personally, whatever comes next, I'm dedicated to doing it big and bold. I'm not ashamed to admit that I want legendary love and know I'm capable of making it with someone equally committed.

This workshop made the trilogy of me (body/mind/spirit) feel limber, and ready to face the future with an open mind, open heart, and open arms. Cue Journey, please. The band and the adventure.

xo.
L*


(Mastin & Me. We were born on the exact same date!)

Stay wide-eyed to wonder and put the sparklers to shame. Keep your head held high, as if hope is made of helium, and heartache is buried so far beneath you, the soles of your toes won't know it again.

Remember that forgiveness frees you and laughter relieves you; that your body and mind should be green gardens inside, and may love, precious love down the poppy petaled pathway, make it impossible to tell lilies from lovers.

Wishing you a bubbly glass with a charming lass, and a new year of chasing down dreams like pretty panthers are we. And if you're next to a sweet someone at the tick tock of twelve...let your lips give 'em hell. ♥ LE

Much to the chagrin of my cognizant imagination, dreams of slumber time very, very rarely remain with me after waking. I remember so few of them, I've begun to wonder if I only dream a handful of times per year.

Lacking these recollections can be highly disappointing at times because when I do manage to hold onto a fancy in flight, the details are quite delightful; plot lines and characters a creative girl could surely draw from for handcrafted songs and stories.

This morning delivered a quarterly nighttime notion to my bedhead. It wasn't a lengthy tale, nor one of royal intrigue, but I was pleased to receive the fable as follows:

***

...driving myself down a southbound, three lane highway in Oregon, I had just stopped for cupcakes. Two vegan and two "normal" sweet selections in a pink box in the passenger seat. Sealed with a one inch piece of Scotch tape to keep me honest.

Traffic was polite to my blood pressure; assuming the role of a peaceloving, hippie cousin to the 405 in LA. About half of the drivers across the divide conceded that dusk was commuting home for the night directly above us, by turning their headlights into deer magnets.

I was ambling towards another destination when I realized it was Courtney's birthday, my pretty little pal who actually exists in Texas. Recognizing that I'd be passing by the exit to her family's house soon, I decided to put my cupcake powers into play.

Turning my tires onto a long, gravel road, the kind that crackles like a freshly stoked campfire when you disturb it with wheels, I made my way up to their house at the top of a hill; miles from anything but a unified truce with nature.

Their house looked like a modern day plantation home with architectural elements of an Italian villa; a two story rectangle with pillars extending from the foundation to the roof. The front door was open, lights aglow in every room and I could hear the kids making an audible spectacle. I announced my arrival and their forever foxy mama, Audrey, came to greet me, followed by the rush of tiny elephants on hardwood: the twins, Callie & Tyler, and little pistol sister, Courtney.

Acknowledging that my quartet of confections wouldn't satisfy the entire clan, Courtney admitted that she'd been wishing for a "Patsy Cline cake" anyway. Upon further inquiry, it was determined that this undocumented dessert was a chocolate chai cake with buttercream frosting, topped with maraschino cherries.

I must have stayed the night because in the next scene, I was watching the kids get ready for school. As each took a turn looking in the standing oval mirror, their reflection was skewed from reality. Tyler put on his backpack, but in the mirror, he was instead placing a coiled lasso rope over his shoulder.

Throughout the last visuals, an unwritten song was playing: Emmylou Harris lead vocals drenched in spring reverb, with Chuck Cannon-esque acoustic guitar, an airy brushed snare, and a distant heavenly choir. I couldn't recall much more than the first three lines, but I can hear them in my head even still:

"Voice of an angel, I'll follow you home
Voice of an angel, wherever you roam
I'll climb to where you land"

***

I may attempt baking a Patsy Cline cake. Seems as though it would guarantee crazy, sweet dreams...

L*

Strange things are afoot! In recent times, I was given a MAC lipstick called St. Germain right after discovering a St. Germain postcard on my desk. Then, over the weekend at the ASCAP Expo, I saw a huge St. Germain billboard right after talking to a woman about Twin Flames. This morning, I asked for a sign that I'm on the right path, then I randomly went to an old friend's page and she had added a photo of St. Germain, THEN two of my earth angels walked in and gave me a bag of goodies. What was inside? (see photo below) And to top it all off, I looked up this article just now about Twin Flames and LOOK at what they mention in the 3rd to last paragraph... http://www.soulevolution.org/twinflames/twinflames.htm

Most artists will tell you that they feel less like the source and more like the vessel. As if the dreams, wishes, ideas, colors, concepts, melodies, words, and wisdom already exist and just need a way to be revealed. As Michelangelo said, "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free".

Maybe the universe seeks out the ones willing to give up their heartsouls.
The ones who open themselves up to receiving & believing; answering the call and dedicating their lives to being a messenger. Not every eye could see the angel in the marble until the sculptor's hands were bruised.

I think we give up on the notion of normalcy when we give in to what the world asks of us. An artist will stay awake come nightfall and daybreak, allowing emotion to move through them. It's physically & mentally exhausting, yet in those moments of creating, when something beautiful & brand new flows through you that no one's ever known, it's completely worth it. The most satisfying and spiritual experience you can have this side of love.

Maybe the dancer becomes when they open their heart to the rhythm.
Maybe the writer becomes when they allow the pen to freely flow.
Maybe the artist becomes when they pursue only visions.
Perhaps the soulmate becomes when true love's finally known.

L*

I'm nominating every person mentioned in this blog post for sainthood. And I hope they each get their own holiday with sing along songs and strange food you only eat once a year.

I feel so incredibly fortunate these days. The circle of sweetness I've been twirling around inside of makes me a dizzy dreamer, but the hoop is encompassed by the brightest beaming faces and plenty of outstretched hands to grasp come tipsy time.

The Release Party for my Pure Honey EP was a night I'll never forget. It was a Saturday near the sea where honeybees flew wild and free. Flowers fell from fairyland, sugar was sampled, the flutes filled with fizz, the musicians magnificent, and the guests were gorgeous.

At the beginning of the year, my strawberry blonde sugarbun, Stephanie, was the first to offer her party planning powers. She soon joined forces with her work wives, the jaunty Jacqueline & ever clever Katelynn. This tantalizing trio put together a presentation to persuade jocular Jun & delightful Donna to sponsor the event. They said yes. I had no words.

Soon, the fleet of honeybees was complete with the addition of my easy peasy lemon squeezy I-Ping & my lovely little LJ. Each buzzing beauty has their own special superpowers, so the visions were divided up accordingly.

Before the bash, I visited my sublime Savannah. That woman and I always dream up something oversized and oh so fantastic when we're together. She made the most darling Disney video to project on a wall during my song Twirl, found a ballroom dancing partner to waltz with during Leading Man Among Men, and came up with a supreme shadow wall routine for Streetlighting with Holger Moncada, Jr.

The amazing Anna Stafford arranged string parts for my songs and sent us the prettiest players for the string trio (violin, viola, cello). I swear, I never want to do another show without live strings. I'm done for. The marvelous Carl Miner put together stripped down versions of the album tracks to add depth to the sound, and added six additional strings beneath his fingers.

March 31st was simply magical at M.A.D.E. in Venice. The honeybees worked tirelessly to pull everything together with pizazz and polish. And people showed up! I sang, and spoke, and read them poetry. That room was filled with love like no other.

When they welcomed me back for one final song, we went with "What A Wonderful World". Because if you twist your telescope the right way, it really, really is. That song always reminds me.

I couldn't believe how many people told me afterwards that they cried during the show. But I'd be misleading you if I said that wasn't always my intent. I want people to go on an emotional journey with me! Feel something. That's what music is made for.

Allow me to share some love notes of thankfulness with you; please hold your applause until the end:

Jun & Donna Roxas: You are dreammakers.
Steph, Jackie, Katelynn, I-Ping, and LJ: You are the bee's knees and the fairy's berries. I'll never forget what you've done for me. Thank you a thousand times.
Carl Miner: As I said that night, thank you for EVERYTHING. I'm endlessly grateful that you share your talent, time, love, and energy with me.
Josh, Jason, & Team MADE: Thank you for letting us have our way with the space!
Everette, Johanna, and Helen: Thanks for the promo power! Phil - thanks for pics!
Savannah: Thank you believing anything is possible! You are an incredible woman and I can't wait to work on more projects with you.
Anna Stafford, Eliza James, Noelle Widegren, and Grace Park: Your strings give me wings!
Holger: You were truly a highlight, Super Shadowman!
Nathan: Thank you for videotaping and helping bring things together! Footage forthcoming...
John D: Thank you for the stitches & camera gear!
Ballroom John: Thank you for sharing your steps with us!
Rick: Thank you for being behind the board!
Jackson & Oleg: You are the finest of mancessories - thank you for your help!
Team HoneyLove: You are so wondrous - thank you for being there!
Sara Corwin: You are my sugarplum queen! THANK YOU for your time & talent. Everyone --> Sara snapped photobooth pics all evening and they turned out so darn cute! And she even edited the next day so I could get them online right away. Check them out here:

PHOTO BOOTH PICS (by Sara Corwin Photography)
EVENT PHOTOS (by Phil Cruz)
CANDID PHOTOS (various sources)

And finally, thank you to everyone who invited people, shared the event info, attended, or listened. You made me realize how much I deeply adore doing this. I'm officially hankering to get this traveling circus on the road.

I'll have the Pure Honey EP on iTunes soon and will be donating $1 from each full album download to HoneyLove.org through the end of April! I'll need your help spreading the pollen!

Yellow & Black For Always,
L*











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My sugary mama wrote this about me today. Isn't she precious??

You are my baby from before you were known
The idea of you danced in my head to silent music
and then you were real
truly heaven sent
Sparkling sapphire eyes shine with feisty laughter
Running, jumping, tumbling perpetual motion machine
then a hug and kiss
a quick I love you
And off again to fly to your own spritely rhythm
You precious child of mine.
 
Mama

I rec'd this message from an old friend in Oregon, after he read that I was struggling a bit. I love his words. :)

*********Pixie Princess***************************************************

Sitting down to write this particular post makes me wish I would have kept a journal during the writing/recording process! Someone remind me to do that next time. For reals.

I started making the Pure Honey EP about 13 months ago. I had just cut all of my hair off on a whim and was fresh out the tattoo parlor with my first ink spot. Clearly this was the right time to make a record.

Most often, the biggest challenge with making an independent CD is funding it. I knew we'd be able to cover some, but not all of the costs ourselves, so I created a Kickstarter Campaign to get the project off the ground. 43 gracious souls donated to give my songs wings, and to them, I am overwhelmingly grateful.



THE NAME
I found a vintage sign at the Nashville Flea Market in 2010. I was immediately drawn to it and was told it was from an old fruit stand in Alabama. It wasn't until I had mixed together this particular batch of songs that I realized it was the perfect title for the EP. The overall musical theme is very sugary, and the instrumentation is quite au naturel. Sweet & Natural, like Pure Honey.

THE SONGS
Allow me to give a shout out to each individual track! Mommy loves them all equally. That's a lie, but I'm proud of each of them for different reasons.

1. Good Evening To My Lucky Star (L.Everly)
I started writing this on ukulele; one of my very first uke songs. The idea arrived one evening while I was staring out the 10th floor window from our downtown Nashville apartment. It was one of those here's-the-words-and-the-melody gift from the stars kind of moments, where it just flowed without effort. I had been having some emotional turmoil and insomnia around that time and I needed to write something as a gentle cry out. This is about as dark as a Lyric Everly song gets. haha. I remember the day we recorded my vocals, because I'd had a good cry that afternoon. Later on, we turned out all of the studio lights so I could have a private conversation with the night sky.

2. Twirl (L.Everly/C.Miner)
Most artists tend to gravitate toward negative emotions to inspire their writing. I find the opposite to *generally* be true for me. When I'm feeling giddy and joyous, the ideas flutter about. When I'm sad or upset, I typically feel locked down. This song, Twirl, is a perfect example of the girly happiness I tap into often. The concept came to me Winter 2010, sitting at The Frothy Monkey coffee shop in Nashville. I was sipping on the most delightful soy chai, all cozy warm with my laptop, when snow flurries were sent from heaven. It was so pretty and magical that I exclaimed, "This makes me want to twirl!".

3. Day Of Sunshine (L.Everly)
I remember writing this one, thinking about cheering up a friend when they're having a bad day. Trying to bring out the bright side for them when they can't see it for themselves. The melody, phrasing, and production changed quite a bit on this one over time. I'm also pleased that I managed to mention vegetable stew in a song. Shooting for beet salad on the next one.

4. Streetlighting (L.Everly)
This is one of my personal favorite songs I've written. Writing it was like envisioning a short film about lovers in Paris. When my fingers took it to the keyboard, I was feeling very out of place in Tennessee and I think this song helped me escape. It's kind of my anti-out-in-the-boondocks song. I feel so much romance and allurement in a bustling city scene.

5. Sugar Lips (L.Everly)
I honestly didn't think much of this song when I wrote it and didn't even write the 3rd verse until the day before I had to record it! I'm really glad Carl encouraged me to record it, though, because it turned out so darn cutesy; all one minute and fifty five seconds.

6. Spoon (L.Everly)
This is one of those ditties I've been carrying in my back pocket for YEARS now and just never got around to recording. You'll probably pick up on the dated message of the "hanging chad" in the first verse. I wrote this one when I lived in Austin, Texas. The line "You are the handsomest boy in a crowd, who swept me away on a dreamboat to Popsicletown" is usually a crowd-pleaser.

7. Leading Man Among Men (L.Everly)
This one. I hope to recreate the ease and satisfaction of bringing this song to life with future songs. I had the idea for it and then wrote it all in one afternoon at my vintage upright piano still in Nashville. I took my iPhone voice memo of it to a little studio in Berry Hill where I met Jimmy Nichols (Faith Hill's longtime band leader). I explained that it would be the one piano ballad on my album. He listened once and said "THAT is the one...that's the song". He laid down the most gorgeously elegant grand piano track for me and then counseled me on life, all in a half hour! Not long after that, I got a wild hair to move to LA, so this ended up being the very last vocal track I recorded for this EP. In the studio, I sang through it a few times, then had that one magic take. Only a couple of phrases were swapped out, the rest is live. The first person to receive the full collection of finished songs sent me a message saying "For some reason, I skipped to 'Leading Man' - beautiful".

***

I'll post again soon about the musicians and crew featured on the recordings, the artwork, and the EP Release Party details! Oh and you'll all get to hear the tunes soon! xoxo! L*

"The artist is the medium between his fantasies and the rest of the world." -Fredrico Fellini

I've been wanting to write this particular blog post since the notably enlightened Mr. Norman Buckley posted quotes from Federico Fellini on January 20th, Fellini's birthday.



Fellini was an Italian Film Director & Screenwriter, widely revered as one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century, winning five Academy Awards during his 40+ year career. Those of you who know me, know that I'm not terribly well versed in cinema, so it's no surprise that I haven't personally seen any of Mr. Fellini's films, though I'm certain I've been missing out.

Whenever I read a Wikipedia article, my favorite sections are about people's personal lives. Their love stories & scandals, tragedies & triumphs. So as I read through Federico's tale, I also opened up the article about his bride, Giulietta Masina.

There, in the second paragraph, it says "She was the wife and muse of the Italian film director, Federico Fellini".

His muse. Stated as a historical fact.

This is incredibly beautiful to me. And not just a compliment to Ms. Masina, but also to the Man who chose to see her as such. His eyes should be kissed by the angels.

In Greek mythology, The Muses are goddesses who inspire the creation of literature, science, and art. You can see how they'd come in handy to someone in pursuit of creative vocation!

I think that young girls need muses as well. Women to look up to who really have their sh*t together.

For me, it was first my magnificent mother in a white cotton, 1950's inspired dress with a bright flower on one side of the rustling A-line skirt. She donned this particular frock at church quite often and I remember the way she WORE that dress. It did not wear her. Taupe high heels and hot roller curls. She was tops.



But as far as I know, mama was never told she was a muse. And over time, she lost that special sparkle my little girl eyes could see so clearly. Mind you, she never ACTUALLY lost it, she just doesn't realize it's still there. That's what happens when a woman doesn't see her radiance reflected back by her lover.

As I made the essential exodus from girl to young woman, I began to take in the muses of pop culture. It was the spirited smile of (don't laugh) Jennifer Lopez in Selena. The feisty quirkiness of Sandra Bullock in Speed. The grace and elegance of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. And don't think the sweetness and charm of the Disney Princesses went unnoticed. There were many others, but those came to mind tonight.

The other day, I was driving in Marina del Rey when I had a notion. So, like I often do, I tweeted it at a stoplight. Twitter has become a storage facility for my random thoughts.

I said, "Certain people are motivation. Others are inspiration. There is a difference."

In music terms, having a reason to write a song is one thing, getting it recorded & released is another. My artistic friends will understand this.

What I should have added in my 140 character allotment is that you have been blessed and elevated above most if you discover both of these attributes in one person.

May we all meet our Muse.

***

"I will stop downplaying my abilities."

That was my New Year's Resolution this year. I wrote it on a chalkboard wall next to the 2012 wishes of my nearest ladyfriends. A month previous, I started keeping a fortune on my keyboard that says "Honor yourself and others will honor you".

You see, I have a messy internal struggle with ambition. While I'm quite confident that I have more moxie in my apron pocket than most people could carry in ten grocery bags, I have a hard time laying out on the table what I keep tucked away. Music and otherwise.

This tends to be an issue because in order to manifest things into reality, I believe you must first declare them openly. There is power in allowing your heart to have a voice. You should use the Neumann.

As artists, we crave confirmation. It's incredibly unfortunate. ha. But we have no career without an audience. Every Like, Follow, Share, Applause, and Kind Word motivates and validates.

Odds are, at this point, I'll get a way bigger reaction from posting a photo of my kitten ring than from posting something musically handmade. And that's okay. I completely understand the psychology behind it and it only makes me want to work harder to create something equally as charming and unique. It will happen.

In an effort to draw my desires out into the open, here are some of my goals for twenty twelve:

1. Finish & release my Pure Honey EP
2. Form the Lyric Everly Orchestra (8 piece band with hip string section)
3. Secure a magical manager and an accomplished booking agent
4. Get over 1000 Facebook Fans & Twitter Followers
5. Sing and/or write the official theme song for a Disney movie (life goal)
6. Sing the hook on a rap song
7. Create a greeting card line, designed and copywritten myself
8. Write my modern fairytale, "Where Golden Hearts Glow"
9. Learn to play a celtic harp
10. Learn to tap dance

Easy enough, right? :) Thank you for reading this. No one wants to stage their paintings on the ocean floor. I would love to hear about your ambitions, too. Let's not keep them underwater!

xo.
L*

#nowplaying while blogging:
"One Day You'll Dance For Me, New York City" by Thomas Dybdahl
"Silver Tomb For The Kingfisher" by Jay Clifford

Oh boy, here we go. I haven't blogged regularly since 2009 and I miss it like mad. To me, writing is the magic elixir for all the ailments of life. It somehow makes sense out of nonsense and becomes the teacher to the student of thought. It helps me sort out the confusion of my heart's desires and discover the missed intricacies of this life that moves on down the line faster than a steam locomotive.

Whoa. Someone should alert Lilith Fair 1998 about that last paragraph. I apologize for all of the unbridled GIRL POWER you just witnessed.

So...yeah. I'll be writing here often. Stop by for vegan cookies.

(For my simpler thoughts, follow me on Twitter)