Recently I wondered...

What would happen if, instead of getting amped when something stressful came into my life, I simply let it roll off my back?

Then a series of interesting things occurred.

First, I came across Cyndi Lauper's book Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir. It's truly amazing what she went through in order to reach success as a musician. In the 80s, the music industry was dominated by men and Cyndi's creative drive was often ignored, laughed at, or battled over. Still, she kept on rolling.

Next, a few stressful somethings came up and I got amped. And stayed amped. I wasn't rolling with it. At all.

Finally though, I remembered how I wanted to try something new in the face of stress and I took a breath. And then another. I focused on things that made me feel good. I looked for the bright side. I laughed. And then...

Inspiring and helpful discoveries and people began to appear. Nothing big or major. Just subtle niceties and smile-worthy moments. And lots more laughable situations. I revolved away from frustration and back toward my creative endeavors. Over and over.

The funny thing about trying to change is that it can be, well, trying, to change. Small turns feel insignificant and some days it's hard to notice that amusement and joy are laced through almost every experience. It helps to joke with friends. It helps to have fun. Which made me laugh...

Isn't that what Cyndi was always trying to tell us? Girls just want to have fun. But she was also saying something else.

About equality. About expressing ideas. About judgment and inclusion and the notion of having friends and family accept us for who we really are. And about claiming and using personal power. All of it kinda serious stuff. 

And there it is. The rotation between the lighter side of living and the heavier, stressful side, where we face tough situations or people that challenge our ultimate goals. Or our true self. And in these worrisome moments the advice to "just roll with the changes" can feel wrong. Weak. Condescending. So, for me, I realized rating the threat level of an unwelcome situation (or person) is a must. If the threat to my true, lightest self and creative goals is high, I dig in and defend. But if it's low or silly or trivial, why bother? I need that energy to keep things rollin' along.

Roll: mixed media, 2015. Using a reproduction of a magazine clipping as a base, I acrylic-ed over the images to recreate a portrait of the stars of the movie Whip It. The image was then collaged onto a watercolor, hand-lettered, and glazed.