Miles & Mistakes

Dolls,

I can honestly say there is not an artist on the planet I love more than Miles Davis.
Composer, painter, musician, visionary and coolest-cat-on-the-planet.
I know you may be surprised to hear this from me, as I'm so forth-coming with my love of all things reggae, hip-hop and R&B.

Not to mention my idol worship of the Queen of the World, Madonna (Oh shush!)

But it's true.
Miles' speaks to me through that trumpet more than anyone.
The funny thing is, I know very little about his life.  I don't have to.
Or do I?

I recently read a review of HBO's upcoming new show "Girls."
Creator Lena Dunham, a 25-year-old writer and director has all the TV critics abuzz.
She's writing, directing and starring in a new show that promises to revolutionize TV.

While I WILL watch, (I want to support a young woman in her creative efforts) - it's the shows tag line that really caught my attention:
"Living the Dream, one Mistake at a time" 
Classic.  (And funny!)

There is a famous quote attributed to my beloved Miles that immediately came to mind when I read that:  "Do not fear mistakes, there are none"
I have searched EVERYWHERE to find out more details and context Mr. Davis was speaking in, but  have found none.

While I can forgive ANY mistakes Miles may have made musically - I'm not one of his three ex-wives, children, or people that he pissed off.
(In researching the origin of his quote, I noticed that there have already been several blogs written about this very topic.  Which I'll read once I'm finished putting this one together)

My friend April and I have been using Miles' phrase as a way of encouraging each other in our artist pursuits for years now.
But is there REALLY no such thing as a mistake?
And how will we know?

My BFF and I were just texting about the past and not being able to get those years back...sigh.
Oh to hell with it!
Who wants to live in regret anyway?

Miles has another gem that makes me happy to be alive:
"I'm always thinking about creating.  My future starts when I wake up every morning...Everyday I find something creative to do with my life."
Delicious isn't it?

Whether or not "Girls" goes on to become a television hit doesn't really matter does it?
The point is, it's creator seems to have been living her life this way for quite some time now.
And it's nice to see hard work (and play) pay off.

Onward and upward darlings...
Till next week,
-xo-

For me, music and life are all about style.

~ Miles Davis

The Party's Over.

Well Darlings,
While my last post was a look-back at the past, this one is very much rooted in the present.

It's here.
The most anti-climactic month of the year - January.
No more cookies, no more parties, no more cards.
No more crowds.
Just the hangover from it all.

Growing up in Canada, January is a BRUTAL month weather-wise.
Spring feels like miles away, as the temps drop lower and lower.
My friend C and I fondly coined the phrase "Jan in Can" while emailing one day, just to cheer each other up.

I am deep in the the throws of this melancholy, lifted only by the fact that 2011 is over.

While I evaluate where I am and where I'm going for the new year, a part of me still wants to say "Merry Christmas."
Or at least capture the feeling that comes along with saying it.

Don't get me wrong, 2012 is the "year of fun" as promised.
I'm already laughing more.
And for the life of me - I cannot keep up with the many emails thanks to an online dating site I just joined.
This should be good.

More next week.....

In my heart the fire's burnin'
Choose my color find a star
Precious people always tell me
That's a step, a step too far

~ Culture Club