Saturday, July 28, 2012

Uncovering my roots.

In a sense you could say I am the chosen one because as the dance continues the music being played requires me to be very attentive to the rhythm so I can follow the steps into the light and uncover my roots. I believe I am the one willing to heal the past and unload the weight of it. Is it my calling? Is that what I came to Austin to do? It is and this week it became clear. I have been helping my sister out at her flower shop but I haven't really been working here. Yes and no, which is something that could only make sense to me. Just like miyagi's wax on wax off proved a great fighting skill for when the time arrived so shall this. It has been made clear to me the depth of the work I came to do here and out of respect for those I love I will not disclose details. All I will say is there is mending that has to take place with two young women who were raised to compete. Unwillingly. Never wanted to. There are severe consequences to constantly being compared to someone, which caused a distance greater than the states that used to separate us. The mending has just begun and a long journey lies ahead but love will prevail. This I sensed as I drove across state lines and could feel the weight slowly start to dissapate and continued to do so as I wax on and wax off to the rhythm of the music orchestrated by God and the universe. ;-) What I never knew was that I was coming to Austin to discover where I come from. I know the facts. I was born in Brownsville, never been, as we left to Monterrey Mexico where my birth father is from shortly after and then was raised in El Paso. On my own I left to study fine arts at fifteen in Monterrey, at seventeen in Mexico City and finally spread my wings wide and headed out west far from it all when I was nineteen. I had been raised in the arts with an uncle who always ran cultural institues in different cities which allowed me to grow up around writes like Carlos Fuentes and painters like Jose Luis Cuevas. My uncle himself is a published poet. My mom was a ballet dancer at Bellas Artes in Mexico City but as the oldest of her siblings was forced to leave her passion to raise them. As life unfolded she became a florist and interior decorator following in her mother's footsteps. Her sister was a model who had traveled the world and an actor whose time acting was mostly spent in Mexico City in the same place I would study years later and make my television debut. By all acounts this would help me understand why poetry steals my heart and longs to be written, why acting felt like I had been doing it my whole life the first time I performed as Snow White in my elemetary classroom play and why I have kicked my leg to the top of my head as far as I can remember while always being drawn to move when music comes on. Any kind of music. It is in my blood would always be my response. My mother's side. By all acoounts I could never imagined it was something I longed to do, all of it, consistently whether paid or not because not only did it speak to my soul, but suprisingly because it's in father's family as well. I don't know my grandparents or aunts and uncles etc. Barely knew my father so how could I know them. Till this day I am the only one in my family who acknowledges him as my father and acknowledges his passing. I have my reasons for doing so and my family has their reasons for doing as they wish. Neither one of us right or wrong just on different journeys. A journey which led me home to Austin as I mentioned earlier to heal a very damaged, strained relationship and unbeknownst to me to discover where I came from. Here I met friends of the family and found out one of them was my father's nephew. I remember thinking my birth father? I felt an instant connection and a desire to know more from people who actually knew him. It turns out him and his wife were as drawn to me as I was to them. Last week we sat and chatted for four hours straight and clarity hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn't just come home to heal one relationship. I came to heal so many. It is said in certain traditions that one family member is chosen to heal the past of the family so that love can enter and replace the weight of all that is being carried. As we spoke about that it made complete sense to me but something that made a lot of sense as well was my longing to continue to folow my heART no matter where life guides me to. To never stop dancing, literally. Or acting or producing or being out spoken about my connection to God and the universe no matter who that disspells from my life. As it turns out I come from a long line of artists on my dad's side too! They spoke of the bohemian cousin who was a lawyer by day, one of the most respected in Monterrey, but by a night an afficionado of the guitar, which led him to playing for days straight. Then came the story that shed light on why I continue to dance. Why without dance I feel like mother nature without rain or seasons or air. A man by the name of Xavier Garza Galindo.
I knew of my mother and her passion for it which led to me starting classes at three years old. I am so beyond grateful for that. However it was amazing to discover that the beat goes on because of a man who danced in NY and Chicago, LA and had his own dance academy in Monterrey for nine years where my dad's nephew's wife was his student. The beauty undfolded before my eyes and I can tell this is just the beginning and that this will not only help me, whoever in my family is open to it but most of all me and my future family. My husband and children and the fanmily we create together on God's time will indeed greatly benefit from all this healing as well and it is in tha knowledge that I came to understand the profoundness of these words, "Hold on to me as we go as we roll down this unfamiliar road. And although this wave is stringing us along. Just know you’re not alone cause I’m going to make this place your home. Settle down, it'll all be clear. Don't pay no mind to the demons. They fill you with fear. The trouble it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found." HOME! I AM FOUND! I AM HOME! I AM YOU! Lets let the weight that may sometimes string us along be the waters that carry us home. ;-)

Monday, July 16, 2012

God and the universe this $150 dance is for you!

Before I give you the wrong idea let me just say I am not declaring to God and the universe that they can have my $150 from my pole dancing. All of our journeys are different and all require respect because none of us walk in the shoes of other therefore can't afford to know why certain decisions are made however this $150 dance is more of a dance of instruction and guidance. Meaning it was directed by God and instructed through signs delivered by the universe. By the time I made it home for Christmas in 2011 I had done as Mr. Rothman requested when he issued me a thirty day notice to vacate by December 21, 2011. Merry Christmas! At this point I had also had a Happy F You bday Adriana from my latest commercial gig as I was let go and replaced since the client changed their mind. The odds of that are one in a million but so are the odds of winning a car. Get my drift? Having had both things happen to me, Yes I've also won a car, (On merit as Damion likes to remind people), I knew where this was leading. I've been aware of the signs and following their guidance long enough to know what was happening. I wasn't thrilled about the all in one year factor but I kept my faith that as much as was being taken all at once so would I receive, as so much space had been cleared. My father and Neil aside. So when Crystal Pouriad at Seattles Best on Ventura Blvd. asked me "if I believed in God?" as I ordered a cup of coffee I knew something was up. When my phone rang as I cried in the shower at my parent's house not asking but begging for mercy and forgiveness as the darkness was preying on my weakness and it was Crystal on the other end, yet again I knew something was unfolding. It all became clear when emails where exchanged by a woman who wishes to remain anonymous. I will call her Cardiff by the Sea because you see when I wanted anonymity to go heal and finish my book I spoke to her about renting her Cardiff by the sea apartment. Sadly she couldn't do just one month but she gave me more than she imagined or perhaps her rental could have. When I explained why I could only do a month she felt the connection and shared her loss. A sister, hit with cancer twice in one year and concluded I had been truly tossed about by the universe. It was then that it all became clear. Two angels had shared similar loss. The news had covered plenty of loss since the economy collapsed. Ondrea had also lost her home of ten years when I lost mine of eleven. People are dying everyday, loss. Concluding that change is the ONLY CONSTANT, and taxes as Avenue Q reminds us , I set out to buy the best camera $150 could afford. In a sense I was fearless because at this point I had nothing to loose! Being able to see my dad someday after twenty-six years of not seeing him, gone. Dream over. Being able to see Neil work his magic on raising precious Millie, being a loving husband and make a digital movie look like film, making it win a 6000 entry international film competition but in a different more brighter way, gone. Dream over! Laying my head in my room, changing in my dressing area, working in my home office, dancing on the couch with Zoey to Katy Perry or Taylor Swift, gone! Dream over as eleven years of memories and 1,200 sq ft. became living our of my car. I saw two years worth of work on my latest production gone overnight because I couldn't agree to extension terms or being bullied. I was called a fraud, liar and many other names all after saying one word, NO. I stand by what I said in defense of myself because yes I have learned how to take care of me and my team. So while this dream ended I had a hand in this dream being over and I would do it again. Most of all I had trust that God knew there was reason to its end and it would reveal itself in time as it has. Loosing my home, commercial and film all in one month was just as it was meant to be. It became apparent in final negotiations of film option, that God shun a light on the darkness to reveal things I had to see. That clarity made it possible to decipher Crystal and Cardiff by the sea as they entered my life. They gave me the courage to do one of the most brave things I have ever done, not give a fuck. Please truly pardon my French Monseuir and Mademoiselle but when the storm hits like it did in my life and you are left in the aftermath like I was, the last thing on my mind was to play by filmmaking rules. $150 bought me the Nikon L105 and life was gifting me the art. I would have to rely on Mother Nature for lighting as well as set decorations. God would do the directing and this time there would be no acting from me. Simply living life on its terms and trusting with all my heart COME WHAT MAY that I was following the signs. Which allowed me to pick up the camera and DP aka be my own director of photography. In simplest terms camera woman for the first time. A camera I handed to whoever was present when possible. While I avoided telling most what I was doing so no one would act for the camera of those that did know some were quick to tell me how I was missing important elements to filmmaking and could not do it without them forgetting there is no amount of heart equipment or film school can gift you greater than what's already in me. All I had to do was summon the courage to reveal my heart and passion. Remembering that the you can't do it usually means I can't so I will tell you can't either and we will live in the world of someday when we can together. A companionship I do not wish to be afforded so I continued channelling God, remembering the words of Cotter after seeing my first production, The Art of Being, "Well done. I implore you to carry on and see where this takes you." Most of all I continued summoning the courage to decipher and follow the signs. I made a conscious decision to dance through the storm instead of waiting for it to pass because I held a deep understanding in my God compass aka gut that this was not just a dance for me. It was for all of us, for humanity. Loss is a part of life that is usually lived in company of the darkness aka lucifer, negative energy etc. but more than anything it is something all of us WILL experience unlike fame and riches, which society has chosen to place high above all and value the most. I danced, literally, for ME and YOU. I left all worries behind trusting that it was up to me to show that yes I lost but that the only true way to loosing overall would be to not get up and dance, to give up on life. Trust me on a lot of days, like when I was living out of my car and my tire popped on the 101, giving up seemed like the obvious but because I didn't I can now hand over to my greatest teacher my homework assignmment. God and the universe, here it is! I hope you are proud but most of all I hope together we can shine a light on loss and healing. I am beyond humbled that you would truust me to such an extent to carry out the assignment. This $150 dance is yours and miracle is ours! Let the magic of the healing begin! Your most humbled daughter, Adri

"And She Danced, Life after loss" Documentary Trailer from Adriana Garza on Vimeo.

P.S. more can be found at www.facebook.com/adrianagarzaproductions
but here's a taste of the journey. Love at first sight. Borrowing words from a friend. I see you! I know you. I am you. I love you! More magic! My vision on my journal dated January 6, 2012 An accidental outcome. We were shooting one of me doing the splitz in the air that day to be the artwork for the doc and during a dance break I handed my Denise, who was photographing, my iphone and spread my wings. I guess God and the universe had another idea for the artwork. Exceeded my expectation like things do when I leave them in their hands. Once we saw what happened I handed it over to Jonathan Sanhueza for his magical touch. So thanks to Steve Jobs, his invention, Jonathan and of course Mother Nature and God and the universe I have the final artwork. The dream from the pages of my journal has come to life. So the dance continues....

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Here comes a fighter.

By society's standards I should or could have amounted to nothing. A Latina raised by a single mother in a country that was not my Mother's with a father who left when I was seven and no college education. If I played by the rules society affords me I might as well have thrown in the towel the day I saw my father leave in his station wagon. But it's those very moments that can define us in the best of ways. I may not have had the easiest of lives but what would I know of my most powerful always present companions, God and the universe, had everything always gone right. I woke up contemplating this because I am still dancing through the tail end of the storm seeing where this tornado is leading once it fully decides to stop. Even once it does life with all it's beauty will still happen on its terms. I choose life because it chooses me. Everyday that I wake up and take my first breath there is wow factor to it for me. I'm here!! It's a miracle. To me it is and if you had walked in my shoes you 'd understand but let's just say Neil waking up as I see death now and transitioning into existence on another realm impacts my view. Somedays I am exhausted like I was last night. It happens when the signs aren't ready to reveal their meaning and I try to decipher them before it's time. So basically when I try to rush the magic. I won't lie. I'm tired! But in all honesty I'm done being so and my conviction solely but surely returned. It was a road you'll see in my documentary because while 2011 may have been the straw that broke LA's back and detoured me to Austin a lot had to happen for me to be ready. Years of preparation. In those years I had to keep up a good fight. I had to know what only I could know because God and the universe where whispering to only me. I am not the labels given to me by society based on my circumstances, which are out my control. I am indeed who I choose to become not in spite of those circumstances but because of them. I choose the labels as I define me and will always keep up a good fight and redefine all that has been defined for me. Even if that means that I have to surround my most beloved bound by blood journey companion who is now closer in distance with love to help dis spell their fear of their supposed journey of demise I am on. It surely hurts when darkness prevails in those you love the most and comes after you, but like I told it, you WILL NOT take them or me down on my watch. Thank you light for showing yourself to counter attack in Ruben's words. I second all he said. "AND THE TYPE OF ARMOR THAT WILL NEVER TAKE DEFEAT AS COMPROMISE. RETREAT, MAYBE BUT, ONLY TO GATHER YOURSELF UP FOR A BIG CHARGE INTO THE BREACH. WE LOVE YOU." I'm back because I was reminded to breathe and then rescued which in the process led to me growing stronger and in the end I became a fighter once more. Do you know why I will succeed darkness? God and the universe know what your ego fails to allow you to see. My fight is not solely for me. It's for humanity as we are all bound by ties that existence gifts us and the biggest one is the light. But I'm preaching to the choir. You already know, after all this isn't the first time you loose. If that means everyday I have to blast this song on my walks to remind you darkness and me than so be it as its words could not be more true. I am coming back because I am ready to reveal the gifts of my circumstances and be the label I choose to be, a loving fighter most of all child of God and the universe. That title carries enough brightness to brighten even the darkest of souls. Shame on you for preying on the weak. Pick on someone your own size. Yes I see you and I am no longer scared of you. Dear reader, I am the chosen one which means so are you. Let's keep up the fight for eachother! See you on the battlefield aka this precious gift called life! This fighter has brought to life these words "Give em hell, turn their heads. Gonna live life 'til we're dead. Give me scars, give me pain. Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me there goes the fighter, there goes the fighter. Here comes the fighter. That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me, THIS ONE'S A FIGHTER." P.S. (c) Cheryl Richardson

Monday, July 2, 2012

I'm not here to entertain fear I am here to shine a light....

Therefore now when I think of you I am not sad. I smile and think of when it was brighter than the sun and I am grateful I got to know what that is like. When I think of the past I am grateful for it gifted me the present. When I miss my LA family I find solace in gratitude for them as their friendship gave birth to my being able to endure 2011 which ultimately birthed, "And She Danced, Life after loss." When I think of the darkness I am grateful as it reminds me of the importance of the light and what it gifts me when I look past its temporary visit. What didn't kill me made me stronger and because I am here to shine light as of this very moment I can no longer be your host and entertain you. Dearest Fear I won't let you linger. I have my wings again, my conviction is back and to you I say see you in the battlefield I'll be the one shinning brightly from within! Thanks for reminding me just how far away from you I must be in order to shine brighter than the sun. My only wish is others like me can find the strength to not host or entertain you as life is brighther than you make it appear but things aren't always what they seem. I'm back and it's almost time. I can genuinely feel it and for that I AM GRATEFUL because who am I to tell fate where its supposed to go. All I simply do is navigate the winds of change and this change, oh my, this change is birthing magic! This blog was inspired by the picture above taken at Town Lake in Austin, July 2, 2012.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The lessons of leaving.

Swimming against the current is a fine thing in my book considering I hold Thomas Jefferson's words in my heart, "In matters of style swim with the current. In matters of principle stand like a rock." I abide by them except in matters of style I stand like a rock as well rooted in individuality, which allows me to express my art of being girlie. In a phone conversation last night a lot of light was shed on my swimming. A dear friend also left Los Angeles ten years before I did. We discussed the freedom that came with leaving behind the dense energy of the city. Being that we are both born and raised Texas girls the energy combined with our natural energy was a tough combo. It is a BEAUTIFUL city with so much to offer but in my experience rooted in superficiality turning truly talented people into people who question their God given talents and sell their individuality for a chance at stardom. We discussed how I had managed to live my way into my late twenties letting go of the tight grip the city's rules/energy had once held on this growing twenty something. How I had learned to swim against the current not fearing but embracing going in the opposite direction. Something I loved to do but, which 2011 proved to be a difficult task as that year I did not swim against the current, I swam against high tides desperately coming up for air whenever I could. What I learned was that sometimes life will take everything from you to get your attention. I thought I had let go, surrendered and was open to the possibilities. That wasn't the case. At least not to the level God and the universe needed me to be or life as I knew it would not had been stripped from me little by little and enough to get my attention. I embraced each detour as it came remaining hopeful that magic was on its way yet again learning that the arrival of it is on God's time. As I get ready to celebrate my mom's Suprise 70th birthday party, which she thinks is my sister's engagement party, I smile because I could have never imagined this. That I'd be here with all my siblings celebrating her. I am stubborn so I refused to leave LA as a bitter divorcee without a settlement, my residuals. But after my Microsoft avail n(being on hold for commercial) did not turn into a booking and two intense weeks followed it I could see clearly what God wanted from me. I guess the Texas plates I saw all over LA where a sign too. ;-) So here I am in Austin living a simple life. A life rooted in individuality in a city that encourages not only that but for you to help keep it weird. I knew I wanted to end up here someday but I never dreamt so soon or under the circumstances, which I came here. Ones you'll see soon as my documentary's trailer is finished and will be up online soon. And ones I wouldn't wish upon anyone and yet I am grateful for them as they were just what I needed in order to get it. Sometimes life will give more than we think we can handle yet I think Mother Teresa said it best, "I know God doesn't give me anything I can't handle I just wish he didn't trust me so much." For me it's I wish it didn't trust me so much as I think assigning this mysterious powerful source in the vast unknown of the universe would limit my thinking. ;-) So in leaving LA so many lessons came as you will soon see for yourself soon but most of all yet again a bond grew. The bond with God, the universe and all the magic of the unseen grew as I drove past Arizona, New Mexico and breathed my way into Texas. Breaths that became effortless! In leaving I learned that swimming against the current and knowing how to can definitely come in handy but swimming in high tides, barely breathing and hoping not to drown can truly affect your health. I've learned that in being able to barely breathe I found appreciation for my breath, its importance and what matters most is what I think of me not what others think of me or my circumstances. In leaving I learned that letting go is the path to magic only God and the universe will provide, once again, on their time. After all for me magic just like pain is a choice that can be-li(e)ved in over and over again. The choice to surrender and follow the signs is yours! I'll try to remember as best as I can that " Life is a journey not a destination, there are no mistakes, just chances we take." I took a chance on leaving!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The gifts of humility.

I have been fortunate enough to have lived the kind of life whose experiences have allowed me to see both ends of the spectrum. I have lived in the huge three story home growing up and I lived in the trailer home growing up. I have friends who bus dishes for a living and friends who never have to pick up their own dishes. I have been surrounded by people whose fame effects their life the bare minimum and people who would feel they were worth nothing without fame. I myself have set up the cords, taped them down on stages and learned to run sound and lighting boards so that my play, The Art of Being, could reach audiences. I have catered for the cast, carried all our product and props for the play from El Paso to Chicago to San Antonio and back to Los Angeles. Due to my willingness to not be the label of the job and just do it I have also sat at Carnegie Hall in NYC with Sandra Bullock, David Bowie, Iman, Barbara Walters and Catherine Zeta Jones present as the President of GLAMOUR Magazine announced to everyone that evening at the Women of the Year Awards that this little girl from El Paso was the winner of the Toyota Moving Forward Award. After I returned to the task of no job is too big or too small and produced my first short film which led to the Rome Film Festival. Then I continued on to Bear Fruit wearing all hats once again and that journey led to my move to Austin and my continued growth. It's detour path has as usual led me to a life better than I dreamt or was living. Between you and me that coarse gray hair that stood up on head and made me look like alfafa has not resurfaced since my move to Austin. So following the signs is also helping my health. In my industry in front and behind the camera the ratio of jobs to people seeking them is small so I must remain open at all times to putting that gaffer tape down and open to those experiences leading to the magic only humility can bring. In being able to be both the actor portraying the character or the producer, crew etc. I am afforded the ability to not only learn birth the gifts of humility. I often have people say to me that I am lucky because of some of my accomplishments or people I know etc. and while I may just smile I do not believe in luck. To me if there is such a thing I make it by being able to follow the path the signs lead me on, having an open heart and being humble about what God and the universe ask of me in order to grow in this existence. One of the greatest gifts ever came from my first production and having to wear all and I mean all hats. Ask anyone who knew me then just how thin I got and tired I was from lack of sleep. After that I experience I walked onto every million dollar set with a new found appreciation for every person there having done their job on my extremely low budget productions, which allowed to truly understand the importance of team work. This weekend I was part of the production team that Univision brought together to be able to give birth to the bilingual music festival H2O. It was a experience that I have no doubt all my past experiences allowed me to not only endure but to face with absolute humility choosing to see yet again that no job is too small or too big. If a runner wasn't around to help I had no problem carrying crates, poles etc. all so that the people paying their savings, weekly paycheck etc. could get what they came for. In my view a day of music they found solace in which they were willing to spend their hard earned money on. I was getting paid well so there was no reason for me to not do my job and then some. I chose to be a part of that extraordinary team because of what I saw the event did. It brought all those artists together to feed people's souls through their music and afford them solace and to unite humanity through one the most beautiful artforms, music. Not everyone there shared my view on humility and while it broke my heart I understand that we are all on different journies with different lessons to be learned. As for me my view has given me the privilege to be part of the team that brings H2O to Los Angeles, which made me realize even more how blessed I am as my dream of being based in Austin and travel for work has become my reality. While my career in production grows beyond indie I will always hold true to my roots and the gifts it gave me. Always finding a way to put out into the world, passion and love. So don't worry my documentary will see the light of day. As a matter of fact by July latest the trailer for, "And She Danced, life after loss", will hit the internet. For now and as usual I am truly humbled by God and the universe's magic and their willingness to continue to trust me as I do them. May the unseen guide your heart to your passion and along the way may you find yourself in the eyes of another as you humbly walk this existence knowing we all come from the same place and will go to the same place when we wake up. Whatever this dream is truly about, this man made social ladder will not define it for me and therefore I intend to LIVE all kinds of experiences. See you on the path, as a good friend once told me. May humility allow me to see myself in your eyes and may we see the gifts of our paths crossing! May we grow in LOVE together for a beautiful TODAY! To all the extraordinary hundreds of people who made H2O possible, I bow to you! And everyone working hard for a better today. To everyone I met I am honored to know you. See you in LA!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Being present in a mid life realization.

In 2008 I started making a plan to move to Austin. I had come three times that year to visit. I fell in love more and more each visit. It is known for being weird yet I consider it a unique town with the ability to possess a growing entertainment industry but not a growing overload of billboards telling you who to be, what to watch and basically pushing you into their idea of you. On the contrary this city possesses the ability to support individuality in many art forms from music to dance to theatre and of course film.  My plan began in the pages of my journal in 2008 as I sat at Flipnotics contemplating the loss of a relationship and the gaining of self love. At the time my boyfriend broke up with stating reasons that were all I loved about myself therefore leading me down a path of self love. Something that till this day I thank him for. A path which led to coming to Austin and sitting in the corner of my sister's apartment starring out the window at trees while reading "The Witch of Portobello" followed by taking my journal and walking to Flipnotics down the street. In case you don't frequent my blog the journey of reading that novel led to me adapting it, producing a short film I starred in based on it and premiering it at the Rome Film Festival. Proving to me that every detour has a purpose no matter how dark the road en route. So when 2011 kept constantly detouring me I knew God and the universe were up to something magical that wouldn't necessarily top all I had lived but would continue to help me grow in faith and in awe of what is born of being able to navigate the darkness. A darkness that came as quick as it left. Just as I would feel the sunlight on my face again lighting the way it would disappear. First Neil transitioned, then my father, then my agency dropped me (this had a fast resolve as I signed with CESD shortly after but was about the only detour whose destination came quickly), then I walked away from my film's extended option terms loosing two years of work but gaining an obscene amount of knowledge, colleagues and support because of those two years, which was followed by loosing my apartment and then getting hired and let go from a Honda commercial all in one week because the client changed their mind after one audition and two callbacks. I was let go the eve of my 35th birthday. Happy birthday to me! Time would prove it to be, minus sarcasm, the greatest birthday gift. You see the thing for me is that when I set a plan in motion aka journal it God and the universe set the wheels in motion and start preparing me for its arrival. What rarely happens is arrival on my time but what always happens with the arrival of God's time is a revelation of magic beyond sight and my faith growing in a way words can't capture nor would do it justice. At my new beginning party in Los Angeles the month I decided to pack up and head to Austin the words mid life crisis came up to describe what I was growing through and being detoured to. It got me thinking and while I am not a fan of labels of any sort, otherwise according to some I am too much of a girlie girl to think they way I do and I should look more like a hippie and do drugs to explain my belief in the unseen, this particular label on my circumstances made me realize that I was able to take the leap of faith, pack up and leave because I had stayed present in a mid life realization. Often confused with a crisis. This was not a crisis! To me a crisis seems like there is no solution or it's too overwhelming to move forward because you are in crisis mode. Sure someways had me laying in bed but most days had me encouraging myself to move through the darkness trying to understand the signs listening to my God instinct so I could read my God compass and follow its direction. As it turns out all 2011 detours were leading to the 2008 dream, Austin. So here I am LIVING the dream four years after my journal received acknowledgement of its desire. Was the road here what I envisioned? Not at all! But guess what, the destination just like NY and Glamour, Rome and the red carpet is quite stunning. People are so kind, willing to open their hearts to me and not even twenty four hours after my road trip here I had my first free lance production job as part of the production team launching the H2O Univision bilingual music festival in Dallas in a few weeks. And Adriana Garza Productions not only has a documentary in post but a project in development already whose introduction into my life could have not been more timely and could have only happened here. Proving once again that God is in the details. So I leave you with these thoughts as my new beginning commences. Sometimes life is guiding somewhere more magical than you can dream. Our mind can only conjure up so much, which is why I go beyond the unseen often. Yes the journey there may get dark but would I appreciate the light and its value without knowing the complete opposite? Highly unlikely. This isn't a mid life crisis be that thirty five is no where near mid life. To me this is a life changing realization. A realization that no matter where I am I can be and do what I love. That no particular city holds the key to my success that key is safely guarded in my heart, soul and found with my God instinct. Turns out LA was giving birth to Austin and for having my heart open so I could see the signs that led me here I am grateful! I am about to break all the rules on how my industry works. Rules we've been sold for decades now. I know this is why God wanted me here. We are all pioneers, some of us just step up when the calling comes to be the change we are guided to be. Hope you stay for the ride! One thing is for sure, my shadow days are over! Goodbye 2011 hello 2012!!! The year of life changing, faith growing, awe struck miracles I can only give birth to by staying out of my own shadow.