Pursuing Art

It's funny how you can try, but you truly are never able to . . outrun yourself.

Behind each doorway and within every shadow that lays across the bright city streets, they are there. Us within them, them within us, and it will never change; as it didn’t for generations prior to us. Like it was once stated by Bukowski in ‘Bluebird’, the secret that we each have inside is old and true. . . within us sings a bluebird, just between me and you.

“Can I have another, and make it as pretty as you,” yells an old drunk man in a sharp, night-blue, Tom Ford suit. She smiles politely and nods as she was trained to, and even though she knows he is going to grotesquely leave his key with his Amex as a compliment to her beauty, her rent is due and she needs the money. . . plus dance classes don’t pay for themselves.

She, a 20-something, Puerto Rican sweetheart, who lives in the heart of LA; is from a large, traditional, and humble family. Privacy for her has always been a desire, one that she chased feverously out of her small town and into the city of Angels. She speaks with a country-twang, only attainable through her mother, and breaths to be the stage center of life through dancing and singing. Her name is Leylani and we’ll call her Lily for short. .I think it made her mother think of a flower once, or I’m not sure. . . Well, nonetheless, she not only made it to the city of Angels in one piece, she became a successful artist there too. . and while I won’t spoil the end of the story; this is how she came to be Ms. Magnolia.

Lily’s always gotten a lot of attention, good and bad, since the day she was born. Unfortunately for her, she was a bit shy, so she ran from the many eyes that followed her with each breath of everyday for the majority of her life until she got to a stage where she was proud of her art. When asked to perform, she shied away, and some would find her little secret and point her out to others. . . but, they were all so used to her timid nature that they would leave her be and assume the person who told was exaggerating. Her secret, was how much she loves to dance and sing, and that, to her benefit (through the grace of God), she is bloody good at it. You see, her privacy was to develop it, and now her heart aches as she serves tables yearning for the day when she can tell the world her secret; that she was made to love, dance, and sing.

Raised by housewives and tradition, she is ready to take care of a family... That’s really what has been expected from her; until her family heard her voice. Now she’s alone in the big city, with hope, God on her side, and her family cheering her on, racing to the finish line. . .which for her is to create abundance through her art. Everyone wants to see her win; it’s been long since they’ve had a winner. . and a winner she is.

Each morning before work and each night before bed she reads aloud her wish from her little black book. This is the secret to her excellence; a little black book in which each night she reads the dream she has to work solely on her art so that she can take care of her family.

It goes like:

“God and the Universe, please help me so that I can focus on creating music to touch the hearts and lives of others, I am so tired now but I know that with your help and guidance that I can create the very music you have placed inside my heart.”

The gentleman in blue calls her over again, “Magnolia,” he yells across the bar, “I have to check out with you.” The short narration stops and Lily heads towards his table with the check in hand and responds. . . “Yes, lovely, how can I help you?” . . .

“I’ve been watching you all night, “he responds. . .” “You work so hard, how is it that you keep your light demeanor?”

She hesitates, nods, then smiles to tell him, “Oh, haha, well. . . I’m a singer/songwriter and a dancer, so I figure this is good practice for when I am doing my shows, moving around and talking a bunch.”

The gentleman in blue laughs a bit at her sincere nature before he slips her a check for $20,000, to then lean on and whisper into her, “Quit your job waiting tables and race after your dreams.”

Lily’s hands start to tremble as she looks at the check, she cannot believe it, she simply cannot believe it! She looks at the man in his glimmering brown eyes and grabs him to kiss him on the cheek and hug him, “thank you, sir!” Mwuah! She kisses his cheek with enthusiasm and delight before running out of the restaurant to deposit the check before anything bad that she could begin to think about could even start to happen.

And just like that, she's off, in the race. . . Towards her dreams.