Monday Love to your hidden hunch and Write in the Beat with Dance First's most literary leader

“Being fearless of failure arms you to break the rules. In doing so, you may change the culture and just possibly, for a moment, change life itself.” ~ Malcolm McLaren

Have you ever had a hunch about something that proved correct? Taken the leap to dive in on a project or a course of action because a little voice inside you said to go for it? Moved forward against the odds or better wisdom only to find out your intuition was right all along?

On the other hand, have you ever stuck with something based on what everyone else thinks, while that little inner voice stood on your shoulder shaking it’s head? Maybe you stuck with something far longer than felt good because of some ‘should’ or another? And how did that work for you? How long did it take you to realize that there’s only one True North on your compass, and no one can decide the direction but you?

Life is funny like that, the longer we ignore the wisdom of our gut, the more seemingly logical routes to nowhere open up before us. Spirit loves long odds and our calling is seldom down the beaten path, much more likely to be found along the road less traveled. Your pot of gold is at the end of a rainbow only you can see, so while everyone around you is pointing at the storm clouds, have faith in your personal ray of sunshine that’s making the colors appear.

My life is littered with ‘should’s’ and dead ends, it’s as if I had to find my way forward by a process of eliminating every thing I couldn’t stand. Thankfully, I have enough trust in my abilities now to know that I will never need to create a resumé again, but if I did the number of different hats I have worn would be laughable.

Dishwasher, Busboy, Waiter, Short-order-Cook. Carpenter, Construction Cleanup Crew, Lumberyard Forklift Driver. Stagehand, Doorman, Roadie. Door-to-door Magazine Sales, Canvassing for Comcast. A/V Stringer, Conference Staff, Shuttle Driver. Welder, Machine Operator, Factory Floor Worker. I even spent one New Year’s Day riding on the back of a truck temping as a garbageman.

And that was all before starting my first business in 1989, a retail clothing store called Ameba on San Francisco’s Haight Street with my older daughter’s mom. Every hourly job I had prior to that would end the same way, I wasn’t “good with authority” or would have “too many other obligations” to show up on time.

My first foray into business wasn’t a long-term success, but one part of it pointed the way to my life today. In the early 90’s I started writing and publishing a series of mini-manifestos about dance culture called the Ameba Message, and contributing some columns to XLR8R Magazine. I remember conducting my first interview with Malcolm McLaren, (impresario behind the Sex Pistols and global ambassador for hip-hop) in the garden behind our store.

The few nods of praise and recognition I received in those days for my writing gave me hints of what was to come. And yet when Ameba went under, instead of following the call and inner urgings to write, I chose to fall back on my welding skills and embrace a career that had two things going for it. One, my folks would respect it, they understood what making things was all about. And two, you get hired because you can run a good bead, things like attitude and punctuality don’t matter if the work looks good and gets done on time.

My next run at self-employment was again based on what people like my Dad would think. The idea of being a DJ and writer about dance culture was just too weird for him, while the thought of me being this hot-shot architectural metal fabricator was a good fit. And honestly, I love making stuff, I just kept questioning the meaning of it. (And thanks Dad, (photo above), for living long enough to not care! Congratulations on 90 great years this week!)

So the more I would weld and grind, the more I would keep writing books in my head, until the pressure became unbearable. After one huge commission went notably sour I decided to take a break and pause the progress towards a workshop full of heavy equipment and a life as one of those “metal guys.”

Many of you know the story from there, I met Geneva’s future mom, and one day after spinning records at Harbin Hot Spring’s Unconditional Dance I emerged from the hot pool with the thought “What if there was a magazine called Conscious Dancer?” on my mind, and the rest is history.

Most folks thought, (very reasonably in fact) that starting a print magazine in 2007 when the web was upending the industry and the economy was starting to crash a very unwise idea, yet a hunch told me that chasing this dream was a good idea.

Has it changed forms along the way? Yes; a free, ad-supported print magazine is now an online member-driven service association. Has it stayed true to my vision? Yes; and helping individual facilitators and modality founders succeed is more gratifying than selling our demographic to big corporations any day. Is it in alignment with my calling? Yes; all these years writing and editing have prepared me for my bigger task at hand, and my book projects are moving forward with more momentum all the time.

So whatever your hunch may be, whatever path your intuition is steering you towards, whatever long shot is inviting you to roll the dice, slow down, get quiet, and listen carefully to the little voice within. If your only fears are of failure, or of what other people might think, then cast caution to the wind and get down to business!

You’ll never feel the wind in your sails if you don’t take the leap. Imagine yourself looking back when you’re on your last legs. Would you rather be wistful that you never took the first step, or proud that you’d given it your best shot?

With you all the way! Much love till next week!

 

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine

Dance First Member Spotlight! Margaret Wagner and Write in the Beat!

Dance First Member

Thrilled to be tipping the hat to Margaret Wagner for this weeks Dance First member spotlight! Margaret is a devoted leader of the movement arts who teaches in California, Pennsylvania, Australia and elsewhere who is bringing her brilliance to an innovative workshop in New York City in less than two weeks!

“Write in the Beat” is her unique method of bringing forth your creative process with a combination of dynamic movement practices, together with drawing and writing exercises. Her background as a certified 5Rhythms facilitator is more recently supported by her completion of the Open Floor International training. An award-winning travel writer and faculty member at both Omega and Kripalu, she brings a wealth of experience and credibility to her teaching practice.

I for one know how valuable it is to move your body and get in touch with your inner spirit in order to let your best work as a writer or artist come forth. Often, it isn’t until we allow ourselves to really feel what our body is telling us that we’re able to express ourselves properly and get out of our own way. I’m sure that her workshops are excellent environments to move through resistance and find your authentic voice in your art, writing, or dance.

“Pour out your heart” and let Margaret help you put your “art in motion” at the New York Live Arts center on February 3rd and 4th. The Friday night session is an easily accessible drop in class, while the Saturday workshop is a full-spectrum experience. Sign up for one or both, and let your creative and dancing friends in Manhattan know that Margaret is coming to town.

Thanks for all your creative dedication to the field Margaret! We’re fortunate to have leaders like you innovating in the realms of art, writing, and movement. Keep up the great work!

WRITE IN THE BEAT!
An Open Floor Art in Motion Movement event with Margaret Wagner
Feb 3 – 4, New York Live Arts, NYC