A few weeks ago, Robert fell in love with a new, old book, from which he insisted upon reading long passages aloud. It was an autobiography written by this very New York, pop-artsy guy whose gimmick it was to begin every sentence (for hundreds and hundreds of interminable pages) with exactly the same phrase. So the whole thing read like a laundry list, and was just complete torture to listen to. But anyway, for some godforsaken reason, Robert loved it.

“Listen to this,” he kept saying, and then he’d read one sentence after another that all sounded exactly the same to me, each one just as lousy and formulaic as the next. “Isn’t that beautiful?” Robert asked.

“No,” I answered. Then I stared at him with my best have-you-lost-your-freakin’-mind look, and then rethought the look, remembering that my birthday was nearing and if I puckered too often, I might soon have those tiny mouth wrinkles that Botox can never help. “That’s just stupid,” I said, now trying to keep my face free of expression. “I can’t believe that was even published. It’s a load of crap.”

Needless to say, Robert took enormous pleasure in informing me that the book in question was the first in a rather old and hugely successful series. “People just adore these books,” he said, before setting into another clunky, miserable passage of this dull writer’s boring memories, one after the other after the other.

“Hmph,” I groaned, realizing I’d become much too much like Bea Arthur ever to remain expressionless.

However. Despite the fact that I found myself incapable of understanding this book’s artistic merit, it did make me remember a few things. Or, more accurately, a few people.
There have been a number of amazing, generous women in my life. Women who have touched and protected and guided me, and (forgive me for this) helped me to find a way to tap into the universal river of creativity. To my heroes--Roberta, Jennifer, Tina, Joanna, and Rosemary, all saints in their own right, I send my love and the greatest of thanks for the following lessons:

1)You haven’t lived until you’ve gotten your crotch wet.

2)Art is about making something out of nothing.

3)God is in your conscience.

4)In art, preparation is helpful, but not essential, because you’re not really creating “it” anyway. “It” already existed before you ever showed up.

5)My Father was a smart, smart man.

6)We are all called to do something.

7)Your potential is intended to be fulfilled. And when it isn’t, bad things happen.

8)Listen, and you will hear.

9)The most contemporary, modern, avant garde choreography—was probably done over a hundred years ago

10)Everything has been done before. So if you like it, steal it, make it your own, and put it on stage.

11)Like it or not, people always respond to a high note, a kick line, and a realistic painting. Always have, always will.

12)Art is in the intention.

13)Art is in the transitions.

14)Life consists of movement, rhythm, pattern, contrast, line, shape, form, texture, space, negative space, and tone. In other words, life is art and art is life.

15)It isn’t too late until it’s too late.


Thank you, ladies. I love you all.