WOW!!
Recently, I have been reflecting on the character, qualities and accomplishments that partly define my being as a woman and the women of my family. While growing up you notice patterns that describe your mother, grandmother, aunts, sisters, nieces, female cousins, close family friends and childhood girl friends. Some of those qualities are strength, understanding, humor, intellect, vibrancy, attitude, style, grace, love, nurturing, religion, forgiveness, ambition, determination and focus.
I realized those qualities is what produced fine character in the woman I know.
It's the same qualities and characteristics that made us strive,achieve and reach for the best of our soul. When I struck out on my own to find the woman I would become, I sought out people who had an understanding of a woman's work and what that meant to the world. No doubt, it meant bringing all those positive self affirmations as a contribution to our families and community.
When I entered College as a young woman who was vulnerable and uncertain of her image and journey, I waited for an epiphany to strike me at the tender and fragile age of 21. I thought some shower of wisdom would pour down on me and in all my overly confident natural beauty and artistic intellect, that the world would see the light and reward me for my enlightenment. Well, what Can I say, I was truly feeling it. The good thing was I enjoyed my own company and still do. It does not take long before you realize that your not the center of the earth as life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you of your place in this universe.
I got off track and had not practiced drawing from my inner strength because that voice would have told me you have all those qualities and characteristics inside of you that was passed down and taught to you by the women that came before you. As I became more confident as a student and matured closer to womanhood, I constantly reminded myself to apply those family traits to my daily life.
While on campus interning with the Wayne State University (Detroit) College Day program, I heard about how the "Women of Wayne" which nickname is (W.O.W.) and how they assisted some of my female colleagues with scholarships, resources and support to uplift females in academics, research, service and networking. The alumni group shared similar qualities the women in my family had passed on to me and I admired the W.O.W. contribution to the university and community as my co-workers and many female students have benefited from (W.O.W's)resources and services.
I have some amazing women in my family and have met some amazing fellow women alumni.
Who we are and what we have become is nothing surprising or new to us because it is a long and distinguished history. I am proud of the women in my family and female colleagues. So, if we seem a little too strong for those who have not met us or known our life history then understand that it's called the W.O.W. Factor!!
Let Your Inner Voice RISE-
Gloria J Harden-Bailey
Check it out: http://culturalcommentaryartist.ning.com
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Carson McCullers: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Author Carson McCullers
The other day I was going through my library of books and as I traced my fingers across the cover jackets looking for a good read that would peak my interest, I stopped on a title I had not read since my college english literature class. I must have re-read it again since I found a bookmark in the middle of the book that was dated 10 years ago and the pages and cover have started to yellow. The book was author Carson McCullers, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter".
I remember most parts of the book but what I remember most is how it moved me emotionally to feel compassion for the characters. I tend to dread reading books as emotionally twisting as this because it takes me a little while to recover from the connection I feel with the stories.
So, I have decided to delve into the book again for spring reading.
Here is the Book Jacket Description:
When she was only twenty-three, this was Carson McCuller's first novel, that created a literary sensation.
She is very special, one of America's superlative writers who conjures up a vision of existence as terrible as it is real, who takes us on shattering voyages into the depths of the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition. This novel is the work of a supreme artist, Carson McCuller's enduring masterpiece. The heroine is the strange young girl, Mick Kelly. The setting is a small Southern town, the cosmos universal and eternal.
The characters are the damned, the voiceless, the rejected. Some fight their loneliness with violence and depravity, some with sex or drink, and some--like Mick--with a quiet, intensely personal search for beauty.
Another Short spring read from my worned book collection is:
Thornton Wilder's, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"
Book Jacket Description: The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder's second novel, won him the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes. The novel opens in the aftermath of an inexplicable tragedy-- a tiny footbridge in Peru breaks, and five people hurtle to their deaths. For Brother Juniper, a humble monk who witnesses the catastrophe, the question is inescapable: Why those five? Suddenly. Brother Juniper is committed to discover what manner of lives they led-- and whether it was divine intervention that took their lives, or a capricious fate.
I plan to recover from these thought provoking and emotional roller coaster books by reading a few comedies.
Check out my other blog: http://culturalcommentaryartist.ning.com
Happy Reading
Gloria J Harden-Bailey
The other day I was going through my library of books and as I traced my fingers across the cover jackets looking for a good read that would peak my interest, I stopped on a title I had not read since my college english literature class. I must have re-read it again since I found a bookmark in the middle of the book that was dated 10 years ago and the pages and cover have started to yellow. The book was author Carson McCullers, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter".
I remember most parts of the book but what I remember most is how it moved me emotionally to feel compassion for the characters. I tend to dread reading books as emotionally twisting as this because it takes me a little while to recover from the connection I feel with the stories.
So, I have decided to delve into the book again for spring reading.
Here is the Book Jacket Description:
When she was only twenty-three, this was Carson McCuller's first novel, that created a literary sensation.
She is very special, one of America's superlative writers who conjures up a vision of existence as terrible as it is real, who takes us on shattering voyages into the depths of the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition. This novel is the work of a supreme artist, Carson McCuller's enduring masterpiece. The heroine is the strange young girl, Mick Kelly. The setting is a small Southern town, the cosmos universal and eternal.
The characters are the damned, the voiceless, the rejected. Some fight their loneliness with violence and depravity, some with sex or drink, and some--like Mick--with a quiet, intensely personal search for beauty.
Another Short spring read from my worned book collection is:
Thornton Wilder's, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"
Book Jacket Description: The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder's second novel, won him the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes. The novel opens in the aftermath of an inexplicable tragedy-- a tiny footbridge in Peru breaks, and five people hurtle to their deaths. For Brother Juniper, a humble monk who witnesses the catastrophe, the question is inescapable: Why those five? Suddenly. Brother Juniper is committed to discover what manner of lives they led-- and whether it was divine intervention that took their lives, or a capricious fate.
I plan to recover from these thought provoking and emotional roller coaster books by reading a few comedies.
Check out my other blog: http://culturalcommentaryartist.ning.com
Happy Reading
Gloria J Harden-Bailey
A Tribute to Ted Hunt
The original and motivational Ted Hunt-
I recall the first years of College when I met Mr. Ted Hunt. He was fatherly, charismatic, wise and an original.
I started thinking about what does it mean to be an original when so many things are canned, staged or contrived to fit a so called image. I am optimistic, but find that originality is slowly diminishing in our society.
There are signs of it's demise in the lack of new generative ideas. Where are the individuals who create an idea completely on their own? We also gain knowledge from our experiences and history which provide those original thoughts. We should never compromise on aspiring to do the arduous work of seeking originality. What does that mean?
The Webster's dictionary list it as being an authentic work of art or the first form of anything and furthermore the definition expounds that originality is something fresh and novel. All these terms are a good basic description but as we face the future and learn from the past, we should embrace originality as not only a core center of ourselves but as an extension to all that we are. Every part of me spiritually, mentally and culturally, I accept wholeheartedly. Irregardless of the burdens I have learned to love all parts of myself which can not be duplicated.
While I listened to Ted Hunt speak in the 1980's during college, I heard the originality of his message in his voice. I still review his training materials. Mr. Hunt developed a Motivational Series for Youth called "Yes I Can".
The series was published in Detroit by Brumich and was entitled: Turning on to Yourself. I consider Ted an original because he took what worked and what he already knew and developed an original plan to address low self esteem. He had given workshops to Detroit Public School students on counteracting the poor attitude and excuses on why the teens could not suceed in school. Ted knew that it was not just academics alone that would build the mind and character of youth, but he knew that it was their original core of self that needed to be addressed as apart of the education of a child. His message in the 1980's was called Today's Youth: How to strive to be the best person you can be." This title still applies to students today.
Mr. Hunt's "Seven Keys to Personality" were 1) Desire 2) Faith 3) Hope 4) Smile 5) Kindness 6) Romance 7) Charity. Ted took old themes and taught youth in a real world applicable way and his original output was the interpretation and individuality of what each student developed as their goals.
I was apart of a Wayne State University (Detroit) counselor intern M. L. King/ Rosa Parks/ Cesar Chavez College Day program where we administered this training to at risk public school youth.
Mr Hunt has been deceased for a while and I still recall his speeches. He had many wonderful motivational sayings. I remember one in particular. Ted said, "I know that when love and skill work together, you can expect a masterpiece! May Ted Hunt's memory live on. He was an original.
Let Your Inner Voice RISE-
Gloria J Harden-Bailey
Check it out: http://culturalcommentaryartist.ning.com
I recall the first years of College when I met Mr. Ted Hunt. He was fatherly, charismatic, wise and an original.
I started thinking about what does it mean to be an original when so many things are canned, staged or contrived to fit a so called image. I am optimistic, but find that originality is slowly diminishing in our society.
There are signs of it's demise in the lack of new generative ideas. Where are the individuals who create an idea completely on their own? We also gain knowledge from our experiences and history which provide those original thoughts. We should never compromise on aspiring to do the arduous work of seeking originality. What does that mean?
The Webster's dictionary list it as being an authentic work of art or the first form of anything and furthermore the definition expounds that originality is something fresh and novel. All these terms are a good basic description but as we face the future and learn from the past, we should embrace originality as not only a core center of ourselves but as an extension to all that we are. Every part of me spiritually, mentally and culturally, I accept wholeheartedly. Irregardless of the burdens I have learned to love all parts of myself which can not be duplicated.
While I listened to Ted Hunt speak in the 1980's during college, I heard the originality of his message in his voice. I still review his training materials. Mr. Hunt developed a Motivational Series for Youth called "Yes I Can".
The series was published in Detroit by Brumich and was entitled: Turning on to Yourself. I consider Ted an original because he took what worked and what he already knew and developed an original plan to address low self esteem. He had given workshops to Detroit Public School students on counteracting the poor attitude and excuses on why the teens could not suceed in school. Ted knew that it was not just academics alone that would build the mind and character of youth, but he knew that it was their original core of self that needed to be addressed as apart of the education of a child. His message in the 1980's was called Today's Youth: How to strive to be the best person you can be." This title still applies to students today.
Mr. Hunt's "Seven Keys to Personality" were 1) Desire 2) Faith 3) Hope 4) Smile 5) Kindness 6) Romance 7) Charity. Ted took old themes and taught youth in a real world applicable way and his original output was the interpretation and individuality of what each student developed as their goals.
I was apart of a Wayne State University (Detroit) counselor intern M. L. King/ Rosa Parks/ Cesar Chavez College Day program where we administered this training to at risk public school youth.
Mr Hunt has been deceased for a while and I still recall his speeches. He had many wonderful motivational sayings. I remember one in particular. Ted said, "I know that when love and skill work together, you can expect a masterpiece! May Ted Hunt's memory live on. He was an original.
Let Your Inner Voice RISE-
Gloria J Harden-Bailey
Check it out: http://culturalcommentaryartist.ning.com
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
InnerVoice New Logo Launch
Welcome to my Great News!
What is the good news? The launch of my new innervoice logo.
The logo is a culmination of my personal and professional journey
that encompasses the the story of my childhood,experiences,artistry, creativity, thoughts, voice and sound. Under the new logo will be the development of Consulting, creative writing, publishing, media, design and crossing the barrier of communication through translation and interpretation of voice, sound and language. The voice, sound and language is an influence of my childhood growing up in a household of a deaf mother and a hearing father and the deafness or hearing impairment of some of my sisters, nieces, nephews and friends. It is truly a triumphant story of how my parents adapted a family to a disability or a blessing depending on how you look at it and educated ten children up through college and taught the hearing and non-hearing children to RISE above challenges,stigmas and to keep our spiritual and family values close to our heart as we faced life on a daily basis. In the future,I will speak on spoken words that translate in the silence and the inspiration, interpretation and revelation of thoughts that influence our lives.
My family was always a mixture of primarily African Americans,Cherokee Indian, European, Irish, Hispanic and Asian. Through my younger nieces and nephews I have seen the cultures of my family broaden even further.
Innervoice is also an influence of the people I have met on my life journey and our shared experiences. Many people have stories but the experiences and stories I share with you are accounts of my family, loved ones and friends life journey. Keep on telling your true authentic story as I do and never accept to be silenced by negativity. You own your own journey. Keep telling it.
The South Carolinian novel that I am working on is in character development! The novel will be apart of the revised Inner voice Brand and logo.
Description of Innervoice: Innvervoice logo is a combination of Scriptural writing with a feminine touch. It has an edge and whimsical quality with the letter "R" and the "O" in the word voice and has a natural organic, leafy and fluid letter "I" and "V" in the middle. The color indicates a darker red, burgundy or maroon mauve. I worked with the graphic designer and received feedback on giving him a description of my vision and words that have described my life, loved ones and friends journey over the years and he began to visually design and forge the initial identity that you currently see as a logo. Check back as I begin to expand and revise the logo.
The Graphic Logo Designer: Mr. Shawn Enojado
Innervoice circle artwork design is all rights reserved. (Gloria J Bailey)
Let Your Inner Voice RISE-
Gloria J Harden-Bailey
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