On Wednesday, I presented my most recent work in class. For the past three weeks I've been making mandalas. The intention that seems to be unfolding out of the process of creating them seems to be integration. Most of these mandalas rest on a medicine wheel, honoring the foundation of my spiritual life - the Lakota way of life. Everything hold within the mandala of the medicine wheel is symbolic of the unfolding of my spiritual, artistic, cultural, and experiential life.

Along with the symbolic integration within the creation of these mandalas, is a larger investigation of my artistic inspirations in relationship with my artwork. This is very fresh, mysterious, and exciting investigation for me. My understanding of it is evolving everyday.

The main inspiration I'm exploring is conscious hip hop. I have had a radio show, Soultree, for almost two years now on a local station here in Occidental (www.KOWS.fm). I cover a very broad range of genres that all have African American roots. Overtime the focus has become more and more on conscious hip hop and related music, although I still include reggae, soul, jazz, jazz fusion, blues, motown, electronica, and middle eastern music if that is where the flow of music takes me.

Over the past few weeks while I have been creating mandalas, I have been meditating on conscious hip hop and related music, why I am drawn to it, why I want to share it, why is it important for me at this point in my life? I find that meditating on these questions and listening to the music as I make mandalas has already taken me on a deep journey that I am eager to continue.

I have also realized it is time to take my relationship with the music to the next level, although I don't yet know what that means. I'm excited and a bit intimidated by some of the ideas that have come up in this process and been offered from the amazing circle of women in class. My partner, Craig, is also a huge support in this unfolding. Although he knew I was pairing music with my presentation of mandalas, like me, he wasn't sure exactly where it was going. But on Wednesday as I was heading to school to present, he said it occurred to him that there was an essential tool I needed to support my relationship with the music. I left class energized by the response my peers had to the music and mandalas and eager to work with the music. I arrived home to a "beginner" DJ mixing board that my husband bought while I was at class! Ok, so the next step is literally integrating the music. It's going to take some time to learn how to use the mixer and the software, lots of practice, but it will provide a vital skill that will facilitate an uninterrupted flow music, a mandala of sound. I can't wait!!!