Melody profile picture

Melody

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond meas

About Me


I have a very creative personality. I have worked as a visual artist in various mediums, including photography, jewelry, drawing, ceramics, and recently, painting.

I was a backup singer for my dad when I was four, and ever since, I have been a performer in one sense or another. I was convinced I was going to be an actress for most of life, and it was only a few years ago that I realized the glimmer had worn away. I swing dance with the regularity of an addict. I taught myself guitar and the rudiments of piano. Even though I have been performing my entire life, I still get gut-wrenchingly nervous about it, which is why it's been a year and a half since I last got up in front of a big group of people to perform.

I am fascinated by philosophy, which has sparked my interest in science, psychology, and politics. Sometimes, I think too much for my own good, because I get so caught up trying to figure life out that I forget to live it. I would definitely consider myself an intellectual, but I don't think I have the attention span to really pull it off. I live to learn new things, and I love passing on anything quirky and interesting I have picked up. That may be one of the things I love about being an artist: I have found that I notice and find great beauty in little things that most people miss, and I love that I can capture the beauty in that moment and share it.

My Interests

Dancing, Singing, Playing guitar, Board Games, Did I mention Dancing? Creating art, Reading especially something having to do with science or the nature of reality/ consciousness, Having long philosophical conversations, Having adventures, Hanging out with interesting/ spunky/ kind people, Pretty much anything that challenges my mind, Self-improvement, Stories and History, Finding beauty in the little things, Warmth, and Exploring.I am interested in practically everything. I think because I was an actress for so long, I understand just how malleable my mind is. And that has interesting philosophical implications, as the state of my mind determines how I experience reality. So if my mind is malleable, then so is reality as I experience it. And having read Einstein, I am not convinced of an objective reality. And I like the idea of exploring as much as I can to try to reach an understanding of the world. Somehow, if I can master the tennants of the world, I feel like I will be equipped to solve its mysteries. Even if that is entirely irrational.

Performer (Dominant Extroverted Abstract Feeler)

You are a PERFORMER (DEAF)— personable, self-assured, and excellent under pressure. You are extroverted and strong-willed, which, in combination means you are good with people and aren't willing to let opportunity pass you by. Congratulations. I'm sure all the peons you've stepped on never saw it coming and didn't feel a thing.You have formidable creative talents, and you often following what your heart tells you instead of your logical mind. Your exuberance can earn you many friends and admirers, despite your ambition, or it can intimidate the less confident into keeping their distance. It's also possible that you're Madonna.

I'd like to meet:

Interesting, quirky, vivacious people. My favorite people inspire me and make me laugh and think.

Music:

Jazz and blues are my absolute favorite genres of music. John Coltrane, Miles Davis, BB King, Skip James, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Fats Waller, Buddy Guy, Bill Withers, Eric Clapton, Cole Porter!, Diana Krall, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Eva Cassidy, and so many more - it would be impossible to name them all. I love rock of many stripes, including classic, alternative, hard. The Beatles (of course), CSNY, STP, Smashing Pumpkins, Jack Johnson, Vonda Shepard, Aimee Mann, Ani DeFranco, Queens of the Stone Age, VAST, Cat Stevens, REM, Led Zepplin, The Who, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Van Morrison, Alice in Chains, Metallica (Fade to Black and Turn the Page, which were both covers), Deftones (Change), Tool (Sober), Soundgarden, Billie Joel, John Hiatt, Bonnie Raitt, Athretha Franklin (who I may be miscategorizing), Simon and Garfunkle, Elton John, Portishead, Radiohead, Air, System of a Down, and lots more. Musical theater (Steven Sondheim, Danny Elfman- Nighmare Before Christmas), classical (Rochmoninov, Mussorgsky, Bach, Mozart, Gershwin, and those cats), opera (Carmen), instrumental hip hip (DJ Shadow), some bluegrass (Allison Krauss and The "Soggy Bottom Boys" from Oh Brother Where Art Thou?), motown. I love haunting music, anything with a minor third is my friend. Really, above all, I just love music.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns5-ElkReTY

Movies:

A Scanner Darkly, American Beauty, The Princess Bride, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Garden State, Before Sunrise, Chasing Amy, As Good as it Gets, Jerry McGuire, Magnolia, Nightmare Before Christmas, Forrest Gump, Twelve Angry Men, Some Like it Hot, Schindler's List, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds, Defending your Life, MST3K, Monty Python, 12 Monkeys, Detriot Rock City, What the Bleep Do We Know?, Waking Life, I Heart Huckabees, The Coporation, Control Room, The Hurricane, The Green Mile, The Lion in Winter, Being John Malkovich, Alice in Wonderland, Made in Heaven, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Contact, Finding Neverland, Walk the Line, Beyond the Sea, The Usual Suspects, Sin City's artwork (though I really dislike the movie itself), anything Kevin Spacey, Shall We Dance, Citizen Kane, Dr. Strangelove, When Harry Met Sally, The Incredibles, Supertroopers, The Imposters, The Producers, Robin Hood Men in Tights, anything Mel Brooks, The Big Lebowski, Hudsucker Proxy, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, anything Cohen brothers, Amelie, The Royal Tennebaums, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Fish Called Wanda, Zoolander, The Zero Effect, The Game, Dark City, State and Main, Pleasantville, Big Fish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qIZAyFrtIA

Television:

Grey's Anatomy. I keep forgetting I have cable. When I remember, I watch The Daily Show and Project Runway. I used to be obssesed with Family Guy, Seinfeld, 30-Something (the "Princess Stupidhead" episode hooked me), the Simpsons, and Invader Zim. I try not to watch too much tv anymore, because it breeds mind-numbing lethargy after a certain point.

Books:

As I have ADD, I am usually reading about 20 books at a time. They are: The Self-Aware Universe, Quantum Electro Dynamics: A Strange Theory of Light and Matter, The History of Sexuality, A People's History of the United States, The Fabric of the Cosmos, Discipline and Punish, The Soul of Keirkegaard, and the Disappearence of the Universe. Some of the best books I have ever read: On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society is an incredibly eye-opening book dealing with the psychology of killing, the true experience and ramifications of war, and how the techiniques employed to condition soldiers to kill are present in society. Fascinating book. A General Theory of Love: Very interesting book dealing with the neurological effects of relationships, especially during key developmental stages in humans and to a lesser degree, animals. Gets into some neuroscience, and does a great job of a giving a scientific explanation for phenomina that I found baffling prior to reading the book. Prison Madness: The Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars and What We Must Do About it. This is another eye-opening book that catalyzed my activism around prison reform. A Short History of Nearly Everything. Hilarious and very interesting history and explication of scientific advancement in the modern era. For lay person, this book started me on my year-plus physics kick. The Elegant Universe. String theory is the shizzle.

Heroes:

M.C. Escher, Kevin Spacey, Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Jon Coltrane, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Gautuma Buddha, Salvador Dali, Jesus, Arthur Schopenhauer, my dad, and of course, the guy who invented ice cream.

My Blog

Nelson Mandela on Fear

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light and not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be bril...
Posted by Melody on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 08:28:00 PST

Happiness Without Even Trying

This is an article written by John Tarrant. It was sent to me by a meditation group I belong to. I think it's fabulous so I wanted to share it. I hope you enjoy! Happiness without Even Trying By John...
Posted by Melody on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:42:00 PST

I got into more schools, and now I have to make a decision.

I got into Columbia College Chicago and Parson's School of Design! At first I was excited, but now I am nervous. I am leaning towards Parson's, but my family seems to think I won't be abe to hack it i...
Posted by Melody on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:07:00 PST

I got into school!!!!

I got accepted to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design! I am so excited. I have a really great feeling about that school. I just sent in my application for a scholarship yesterday, and until I fi...
Posted by Melody on Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:13:00 PST

My website

I just uploaded my new-and-improved (yet still under construction) jewelry website to the server. Thanks to my brother's boredom during his visit to Nashville, I now know Flash, therefore my website n...
Posted by Melody on Sat, 03 Feb 2007 04:48:00 PST

Am I alone?

So, my therapist tells me I need to take risks and make friends with people who do not show overt signs of interest in me. Am I alone in finding this a daunting prospect? If so, I plead homeschooling ...
Posted by Melody on Sat, 20 Jan 2007 12:28:00 PST

Art Schools

I am in Chicago until next Tuesday. Even though my plans to visit a bunch of schools around the country with my dad fell through, I still managed to visit the School of the Art Institute of Chicago an...
Posted by Melody on Sun, 03 Sep 2006 11:41:00 PST

Life is beautiful after all.

 I've been pretty bummed out today- Bill and I broke up last night. It was neccessary, anything else would have produced unhealthy results for me. Still, I went to play frisbee golf by myself, an...
Posted by Melody on Sun, 02 Jul 2006 06:20:00 PST

Fear

"Oh, for the sake of momentum, I've allowed my fears to get larger than life. And it's brought me to my current agendum, whereupon I deny fulfillment has yet to arrive. I know life is getting shorter,...
Posted by Melody on Sat, 22 Apr 2006 06:31:00 PST

What, me worry?

I do not know what I want to do with my life. I have been conflicted since I was 6 years old. You know how when you're a kid adults always ask what you want to be when you grow up? Well, I always knew...
Posted by Melody on Sat, 15 Apr 2006 03:15:00 PST