Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Magnificent Menopause - Beauty and Wisdom on the radio!

>>>    Listen 


Join me and discover how to:
• • •
Embrace the many gifts, challenges and mysteries of Midlife Find a new sense of completeness as a 40 + woman Get your Menopause-related health, beauty and life issues under control- and KEEP them that way!
Each week, show co hosts, Gail Edgell and Carrie Pierce provide all the answers and also a vast array of professionals in the field of Menopause so that your every question is answered clearly, concisely- and with an enjoyable and fun twist!
I’ll be appearing on the show Thursday June 30th, 2011 at 11:30 AM PST/2:30 PM EST and will be discussing the Beauty and Wisdom- the Graceful Lessons of the Invisible Generation.
We’re going to have an informative and in-depth discussion so be sure to join us!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Laurie Allyn, Dreams do come true...at any age.


 Laurie Allyn, In Her Own Words

It seems that I have spent a great deal of my time - maybe MOST of my Life- looking backwards. Funny, even the cover of my CD suggests this…
The promising career - a culmination of exciting and heady opportunities that had begun when barely out of my teens came to a screeching halt.  Before it could be released, the album that was to launch me truly into the spotlight of my dreams seemingly died with the record company as they unexpectedly went into receivership. 
 
A failed marriage and baby daughter required a new direction.  Where once I had perched on a piano, under a crystal chandelier and a tiny blue spotlight - had headlined at prestigious supper and jazz clubs, I now felt I was living the torch songs that I had loved to sing. 
The girl interrupted became the woman resigned.  A new life evolved - not an unhappy one, just one not quite complete when the 'what if’s’ whispered. Fast-forward nearly 50 years.  Fate rewarded my faithful persistence, when quite by accident I discovered that another record company had bought the entire Mode catalog, my unreleased album included.  The new producer was delighted to complete 'the set' and 'Paradise' was released in 2004.  I felt I was a ghost at my own past as I listened to those raw cuts from 1957. 
 
Oddly, it was not exactly closure but more corroboration of a lovely and exciting time in my Life.  
It HAS encouraged me to want to sing again - new songs of hope and love found. 
My paths and detours that have led me to this present day have taught me that Life can and does hold many blessings.  Not always what we may have planned but more often than not we do receive what we have needed.  And too, once in awhile our persistent knock is answered and the door opens to 'dreamsville'.  We then can loosen our tight grip on that dream completed and send it up with our blessings and our gratitude. 
-Laurie Allyn

I heard Laurie sing when I researched her info on CD Universe and I was so impressed that I bought Laurie's CD for my dad for this Father's Day. I will also buy one for myself.  Her voice is so gorgeous, like her, in every way.

Buy Laurie's amazing CD on CD Universe Here
OR at Amazon
Find out more on Facebook Here

Please post and share your comments here!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Lens Culture show Beauty and Wisdom


To see this on Lens Culture

Beauty and Wisdom

photographs and text by

Robbie Kaye


Beauty & Wisdom documents a fast disappearing aspect of American culture (Americana) as well as a diminishing population of women who are part of a generation that is often overlooked. More important than their weekly ritual of going to the 'beauty parlor' is the fact that these women are extremely vibrant, wise and humorous…and committed to maintaining their life-long ritual for rejuvenation and connection.

As baby boomers age, the rituals of their mothers and grandmothers will fade and become obsolete. Beauty & Wisdom documents a generation of women, aged 70 and over, who have been going regularly to the beauty parlor once a week not as a luxury, but as a necessity, for most of their adult years. This project explores the grace and courage in which these women age in a society so heavily focused on the beauty of youth. Ironically, these are the women who opened doors for future generations of women to walk through, yet they are now part of an invisible generation.

The women in this overlooked generation may be invisible to many, but they are quite visible to me and even more so since I began driving throughout the country, two years ago, to interview and photograph these amazing women for Beauty & Wisdom. Some of the locations I photographed are Alabama, Houston, Santa Fe, Taos, Memphis, New York and Los Angeles. It is my goal to not only preserve and highlight the role of these golden beauties in our culture, but also to demystify the aging stigma and show that older women are beautiful, vibrant and have very much to contribute to society.

These lively crones live in a culture where the beauty of youth is hugely valued but the beauty of age is often ignored. In beauty parlors across America, this fading generation of women share their humor and wisdom, as I learned in New Orleans when Mrs. Guste, 88, who lost every piece of her jewelry when her house was looted during Hurricane Katrina, reminded me, "everything is borrowed and when it goes away, it's time to give it back.”

Beauty & Wisdom provided insight into my own future. As I photographed these golden ladies and listened in on their conversations and looked into their eyes, I saw the kind of courage that comes from embracing life fully without expectations, except to be happy and connected to people. Their "take me as I am" attitude has given me permission to age fearlessly with no regrets and reasons to look forward to my own aging process.

Robbie Kaye


Monday, June 6, 2011

Great Women Series interviews Beauty and Wisdom

Great Women Series by Ilie Ruby - Beauty and Wisdom Interview

Interview with Photographer Robbie Kaye

Robbie Kaye is a groundbreaking photographer and photojournalist, best known for her work illuminating the innate beauty of real women as they age. Her work The Beauty of Wisdom is a fresh look at the way we perceive beauty. Robbie came to photography after working a musician for many years.  Now she sees melodies and compositions in the images she photographs. Please welcome Robbie Kaye to The Great Women Series today.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure? Eggplant pizza and rootbeer while vegging on the couch watching a movie, wrapped in cozy blankets.
Your one wish for the world? A collective higher-consciousness for self-love.
What is your favorite word? Delicious Least favorite word? Never
What was the most difficult age for you? 19, I lost the ability to escape into exterior pleasures and had to face my fears and feelings of being lost, not knowing who I was.
What has been the best age for you? Now is the best age for me, for all of the learning that I have done in all the previous ages leading to now is coming together, more clearly, more honestly, more lovingly.
Do you believe in karma? Yes Synchronicity? Yes Love at first sight? Not sure. Second chances? No, no regrets. (Thank you Edith Piaf!)
Do you have a secret talent? I write poetry and play classical piano.
Have you overcome your biggest obstacle? Yes… that obstacle was me… I overcame it, by loving it… me, honestly.
Will you share your biggest epiphany? It was while reading Eckhart Tolle – that I am not my thoughts!
Favorite song? I have so many but  “Dirty Work” by Steeley Dan is one of them. Favorite book? To Kill a Mockingbird or Eat, Love Pray
Your work? My love of road-tripping and traveling throughout this country and others, allows me to take photographs of beautiful land and the people, animals and foliage that live on it. My Beauty & Wisdom blog is www.beautyofwisdom.com. I am on twitter as beauty of wisdom and on FB as Robbie Kaye and also Beauty of Wisdom Page. The Beauty & Wisdom Trailer is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVuwTs56IJg
One misconception people have about you? That I’m intense or gruff. What is your truth? I’m from New York, honest and I have emotions that I don’t feel I need to always hide.
What is the nicest thing anybody has ever said to you? It was a compliment about my energy… or about the work I am doing with Beauty & Wisdom.
What is your best advice for any woman who is struggling to become who she is meant to be? Read or listen to information that she relates to that helps her build that self-love muscle. For me it is Law of Attraction, Eckhart Tolle, Barbara DeAngelis and so many more… read and listen to cds or watch videos…  it’s like taking vitamins for my soul and it helps in the learning of who I am, who I want to be and who I am meant to be.
What would you tell yourself 10 or 20 years ago if you could give her advice? You have a right to be here, to shine as bright as you possibly can, everyday, and to be honest with yourself first… don’t compromise that which you know is true for you…. For you are an amazing warrior, powerful, beautiful and alive and it is your job to love yourself and live in joy and love!
You can find out more about Robbie on her website,  www.robbiekaye.com or www.robbiekayegallery.com Her fine art photography card store is found on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/robbiekaye.
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