Artistic Works in Progress...

Protection and Giving in 2017: Rigzin Tromge

The one who conquers oneself is greater than one who conquers an army of 10,000.   

    ~ the Buddha

One of the most extraordinary artists and projects that crossed our desk in 2016 is Rigzin Tromge and her gift of sharing ancient prayers in music.  Rigzin, a deeply-dedicated Buddhist whose path included extended studies in Tibet, has only recently allowed her voice and prayers to be recorded to share with the world. An indie artist, she launched a Kickstarter effort for the radically-loving project, PROTECTION, and with over 100 sponsors and less than $6k to go in the coming days, it has a fair chance of making its goals. For us, it falls into the realm of "what the world needs now."

The artist, who embraces stunningly dramatic visual presentations of her work, released two albums to date -- UNION and TRANSITION -- and is in the process of crowdfunding to master & manufacture what may be her final album in a trilogy. Her lastest (perhaps most important album) is PROTECTION: Ancient Prayers for Radical Compassion, and it is a ceremony of protector prayers from the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages. 

Despite her fierce appearance in the PROTECTION promo materials, Rigzin's voice is gentle, ethereal, unforgettable. There is great comfort in knowing that she is constantly praying for all of us from her remote home in Northern California, surrounded by nature, her organic gardens, and her beloved dogs. Previews of the recorded vocals promise it to be as uniquely beautiful as her previous works, complemented with graphic design by celebrated artist Android Jones.

In the artist's own words, "PROTECTION is the wrathful aspect of enlightenment. These are more advanced, swifter and powerful than the peaceful practices. In these 'degenerating times,' the great highly-realized ones practice these wrathful practices.  What makes these practitioners great, more advanced, is that the practitioner must be unequivocally steeped to the deepest core of their being in selflessness and loving kindness."

If one is looking for authentic, artistic projects to support, look no further than this heart-based artist's KickStarter page. Among Rigzin's creative donor gifts are brilliant red prayer flags, Tibetan counseling, 3-album trilogy sets, and even a retreat to a remote cabin on her land in NoCal. See more, and hear a sample of the new music here.

As we enter a new era, we can all become patrons of the arts for just the price of a coffee or lunch; a good habit to adopt for the future of the authentic, positive, hi-quality art & music that we want in our world.

Visit the artist's official website: http://rigzinmusic.com/ 

Men and Women Working Together to Highlight a Forgotten Female Icon of Cinema

Alice Guy-Blaché  One of Cinema's first directors, and the first female director...yet few of heard of her.

Now a team has gathered, including Robert Redford, to tell this story of this icon, and help to inspire man and woman in cinema and the world. 

Some quick points to catch you up to speed (from Wikipedia):

• Alice Guy-Blaché is the first female film maker and is responsible for creating one of the first narrative films in 1896.^[8] 
• Guy’s career of 24 years of directing, writing and producing films is the longest career of any of the cinema pioneers.^[9] 
• From 1896 to 1920, Guy directed over 400 films, 22 of which are feature-length films.
• Guy was and still is the only woman to ever manage and own her own studio, The Solax Company.

Despite these accomplishments, she is rarely, if ever, mentioned among her peers in the history of cinema, and most professionals in the industry are completely unaware of her work. Few of her films survive in an easily viewable format (primarily those involving Charlie Chaplin), although preservation and recovery efforts are ongoing by the PIC Agency.^{[10]"   (As taken from her wikipedia page).}

That is going to change! Since the start of this project over 100 of her films have been recovered!Check out the video HERE.

<sup>Upworthy as seen on Facebook,did a great job helping to promote the project and get it funded. 

Upworthy subscribers ended up contributing over 80,000 dollars of the $200,000 Kickstarter goal that was surpassed. 

As the funding film states: "Alice was written out of film history but we now realize, to tell her story is to tell the history of Film."</sup>

<sup>Click HERE to watch the video and for more information on how to contribute.

Thanks for reading and helping to share Alice's story and legacy with the world.</sup> 

^{by Andrea Dolbec}