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Tricia Rose Burt

writer, storyteller, speaker

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I Will Be Good Productions

The Power of Storytelling

December 28, 2016 by Tricia Rose Burt

I love being an artist, even though the creative life can be challenging. The best ideas can take years to materialize (e.g., my book) and financial insecurity can almost wear me out (the sculptor Carol Bove said “Becoming an artist is not a good business plan.”). But the blessings far outweigh the stumbling blocks — especially when it comes to storytelling.

A Year of Amazing Stories

Wise words for the new year
Wise words for the new year

I heard at least a hundred stories this year, either while sharing a stage or conducting workshops with The Moth or for my own clients. The stories and storytellers ran the gamut:

  • a WWII bomber pilot who was forced to crash land on D-Day, losing seven of his men, and finding God in the process
  • a graphic designer who wet her pants in the parking lot just minutes before her first job interview in 30 years
  • a former Leavenworth prison guard who now dedicates his life to keeping youth out of jail
  • a woman, estranged from her older sister, who recounted the last special moment they had together
  • a former Texas little league coach who helped his weakest team member finally get his first hit; years later, he received a note from the player, now entering NYC’s Julliard, thanking him for his encouragement

Again and again, as I helped people craft their stories, I saw what I already know — when we share our stories, we help heal ourselves and our world.

Join Me In the Cause

Hosting an evening of stories = So.Much.Fun.
Hosting an evening of stories So.Much.Fun.

In 2010, I launched I Will Be Good Productions, a fiscally sponsored art project with Fractured Atlas, to raise funds for my one-woman show How to Draw a Nekkid Man. Since then, I’ve expanded my creative platforms to include the stage, the page (still in progress), digital recordings, and workshops. This year, more storytelling opportunities await, including one in the broadcast world —  a podcast is on the horizon!

If you’re looking for a last-minute tax-deductible donation this calendar year, please consider contributing to I Will Be Good Productions. It’s been four years since I’ve launched a targeted fundraising campaign and there are new projects in the pipeline, development costs to recoup, and always more stories to tell.

There are two ways to donate: 1) Online or 2) By check, which must be made payable to Fractured Atlas with I Will Be Good Productions in the memo line. Please mail to Tricia Rose Burt, 1805 Graybar Lane, Nashville, TN 37215 (I’m in Nashville while my husband Eric rides his bike from New Hampshire to South America — as you do.).

Your donation is incredibly helpful and profoundly appreciated. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Wishing you a New Year filled with fabulous stories!

Tricia Rose Burt is a treasure, as a brilliant storyteller and a wise observer of life’s surprising and sometimes unexpected paths to our deepest satisfactions. She speaks from an intimate place where creativity and courage intersect. She’s also hilarious. What a combination. — Charles Kravetz, General Manager, WBUR Boston, the nation’s 5th largest NPR station

I Will Be Good Productions is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of I Will Be Good Productions must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and our tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

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Filed Under: General Thoughts Tagged With: Carol Bove, Fractured Atlas, How to Draw a Nekkid Man, I Will Be Good Productions, storytelling, The Moth, Tricia Rose Burt

Imperfectly Ringing in the New Year

December 27, 2013 by Tricia Rose Burt

Go get this book

I’m reading a fabulous book called The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham. It’s terrific. If you don’t believe me, believe Anne Lamott who says on back cover, “I love this book and I’ve been foisting it on people for years.

As someone who spends a lot of time striving to get things right (read perfect), it is not only refreshing but possibly life saving to be reminded that there is no perfect, that I will never get everything right. The gist of the book is: I’m Not All-Right, and You’re Not All-Right, But That’s Okay — THAT’S All-Right (pg. 28). [Read more…] about Imperfectly Ringing in the New Year

Filed Under: General Thoughts Tagged With: God, I Will Be Good Productions, Ringing in the New Year, The Spirituality of Imperfection, Tricia Rose Burt

A Nekkid Man Christmas

December 20, 2013 by Tricia Rose Burt

Last night, as I was pushing away the living room furniture to make way for our Christmas tree, I thought to myself, “Why the heck does it smell like someone’s smoking pot?” Then I realized my Advent Wreath was on fire. I would have enclosed a photograph but that would have cost us the dining room table.

I will, however, enclose a photograph from nearly 20 years ago that is the closing image from my show, How to Draw a Nekkid Man. It’s the Christmas card I sent out just as I realized my old life was dying and my new life as an artist was underway. To put the photograph in context, I’ve included the last words from the show.

May the spirit of Christmas fill you with joy in creativity and delight in new life!

The card that started it all

 

Excerpt from How to Draw a Nekkid Man

Before I left (for Ireland), I sent out a Christmas card I made called “Answered Prayer.”

The idea for the card started when I met a bunch of college friends the weekend after Halloween. As I’m packing, I know they are all going to show up with pictures of their children in Halloween costumes. I don’t have children; I have artwork. But I want to be part of the exchange, so I take pictures of my artwork. I toss these rubber and wire sculpture drawings on a white sheet of paper and photograph them and Sarah, my friend who doesn’t want to be the same as everyone else, sees it and says Burt this picture is going to make you famous.

I put the image on my Christmas card.

It’s the first time I’ve ever sent out a Christmas card and I’m using it to announce my new creative life to people who have known me for years, but never as an artist, and certainly not one who drives around with Jesus in the passenger seat of her car. One side of the card is this funky image of 15 rubber and wire sculpture drawings all lined up named “Answered Prayer,” and the other side has scripture that says, “If anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come.”

This throws people a little off.

First, the title and the image don’t match. Second, I’ve paired Jesus with contemporary art. Apparently, some people think God only does landscapes or classical music, but there’s a whole church in California that only plays John Coltrane because they think that’s what God sounds like.

Anyway, people see the Christmas card and say all kinds of things. A dear friend tells me, “I don’t think I’m sophisticated enough to understand it, but I’m looking at it a lot” and it stays on her refrigerator door for months.

My father receives the card and panics, because he has no idea how to talk about the work, but he really wants to be supportive, so he sends me his own version of Answered Prayer, which is a photograph of chicken wing bones lined up in a row – the remnants of an afternoon at Outback Steakhouse.

My brother’s response is my favorite. He says Tricia this card is just too creative for me. If I was going to do a Christmas card, I would photograph five ducks on a pond, and I’d name it five ducks on a pond.

Other people are less generous. They say things like “that doesn’t look like art to me” and “why would you make art when you can make all that money?” Some people don’t say anything. I just have to let those reactions go and realize you take some people with you and you leave some people behind. It’s all about the process. Sometimes the process just doesn’t feel that good.

In the meantime, I’m revising “My Code.” I can’t be a successful artist, much less person, if I’m trying to be good all the time. I’ve just got to be what I’m called to be and apparently I’m called to be different, or at least different than I expected. But I’m not near as scared anymore, because unlike before, I’ve met a lot of people who are different. And you know, they are lovely.

An Opportunity for End of Year Giving

As I look forward to 2014, there are many opportunities on the horizon spawned by the success of last year, including an amazing theater lab experience, a fruitful collaboration with NYC director Mia Rovegno who has transformed the show, and two very successful performances in Nashville with Amy Grant and Vanderbilt University. How to Draw a Nekkid man continues to reach diverse audiences and offers a fresh voice about leading an authentic life, spirituality and women’s issues while deftly crossing gender lines. Touring to venues — while working hard on my memoir and coordinating storytelling appearances — requires a broad base of funding for marketing, travel and operating expenses. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to I Will Be Good Productions to help us continue bringing this story to more audiences who are hungry to be validated and inspired to use their creative voice.

Donate now!

Your donation is profoundly appreciated and incredibly helpful.

I Will Be Good Productions is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of I Will Be Good Productions may be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. To donate online, please click here.

Other Ways to Help!

  • Share this blog with your friends — just use the icons below.
  • Leave a comment. Feedback is great.
  • Want to receive these blogs in your email inbox? Please register at the top right of this page. While you’re there, you can like my artist’s Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.
  • Spread the word — your voice is invaluable in bringing the show to new audiences!
  • Thanks for your support!

Filed Under: General Thoughts Tagged With: Advent wreath, Answered Prayer, Christmas, Fractured Atlas, How to Draw a Nekkid Man, I Will Be Good Productions, Tricia Rose Burt

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