I was listening to Judy Garland’s hesitant, vulnerable voice as she sang the words of confidence and bravado. Her voice was so powerfully authentic. I could hear the fragility that ultimately overpowered her. She was driven by her need to be loved while being so beloved.

I don’t know why so many creatives are so unaware of their gift of beauty.

I have spent most of my life tucked deep within myself, feeling precarious in this world. Only now am I experiencing the strength of beauty rather than its fragility.

It seems obvious when you read the words of a great poet or hear the notes of a powerful ballad that experiencing art transcends any itemized description. Their invisible power cannot be denied. Art conjures up the magic of just being whatever that is.

I wonder why it’s so challenging to climb that mountain of self-confidence and confidently share. Creatives don’t seem to enjoy the love their gifts conjure.

Music, color, beauty or prose are the secret languages one can only hear if they are willing to cry or incapable of denying those tears.

I suspect it’s a journey only the disenfranchised even endeavor to begin.

So much of our culture keeps us in the pursuit of some external prize.

Logic and words seem more democratic and more stable in their acceptability. Sexual desire is easily accessible. Eroticism plays with the surface of this abyss of emotion. It makes so much sense that the emotionally starving would be obsessed with titillation.

Violence shares the same primal pull. I suspect the lizard brain is not the source of great art. Religion seems to prey on the intimidation that everyone feels when they acknowledge the power of the heart.

All of this makes me feel ambitious to understand how we can create a pathway for our explorers. I know there is an omnipresent force of love. I have been blessed in my own life with many guides, magical moments from friends, strangers, music, and beauty. These are the angels on earth. They beckon us to love ourselves and enjoy the magic.

I suspect Glenda was Judy Garland's guide as well as Dorothy’s. She guided her to the treasures she already had within. The path was treacherous and full of self-doubt. Dorothy had to kill the witch. I don’t think Judy ever did.

I want to say: “take heart and immerse yourself in beauty if you are on this journey. There are so many that will share their strength of vulnerability with you. Protect yourself from those who try to take you off your path. Be bold. Your art is love itself. Nothing is more powerful! It is the most real and solid joy that exists. We are all waiting for you. “