I’ve
been making a concerted effort lately on the social media front, which has been
paying off by the 350 new Twitter followers I’ve gotten over the past two
weeks.
Of
course, that got me thinking about what I’d want these new followers to know
about me, should they visit, say, this blog, for instance…which according to my
statcounter widget thingy, they’ve been visiting. So this one’s for you, new
Twitter followers…
Who
the heck is Ilene Angel, really???
Life
has a funny way, if we’re open to it, of taking us on some unexpected
adventures. And those are the best kind, really, which is how I ended up here…with
you…at this blog.
If
you were to ask me what I do, without a second thought, my knee jerk response
would be to tell you I’m a songwriter. Family legend has it that I sang before
I spoke, and I know for certain that I read music before words, which had to
appear a little freakish, frankly, for a four-and-a half-year-old at the piano.
But
music and me arrived here as a package deal, and no matter how many other forms
of writing my life has taken on, I never stray too far or for too long from it.
But I’ll get back to music in a minute.
I
never entertained the possibility of doing other forms of writing until, after
a series of bad blind dates, I got to thinking that I had more in common with
the then, very single George Stephanopoulos, than I did with the guys I was
being fixed up with. So I decided to try a little experiment. I decided to put
the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game to the test…but for George Stephanopoulos.
It
was absurd. Outlandish. Preposterous. Well, funny thing about putting stuff “out
there.” The universe responds in kind. So all of a sudden scenarios appeared in
which the very real chance of meeting George Stephanopoulos existed. I use the
word “chance” because what ensued was a series of unlikely events in which I
almost, but then didn’t meet George
Stephanopoulos.
If
you thought I had no idea how to meet George Stephanopoulos, you should see how
much less I knew about how to write a book and get it published. During this time
that I was trying to get a book deal, an editor friend of mine told me I needed
to start a blog to gain a following. I laughed. What exactly was a blog? And what would I be writing
about?
As
I began this blog in 2009, though I didn’t know what it was, what it would become,
what it would lead to, or what I would write about, I had an unbelievably
strong gut feeling that I was supposed to do this and it was going to take me
somewhere extraordinary.
Well,
being very green to the blogging world when I started, I thought I had to blog
every day. Every day. I spent hours
and hours, day after day. And though I don’t remember what I wrote about on a
daily basis, I was honing a writing voice in a format that suited me perfectly.
And because it was my own, I could say whatever I wanted – politically, pop
culturally, spiritually, you name it.
Politics
was an ongoing blog theme for me. And I could be a liberal as I wanted, which,
it turns out, by most accounts, was pretty damn liberal. Well, soon, people
were telling me that I needed to write for The
Huffington Post. I laughed it off. But they were serious. So I told one of
my cherished readers that if they could make that happen for me, I was game.
They did.
I
started out the normal way most people do – letters to Congressmen and
Senators, a phone call here and there. But then it became rallies, speaking at
events about social justice, meeting with state legislators. Oh yeah, and there
was that time with a handful of people, a bullhorn, and a news crew across the
street from Congressman Jim Cooper’s office. Some votes for the Affordable Care
Act did not come easily, by golly.
As
time went on, my Huffington writing veered towards music and popular culture,
with spirituality making its way into the political pieces in the hopes of
dialing down the nasty and dialing up the common ground.
My
blog, too, would undergo some changes, as my life did.
After finally having
some long-awaited musical success with a #1 Disney song called “I Don’t Think
About It,” recorded by Hannah Montana’s Emily
Osment, (Watch video here: I Don't Think About It), I
decided to self publish my book so I could move on. If I didn’t, George Stephanopoulos
would be approaching his silver wedding anniversary by the time that sucker got
published.
…which
brings me to today and what I’m currently doing.
In
the provocatively titled one-day seminar I took on “how to get your book published,” the
lecturer told us that if we wrote one book, we would write more than one book.
I thought she was nuts. Another book? No way. Nope. Not me. Uh uh. No, sirree. No ma’am.
Nuh-uh.
So
my next book should be out in a few months. It’s of the self-help variety,
because I think if you’re going to keep trying new things, you should pick the
ones you’re least qualified for, just to keep it interesting. So I will be your
cruise director as we navigate the murky waters of stress relief. That’s all I
can tell you for now. You’ll have to keep visiting as we get closer to release
time. (I’m trying out this whole idea of the “teaser” here. How am I doing?)
As
for the music, I am recording my own songs for a CD (or record, or album, or digital download - what the heck are we calling it now???) called The
Gratitude Project – a collection of songs about second chances, dreaming big,
and remembering to be grateful for all, and not just some of the journey.
You
can still find me blogging both here and at HuffPo.
Lastly,
whether you’re new to this blog or a faithful devotee, thanks for stopping by.
I truly appreciate it. Now that you know who I am, I hope you’ll visit again. And please tell your friends. Peace and blessings to you.
-Ilene
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