There Is More Than One Way To To Skin A Cat – Guest Post by Darrah Parker (My Wife!)

The Lovely Mrs. Parker IV

There Is More Than One Way To Skin a Cat
by Darrah Parker

{{DISCLAIMER: No kittens were harmed in the writing of this post. I promise.}}

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately and am spending a lot of time figuring out where I belong. I’m strattling two different bloggy worlds at the moment – the world of encouraging women exploring life’s challenges and triumphs and the world of photographers sharing the beauty of their every day lives through photographs. I keep asking where I fit in all of this. I am an artist and a dreamer and a writer and a photographer and an emotional mess and a joyful goof. How do I put it all together, tie it up in a nice little bow, and stamp it with ME? How do I pick just one thing when I have all of these other ideas up my sleeve? Or do I need to pick? Why do we feel like we need to be just ONE thing? How can I incorporate all of me into what I do and not be limited by my preconceived notions of who and what I am?

And then I was presented with an answer to all of my questions. Last week, my husband took me to the Earshot Jazz Festival to see the Matt Wilson Quartet. He told me that the leader of the band (a drummer) was wild and crazy, in the best way possible. It sounded like fun, so I went along.

I’ve been to a lot of jazz shows and I usually know what to expect, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see. Matt Wilson uses anything and everything within reach to create music. Yes, he sits at a drum set, but he doesn’t let that limit him. He watches and listens to his band mates and does whatever necessary in the moment to create the sound that would fill that moment perfectly. He breaks the rules in order to serve the music and support his band. It’s almost as if he’s being controlled by something outside of himself and yet, he is more present than any musician I’ve ever seen. The result is that he shares his journey. You don’t know what’s going to happen next, but you know that it’s going to be magnificent and unexpected. And most important, it will be unique.

Yes, he is a drummer, but he doesn’t let that title limit him. He is a musician and an innovator and an artist and a bit of a clown. He found a way to be who he is and you can tell he is having the time of his life.

The moral of the story, my friends, is that whether you are a musician, artist, photographer, writer, blogger, dancer, jump roper, or under-water basket weaver, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Use whatever is within you and around you to create. Do not limit yourself. Open your eyes, look around, and incorporate Your World and Your Self into everything you do. The guaranteed result: magic. And heck, you’ll probably have more fun in the process.

Check out this video to see Matt Wilson at his goofiest. I hope it will inspire you to think outside the box.

Darrah Parker is a Seattle-based blogger and photographer specializing in food and lifestyle photography. She writes about living a creative life on her blog and shares her photography on her website.