My Personal Influencer!

The first article I had ever written in the 80's, sold to an international martial arts magazine. The article was written on an old manual typewriter that poked holes in the paper as I "hen-pecked" my way from start to finish. The article was inspired by two of my BFAMs, one of whom is now a legendary Capoeira Master, and the other who is now a poetic, master pastry chef!

I was a super prolific writer in those days, after having majored in Commercial Art and minored in Journalism, ("Thank you, Mr. Adams and Ms. Dixon"). I wrote everything from product descriptions to novelty button slogans. I honed my writing skills by working in a one-man resume-writing office where my commercial art skills allowed me to produce creative resumes for performers, dancers, and other artistic clients. The marriage of writing and art served me well and later included music and songwriting, in my own recording studio, (FHBR Productions). I continued to write articles in local newspapers and online content sites that paid by ads that were automatically generated by the articles' subject matter.

The major blocks in my writing were not born internally. I learned far too late regarding the importance of selecting a compatible mate, who supports your cultural and creative influences. These were my creative blocks! Women who did not understand my need to express myself through art, literature, and music. The more I succeeded in my artistic endeavors, the more I failed in my love life! It was a horrible price to pay for success!

In 1999 I finally married the woman I was meant to be with forever, CMB. She was intelligent, creative, hard-working, culturally aware, and of course beautiful. She encouraged me to pursue my creative dreams and involved me in her own ventures. As I write this blog, CMB is slowly recovering from a debilitating sickle cell crisis that has kept me AFK for a few weeks now. She comes first, before eating, sleeping, and of course writing! But those of you who read The Old Block's musings from day one know that CMB is not depicted above. The old girl lovingly hugging me in my kitchen is none other than Kool Wize Lady, my niece and first "pseudo-daughter", and my inadvertent inspiration for returning to writing, after more than a decade hiatus. Granted, when I "fell down and couldn't get up" in 2016, I did not even know I was a "writer-artist-singer-orator" because I had to learn how to perform basic tasks like breathing, swallowing, eating, and talking, all over again. (I can no longer sing because, in their haste to save my life, emergency personnel had to intubate me, which permanently damaged my vocal cords!)

When my niece visited me at my home in Las Vegas, she unintentionally shared her vlogging endeavors with me, by stepping outside each day for live and recorded video posts. It awakened a sleeping giant in me; made me put down my joystick for a moment; and compelled me to once again express myself creatively. I can no longer sing or speak publically, but my keyboard can do more than move bitmaps around in virtual worlds. So I wrote and posted my first blog shortly after her visit. Today is my birthday, and I just finished talking to my wonderful niece. I wanted to formally thank her for this inspirational journey that I have embarked upon, due largely to her love and influence. Thank you, baby. Uncle loves you way too much!