my Michfest challenge (by Cregan)
Wow. I'm still nearly speechless. We've just arrived home after our summer trip to Maine, NY and Michigan. And it was Michigan Womyn's Music Festival that took away my words. Nothing could have prepared me for the power and awesomeness of this week in the woods way up there in Michigan with thousands of women. Yes, it's only women. But the greatness of the festival goes way beyond the experience itself. The power comes from bringing the self-expression I found back with me into my life. Breaking through my fear-driven safety walls I live behind in this multi-gender, sensory-overloaded, priority-confused world. I tasted a bit of who I want to be and how I want to be, while I was surrounded by thousands of other women fearlessly expressing their truest selves. Now I'm faced with the challenge to really become that expression. Music is the first and most direct place for me to start. My fiddle is my true voice, and there's a lot more to that voice than I've ever let on. Thank you, women of Michfest, for bringing me closer to myself and daring me to push deeper into my art. I can't wait for next year's festival, but for now I've got plenty of work to do, and I'm excited for it.
