I grew up in a
dysfunctional family. Actually, it was a broken home, but we
stayed together out of habit. I assigned myself a very important
job within the family. I had to keep everyone laughing, sort of
like the skills of a rodeo clown. And I was good at it, so very
good. I can still see the tears of laughter rolling down their
cheeks, doubled over and holding their stomach's.
It took some time for me
to find the entrance to my true creativity. With a little
solitude and reflection, pruning and bulldozing, I have made
some headway and fashioned a means of access. But that same
access has been shaped into a revolving door, which makes it
just as easy to exit as it is to enter. A blessing and a burden.
My first love was art, and I spent many years rendering pet
portraits for the almost rich and famous. I had to quit
sketching people after a time. I found that I was being turned
into a cosmetic surgeon. "Make my nose smaller," "straighten my
teeth," "I want more hair."
Doggies don't give a hoot if their hair is thinning or they have
freckles on their nose.
The love of my life now,
is writing. I adore mystery, a good romance and lots of action
in a story. But the ghost of the rodeo clown still lives in me
and finds ways to thread humor throughout. The things that I
find funny appall some people. Dark and dangerous may be lurking
out there, but I can always find some piece of humor in the
worst of situations. That in itself, I realize can by quite
annoying. Still, I believe that laughter heals the heart, and
there sure are a lot of broken hearts out there.
Today I surround myself with other writers,
where I feel most comfortable and not forced to wear the
false-face. I can be myself and laugh at the sad parts and cry
at the happy ones. How many people are lucky enough to find
that?
About
Venita Louise 