The Joyful Arts Festival is an evening where artists from all mediums share their work with the spiritual community of Ananda LA, an organization for Self-Realization. The night kicked off with robust stories of Ganesha, the Indian God known for his elephant head. He is also known as the remover of obstacles, and the story of how he received his head is a great metaphor for shedding one’s ego – which I feel is an important step in creating art. After each artist shared their music, their stories, their paintings, and even their food, I was touched by the truth behind art itself. Where do we get the ideas, the inspiration, the drive to create? Surely it can only be Divine. The consciousness that flows through the universe wants to express itself, and I believe artists are the vehicles through which it manifests. I personally find that when I let that inspiration flow, I can write for hours without stopping. When my ego creeps in (which it inevitably does) with doubts of whether I’m good enough and cares about what other people will think of my story – the tap runs dry. The flow has been interrupted. When I surrender myself to the story that wants to be told, I am free. I am my best in those moments. Below is a video of this wonderful festival featuring multiple storytellers (my section starts at 41 minutes in) a stirring cello solo, a beautiful harp player, gorgeous paintings, and chanting from Parmahansa Yogananda’s book of songs. I hope the video moves you to follow your inspirations.