Hi, I’m Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now. 2013 has been a wonderful year! Since I launched Amused Now Blog with the Artists Helping Artists post on May 13, we have helped over 55 Featured Artists and guest bloggers! Well, it’s that time of year to reflect back on all my blessings and to thank those who have helped me along the way. I could not have launched this blog without the help of two fabulous friends: Joseph Gier and Libby Baker Sweiger. Joseph taught Libby and me how to use Google+ Hangouts for the first time. Did you know that I did not record the first Featured Artist video interviews? It was Libby took the reins and blazed that trail for us, creating those first video interviews for YouTube. Thank you Joseph and Libby for all your help launching the Featured Artist Series: http://www.youtube.com/amusednow I’d also like to thank those artists who believed in me and our mission to “create a world where artists can make a living doing what they love.” Since we have so many new fans, I thought it would be fun to share some insight into Amused Now’s beginnings and to show my appreciation by giving our first five Featured Artists and bloggers a little added exposure. Featured Artist Damien Cripps ~ The Music Has the Power It seems funny that we know so many indie artists in the US, yet our first Featured Artist resides in Australia. Libby has been social media friends with Damien Cripps for years, so she reached out to him for the series. What a trouper! Libby got up and dressed and interviewed Damien at 4:30 am her time, just as Damien was getting ready to go out and play a gig. The video quality...

There are times in one’s life when seemingly discombobulated moments, strewn about within the mind, suddenly coalesce in one moment of clarity. It is that eureka moment that we all long for and wish would happen to us as individuals. It happens so briefly in that tiny, minute fraction of what we humans call and conceptualize as time. Yet, once this truth is revealed, we are left changed. It is as if we are no longer the same person. That which once slumbered in the deep recesses of our soul is awakened… and we no longer have the luxury of ignoring nor denying its presence. In that moment, I realized what I have always lived out, but never acknowledged. I realized the joy and power of writing. Growing up, I always envied how painters can use simple brush strokes to represent life with all of its triumph and tragedies. I was jealous of photographers who through their cameras captured moments that told a story beyond the stillness of the image. As I thought about how jealous I was, I was struck with a thought that challenged me. When I write, my words, like brush strokes, can take people to imaginary worlds that are as real as our reality. My words, like still images, can profoundly affect how someone feels. With words, I have the power to make someone laugh and cry. With words, I have the power to make things that do not exist and call them forth into being. If that does not make you tingle with excitement at the power you possess at your finger tips, I don’t know what will!   Once you let that sink in, it is hard not to be filled with joy. I am joyful that I...

Why? I seriously have to ask myself that question. Why bother writing a book? There’s enough lining the book stores. Why add one more to the pile? If I don’t ask myself this question now, I know that when I’m in the middle of writing a book, when I feel discouraged and feel like I’m drifting farther and farther away from my deadline, I won’t stand a chance of finishing it. I have to ask this now or else be crippled into lack of action later. My initial response is “because I like writing.” While that may be true, writing a book can be a daunting task. It is not for the undisciplined. When there is no “inspiration,” can I keep going based on sheer will and determination until the next wave of inspiration hits me? What if I only have that one initial wave of inspiration to tide me over throughout the whole journey? Is that enough? And so, I realize, that I have to dig deeper. I needed a better reason. I needed one that can sustain me throughout the writing process: from the initial brainstorming, to the first chapter, and the never ending edits that will come along with a “finished” product. There’s a scene in the movie The King’s Speech when the king’s speech therapist asks him why people should listen to him? To which the king replies: “Because I have a right to be heard. I have a voice!” I was moved beyond comprehension by this brief exchange on the screen by two amazing actors. I wanted to get up from my seat and yell “Yes, I do have a voice!” However, I was able to restrain myself and I am sure that those in the theater are happy that...