Nisha Purushotham

Soon after moving to the Greater Boston area three years ago, I befriended a seasoned and gifted musician who regularly pushed me to seek out performance opportunities. I often responded that my work as an artist-in-residence with various organizations, educational institutions,  and communities was so consuming that I didn’t have time to book gigs and rehearse for shows. I did not expect this dynamic to change.

And then in November I felt this pull. Not an abrupt forceful pull that compels inauthentic action or ways of being. But a gentle invitational pull like that of a child drawing you over the threshold between the actual and the imagined, between certainty and curiosity.

In response, I booked my first gig in the Greater Boston area which took place last week. What was the source of this pull towards creative authentic action? Several seemingly unrelated developments of the past year:

The call of an Elder organizer and educator for new movement songs.

    The witnessing of people’s movements throughout the Middle East                      which challenge economic oppression and state sponsored violence and             strengthen people's resolve to create just and peaceful societies.

The introduction to a soulful musician and healer seeking new ways to share music in the world.

    The engagement with the Occupy Movement in Boston.

The expression of desire to resume our creative collaboration by two local artists in the span of one week.

One experience alone may not have held the power to move me from my creative inertia. But when gathered together in my consciousness, these separate experiences coalesced into a life giving force. This gentle and power-filled energy heightened my awareness of the role my music can play in the lives of individuals and movements for cultural awakening and transformation.

What seemingly unrelated experiences are coalescing within your consciousness? What is this coalescence calling you to?