MEGGIE GEORGE CREATES

List of videos where I have written the song, sung, played, recorded, edited them, as well as filmed and edited the video (starting with most recent) so far:

My next video:

I Guess You Just Breathe

2016 was my year of shattered illusions and my call to activism.
After the results of the US election a veil was ripped from my eyes and I looked at the world thinking; “well, fuck!”. Depression hit hard and writing has been the best way for me to deal (actually, writing, vegan ice cream and watching bad movies). This song has been my companion for the past two months. It has eased my growing pains. It has also changed shape quite a few times (there were definitely some raging versions).
I decided to film/record it as my declaration to the new year.
Note to self: breathe. Then act.

I would also like to add that this is the first time I have recorded a baby grand piano “live”. I feel like it sound all right. In a few years I might listen to it and cringe, but right now I say “not too bad for a first go of it”.

Also, Happy New Year!

Raise Your Voice

A “new-ish” song

I wrote this song a few months ago. Right now, it seems very fitting. I’ve noticed that the more I step up for what I think is important, take action, the less likely I am to fall into pits of despair, even though sometimes it seems like the hardest bloody thing to do.

I’ll Miss You

I wrote this song unexpectedly. I decided to record and film it, raw, and put it online in one take. I think it is pretty self-explanatory.

Here’s the FACEBOOK link

Song, lyrics, vocals, filming, instruments, editing: Meggie George

Warriors Of Love

Thank you to (in order of appearance) Andrea Pizza, Caroline Fourmy, Tiffany Michaela Jones and Courtney Andersen Boe.

Bodhisattva: a term used in Buddhism to describe anyone (no matter the gender, race, belief, sexuality, etc) who, motivated by pure compassion, dedicates their life to alleviating the suffering of the world. They are called ‘Warriors’, but not warriors of aggression who ‘fight, but warriors of love who are willing to cut through their own reactivity and self-deception in order to see the threads linking all of humanity together.
I love this thought, but I wrote this song a while ago, before I had ever heard the term “Bodhisattva”. However,I had a very similar thought in mind. What if, instead of putting on our daily armor and protecting ourselves from all the “bad” stuff, what if instead we let it break our hearts? And then, what if that leads us to find the soft spot underneath it all – where we recognize, with sudden clarity, that all of humanity is linked? And how would that change the way we interact with each other? Maybe we can dance it out, drink tee it out, paint it out, write it out, create it out instead of fight it out. Maybe.
As I was thinking of what I wanted to do in this video, I recognized that I wanted to film beautifully creative women I know being their creative selves: uninhibited, free self-expression, joyful expression. All four of these women sing, act, dance, write, paint, create and manage that weird balancing act that we all have to do between our creative selves and the “living in reality” self. And on top of that, they are kind and courageous and always willing to try new things and trust. And I find them, and what they do, contagious.
Filming and working with them was a ton of fun. I learned more from them than I could have thought was possible. I hope you enjoy this video, because I certainly went on a journey of self-discovery while creating it!

As I wrote this song, the “Ode an die Freude”, butted its way in. I had quite an internal debate about whether I could just take something that is so powerful and put it into my little tune. Finally, I decided to let go and just do it. The German (which is the original) is different from the English translation. It is all about “Joy uniting humanity”. Sign me up for that, I say.

Song, lyrics, vocals, filming, instruments, editing: Meggie George (except for the excerpts of “Ode an die Freude” which was written by Ludwig van Beethoven and the great German poet Friedrich Schiller)
All art was created by these four women. I made the sets, but they filled the space!

For more on these women, check out their websites:
Caroline Fourmy: http://www.carolinefourmy.com/

“The wound is the place where the light enters you” Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī – a Sufi mystic, poet, scholar (amongst other things) and Afghan refugee.

I Am Not

No, I did not meet the worlds worst person. But yes, I got annoyed at somebody and, to amuse myself, decided to write a song about anything and everything that had ever ticked me off in any kind of relationship. And then, to top it off, I had great fun mocking gender roles. One of the things about traveling and being in different cultures is that you really do recognize how arbitrary gender roles and cultural values are. What is polite in one place is rude in another, etc. And that gives you a lot of freedom of choice. And a lot of ammunition to mock the crap out of roles that I personally believe are utter… bullshit.
To be honest, all of these qualities probably also apply to me as well, but I am the one who wrote the song so, you know, it is more fun this way.
Hope you like it. Maybe you even resonate with it.
This one was filmed by my ever so excellent friend Nina in Germany who saw, lit and exterminated unsightly shadows, who noticed when there were shots that we really should get (even though I was totally oblivious and was heading into the warm car) and who is always up for a good, creative laugh and endeavor…
Nina and I had a lot of fun driving around finding locations and figuring out where to put Jake (the mannequin) and how to dress him. It was cold and beautiful. My only regret is that we didn’t get a clear shot of the alps. Ah well, next time…

Song, Editing, Vocals, Instruments, etc: Meggie George
Filming: Nina

Roar With The Stars

I wrote this song one year ago after being hit over the head with the disconcerting “aha”moment that I was bored out of my mind musically, creatively, emotionally, “living-ly”, etc. Actually, sadly, I was very much not out of my mind. Instead, I was very much stuck smack dab right in the middle of it. And then I read a quote attributed to Cary Grant, as Mortimer from the movie “Old Lace”. The quote is, “insanity doesn’t run in my family, it practically gallops” and I felt a song coming on (it was also the Chinese year of the horse so apparently, there was a horse theme galloping through my head.)
I decided to throw out (or make a declaration I wanted to) my old mind set of having to wait for someone to allow me to be creative, be it an agent, producer, record company, whatever, and just let out the things that were bubbling around inside of me. I decided to start trusting my own intuition and taste and perceptions and to take the risk of showing myself, fully. Because, if I don’t show who I am, how will I ever know myself?
In our society there can be a lot of pressure not to follow a path that has nothing to do with the outside world, with outside acclaim, but has everything to do with the voice inside of you that knows exactly how it wants to sound and look; the voice that allows you to roar with the stars and dive and dip through rainbows of sound and creativity. I am willing to follow THAT wherever it takes me. And if that is insane or weird or whatever, well, so be it.
Now, one year later, I’m not that bored anymore. And even when I am, it is not out of a debilitating sense of “stuckness” in life. Thank goodness! So even if I am the only person who ever cares about what I create – it is worth it.
And I ain’t stopping…

Song, recording, editing, vocals, instruments, etc: Meggie George
Filming: Katie Cortez, Meggie George

If You Must Sing

I wrote this song a few years ago as my appendix was bursting. I didn’t know this at the time, but the very next day I was in the hospital having an emergency operation.
It is a song about following your hearts desire, staying true to the call of the wild/soul. I was a very, very, very long way away from being creatively free at the time, floundering about in different genres of the entertainment business when all I really wanted to do was write and create.
We filmed this in the swamps of Louisiana in the Jean Lafitte National Park and Historical Preserve. It is a beautiful landscape, full of oak trees, ferns, poison ivy, mud, alligators, birds, snakes and insects. And it is disappearing, due to our oil addiction and enjoyment of general destruction of nature. I thought it was fitting to film a song about staying true to yourself in a place where wildness still exists, but is slowly being eradicated (I am also becoming more and more fascinated with the archetype of the Wild Woman.)
Cheerful, I know. Now watch a funny movie and laugh. Or cry.

Filming: Katie Cortez, Meggie George
Recording, Songwriter, Piano, Lead Vocals, Choir, Editing, etc: Meggie George

Devil Mäy Care

As I was thinking about how to say what I wanted to say about this song, I picked up a book by Terry Tempest Williams When Women Were Birds: Fifty-Four Variations On Voice and found what I was thinking expressed more beautifully than I could have said it:

“The moment Eve bit into the apple, her eyes opened and she became free. She exposed the truth of what every woman knows: to find our sovereign voice often requires a betrayal. We just have to make certain we do not betray ourselves. For a woman or a man to speak from the truth of their heart is to break a taboo. The mask is removed. The snake who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit was not the Devil, but her own instinctive nature saying, Honor your hunger and feed yourself.
Devil spelled backwards is Lived.”

I am not a religious person, at all. I don’t believe in a God or in a Devil but when we look at creation myths, stories, legends – the heroes journey – we are able to puzzle out a possible deeper meaning to our own existence. We can hide in fear, we can externalize it, say it exists outside of us as something “other”, or we can face it head on, announcing; “Fear? I laugh in the face of fear! Come on, you old goat, dance with me.” And we can keep laughing and challenging fear until we find the courage to step into a life filled with the entire color spectrum of human experience rather than one based on very narrow limitations of black and white, good and bad, right and wrong AND the list goes on…

Because, really, things don’t have to be as scary as we like to pretend they are.

For a little interesting read:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/10/16/vera-rubin-creativity-interview/?mc_cid=637ca026b4&mc_eid=0d5ad7bf74

Song, Music, Lyrics, Editing: Meggie George
Filming: Katie Cortez, Meggie George, Matt Ryan

Let Life Live You (for a while)

We shot this video on a road trip. My partner in crime, Katie, and I decided to take a road trip to Tennessee and take the words of the song literally – film whatever we came across, no planning, just life and pure inspiration (mixed with perspiration).

That is what this song is about (if I don’t say it enough in the actual song), letting go and trusting life and playing with whatever you happen to come across. Because whatever version of life you believe in, that is the life you are going to lead (apparently).
I have made the executive decision that my version is playful and completely creative. Doesn’t meant things aren’t going to hurt or suck or be really, really boring occasionally – I am not talking about burying my head in the sand – but being totally present in each and every emotion and moment. And having as my default mode that life is good – not because of some dogmatic b**llsh*t, but because this is my life and I get to make the rules. This default mode is whole lot more creative and fun than any other I have tried.

A friend of mine recently sent me this and I think it says what I am attempting to say here very eloquently: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/04/to-find-whats-beautiful/

I hope you enjoy the video. We had a lot of fun making it (except for the shots of me singing and dancing on the car – almost had a heatstroke. Louisiana in July is HOT).

Filming: Katie Cortez and Meggie George
The Rest: Meggie George

Thank You! (for being such an ass)

I dedicate this video to two of the strongest people I know. Go get `em! ROAR!
Big realization: when people behave like “asses”they are actually doing you a huge favor. They are setting you free.
It may be painful at first but we all have the choice of sticking around or leaving. And when someone is “mean”, well, it just means we are allowed to move on and find the surroundings that make us happy – because those do exist.
A lot of the “bad”experiences are actually the ones I am the most grateful for. They made me realize who I am, what I like, what I actually want in life, how I want to play. Because that is what I have made the executive decision life is about: playing and rising to the challenge. And at some point it all becomes fun.
So, yes, thank you for being such an ass – to every ass I have ever met (of course I have also played the “ass”role in certain people`s lives – well aware of that!) Because this life business is starting to be a laugh.
Thank YOU! I love you!

Everything: Meggie George (except for the shoes and the dress – thank goodness I have glamorous friends…)

Send The Call Out

I read a lot. I love books about almost anything but mostly about life, the universe, thoughts on existence or, to keep things interesting, apocalyptic novels. Last year I was reading a little obsessively: about different ways of thought, different world views, the question of what we actually are, etc, and I began to see a common thread amongst all of this information: the theme of there being no separation. From anything. What happens on one side of the world, happens on the other side. It is kinda like saying “you can pee on this side of the pool but not on this side”. Doesn’t work. And I am not just talking about other human beings. I am talking about EVERYTHING.
We can call it whatever we want to but underneath all of our differences, opinions, personalities, tastes, we all hum to the same buzz.
Maybe.
And if we continue to destroy this planet we are humming along with, we ultimately end up destroying ourselves. Earth probably does not need us, but we sure as fudge need her.
Unless we all evacuate to the moon. If that is the case – my apologies to the moon in advance…
That being said – I actually really do like people. Really. Honestly.
Maybe.
And, possibly (very possibly) I have no idea what I am talking about. So just watch the video. I hope you enjoy it!

Vid Concept: Katie Cortez, Meggie George
Filming: Katie Cortez
Song, Editing, Recording, etc: Meggie George
Equipment: Matt Ryan

Unbreakable Woman

This song was written during a time when I really didn’t believe there was anything ‘unbreakable’ about me, and for a long time I had a hard time singing it in public. But then, during the last two years, something clicked and I recognized what I was singing about. It is a song about keeping going, believing in yourself, allowing yourself to fly, be, create, express in whatever way you want to do it.
I have been very lucky in that I have grown up surrounded by some pretty phenomenal women. Women who believed that they were allowed to choose the life they wanted to lead (whatever that was) and who have supported me in my choices. As I have grown, I have continued to meet more of these women, wherever I go. They are friends, mothers, grandparents, sisters, aunts, cousins, in-laws, daughters and most of all, they are themselves. And so I asked them if they would share their images and some words or quotes with me that show a small part of them. These are the women who did. They have been an inspiration to me.

Some of these women are artists, performers, creative types, people on a mission and here are their websites so you can check out what it is they actually do (when not hanging out on my wall):
Sanna Myrttinen, a visual artist and activist, who creates gorgeous images: http://www.sanna-art.com/
Dody Nolan, who is a fantastic singer, performer and pretty phenomenal person: http://www.dodynolan.com/live/
Katherine McClain, also a wonderful singer, actress, writer, creative type and adventure seeker: http://www.katherine-mcclain.com/
Rebecca Waller Gillan, who can play/compose anything on the piano, and just sit down and improvise for hours, moving from key to key with grace and fluidity: http://rebeccawallergillan.com/
Nina Eichinger, who is going to save the world: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nina-Eichinger/266779283360573
Lori Bolden, Musician, Artist, Coach, Motivator:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/en_US/member/sn/geauxsteady

Thank you! You rock!

Video Concept, Song, Editing, etc: Meggie George
Gallery of Women: Katie Cortez, Meggie George
Equipment: Matt Ryan

So Many of Ev’rybody

I LOVE Superheroes. If I had the choice – I would skip this whole “being human” business and head straight into life as flying superpower…
That being said, this song was created because a friend of mine was bemoaning her fate as a single woman and was convinced she was going to die alone and miserable. Apart from the fact that we are all going to die alone (nobody else can go through the process for us), I also attempted to convince her that this world is filled (overfilled, actually), with humans. They (we) are everywhere. You can’t walk outta your front door without running into one. And here is the next thing – most people, if you give them a chance, are surprisingly interesting. But that’s the thing, you have to give them (and yourself) a chance…

Set Design: Katie Cortez, Meggie George
All the rest was done by me this time around… (I am still trying to figure out if that means I am actually a raging egomaniac)

Rise, Rise

This is a song about stepping into your “void” and seeing that maybe, just maybe, it ain’t as dark, scary and overrun with spiders in there as you always thought it was. Also – who says spiders can’t have excellent personalities?
What if the things we have always feared about ourselves the most are really the things that are most beautiful about us? What if there is absolutely nothing wrong with us? What if the “void” isn’t all the empty – but a leap into our “360 degree personality”. Where the fairies dance and the mountains sing.
Crazy? Very possibly… But why go “normal” (whatever that actually MEANS – does anybody know)?

Singer/songwriter, Filming, Recording, Lighting, Blah blah blah: Meggie George
Butterfly idea, Butterfly art, Black-out queen, Light rigger: Katie Cortez
Equipment: Matt Ryan

The Complaint

This song is a little rant. Sometimes you just gotta say what’s on your mind.
I have had a recent realization that I love sarcasm, sarcastic people, people who are able to make fun of themselves and laugh at life. Basically, we are just trying to figure out how this thing called “life” works, and if we can do it with a sense of humor, well, more power to ya! (It also happens to be my nieces favorite song of mine – and we all know that us aunts live to please our nieces;)
We had a lot of fun making this vid – crawling through the swamps, falling flat on our faces and not taking ourselves too seriously.
It was shot with a $120 camera and recorded on Logix Pro X. Here’s to making stuff on a budget!

Meggie George: Singer/songwriter, Piano, Musical Editing, Video Editing, Concept
Katie Cortez: Videography, The “Eagles Eye ” for beautiful shots, Location Scout, Transportation, Phenomenal Human Being

I have embarked on a new project. Starting Friday, March 13, 2015 – I am uploading a new video of one of my songs to my youtube channel. I will be doing this every two weeks. It is not about being perfect, it is about having fun and playing in life. This is my very first video – I hope you enjoy it (but if not, that is also all right – just keep it to yourself)

Be Free

This video is about letting go of perfection and just getting out there and doing it. Being Raw. Being Real. Being you.
It is actually pictures – 859 of them – put together in video form.
I wrote the song, arranged the song, recorded the song, engineered the song, put together the video and am now throwing it out there – raw and imperfect though it may be.
Basically, I realized that my biggest passion is to create and I got tired of waiting around for someone else to tell me what the ‘perfect’ way to do it was. So I sat down with myself and just did it.
This video is the first in a series of videos. Starting now – every two weeks, Friday, I am posting one of my songs. Raw, real, and whatever other words can be used to describe this process. Just be fricking free.
Here’s to doing it, scary though it may be…

Photography: Matt Ryan (the one and only)
Lyrics, Music, Arrangement, Video, Keys, Vocals, Idea: Meggie George
Moral Support: Everyone else in my life!

Feel free to check out some of my older stuff on my youtube channel:

Videos