Interview with award-winning artist, playwright, author Lisa Sniderman also known as Aoede on the onset of her chronic illness; inspiration, for and description of lights in the darkness community and collaboration; creative roles; Sniderman's memoir: "A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude," and 2018 online video showcase and live/streaming performance with more than 50 artists also creating to heal.
Lisa Sniderman
booking AT alightinthedarkness.info
FOR PRESS:
Beatrice Kimmel
EMPKT PR
beatrice@empktpr.com
• "Fostering healing by giving your creative spirit wings and inspiring you to share your story."
• "Music and art are my lifelines. I can’t stop creating!"
• "I’m not sick-I’m chronically inspired!"
She's received more than 100 accolades and awards as the artist Aoede, and is author of a powerful new spoken word musical audiobook: "The Grieving Project," (Aug 2020) all while battling a rare chronic illness for 15 years. Music is and art are her lifelines, and she obsessively creates to express, heal and empower others to grieve and thrive.
Lisa Sniderman, aka Aoede, is a multi-award-winning San Francisco-based artist, playwright, disabled artist advocate who creates art and music to foster healing, elevate, and empower others with chronic illnesses and disabilities to grieve and thrive. She’s been honored with more than 100 accolades and awards for songwriting, audiobooks, films, stage plays, voiceover and books against a fierce obstacle-while suffering from a rare autoimmune disease for 15 years: Dermatomyositis, a progressive muscle weakness disease. Says Sniderman, “Music and art are my lifelines, and I just cannot stop creating.”
Lisa Sniderman, aka Aoede, is a multi-award-winning San Francisco-based artist, playwright, disabled artist advocate who creates art and music to foster healing, elevate, and empower others with chronic illnesses and disabilities to improve their mental health and wellness, grieve and thrive. She’s been honored with more than 100 accolades and awards for songwriting, audiobooks, films, stage plays, voiceover and books against a fierce obstacle-while suffering from a rare autoimmune disease for 15 years: Dermatomyositis, a progressive muscle weakness disease. Says Sniderman, “Music and art are my lifelines, and I just cannot stop creating.” Her memoir: A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude (Sep 2018), chronicles her 10-year journey living with chronic illness while creating to heal. In July 2020, she held a free two-week online summit to help others struggling with chronic illness thrive, attended by 1,800 participants. She released her ninth studio album, The Grieving Project, August 2020, which sets the stages of grief to music, that she is adapting to a stage musical intended to bring live theatrical experiences to chronically ill and disabled communities.
Lisa Sniderman, aka Aoede, is a multi-award-winning San Francisco-based artist, playwright, disabled artist advocate who creates art and music to foster healing, elevate, and empower others with chronic illnesses and disabilities to improve their mental health and wellness, grieve and thrive. She’s been honored with more than 100 accolades and awards for songwriting, audiobooks, films, stage plays, voiceover and books against a fierce obstacle-while suffering from a rare autoimmune disease for 15 years: Dermatomyositis, a progressive muscle weakness disease that attacks and weakens her immune system, skin and muscles. In 2010, Sniderman was hospitalized for a month with complete muscle weakness due to a flare, and spent months in rehab using a wheelchair, relearning how to sit, stand, walk and eventually, how to play and sing again. She’s been creating ever since. While struggling with illness, Sniderman’s created/released 10 albums, including three young adult fantasy musical audiobooks, and directed/produced staged readings for two of them. Sniderman notes that she initially created to escape her illness, but then started to integrate her illness into her art, to help others thrive, starting with her memoir: A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude (Sep 2018), chronicling her 10-year journey living with chronic illness while creating to heal. In July 2020, she held a free two-week online summit featuring videos with 60+ experts, to help others struggling with chronic illness thrive, attended by 1,800 participants. Says Sniderman, “Music and art are my lifelines; I just cannot stop creating.” She kept so busy creating, Sniderman admits she forgot to grieve her illness. She has also been homebound many years, missing live theater, and had a vision of bringing live theater to those like her through filmed stage performances, which sparked the creation and release of her ninth studio album, "The Grieving Project" (August 2020), a spoken word musical audiobook that sets the stages of grief to music. She’s adapting this audiobook to a stage musical to bring live theatrical experiences to chronically ill and disabled communities (see: https://thegrievingproject.com).
It seems like pretty much everyone has a chronic illness of some sort. It's a good idea, then, to learn to deal with it without letting it ruin your life. Enter Lisa, or more specifically her book, which offers a first hand account of living freely despite your disease. Listen starting at 34:32.
Listen to Lisa Sniderman discuss A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude at: 30:18
Award-winning San Francisco folk singer-songwriter Lisa Sniderman “Aoede” talks with Big Blend Radio about her memoir “A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude,” that spans 10 years of what it was like living with chronic illness, and is an inspiring message for those living with chronic illness, disability, and unexpected life challenges.
No one plans for abrupt disruption in their life. No one expects to get diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease six weeks before they’re getting married, while they’re working full time and about to go on tour to promote their new album. But that’s how it started, in 2008, when I was an environmental scientist and a singer-songwriter... How was I to know a few short years later that I would become a muse? (See: https://theshiftnetwork.com/blog/2018-05-29/light-darkness-creating-heal)
PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATIONS
As I‘m sure many of you can relate, my first transformation was physical during my darkest days with DM, when I could no longer move my muscles, and my life changed forever in an instant. (See: https://ourheartspeaks.org/a-light-in-the-darkness/)
Music Friday-Aoede: LISTEN:
0:59-6:33
Multi award-winning San Francisco-based singer-songwriter, artist, playwright, and author Lisa Sniderman, aka: Aoede (pronounced AY-EE-DEE), obsessively creates to heal. She has been honored with more than 50 awards for her songwriting, audiobooks and stage plays since 2012. Highlights include: Independent Music Awards Vox Pop Winner 2014; International Songwriting Competition 2013, 2012 Winner, and John Lennon Songwriting Contest 2013, 2012 Finalist. Aoede's music has been featured in television shows, films, web commercials, compilation CDs, and other media.
She's accomplished all of this against a fierce obstacle-while suffering from a rare disease: dermatomyositis (DM), a progressive muscle weakness disease, for more than 10 years. Sniderman launched Aoede (named after first muse of song in Greek mythology) in 2006, to remind herself to inspire and be inspired, and later created her surrounding fantasy musical world after a lengthy hospitalization in 2010 due to a flare of her DM.
The success of the release party for her acclaimed adult folk-pop album Skeletons of the Muse (April 2012), inspired Sniderman to create her first musical story, Is Love A Fairy Tale? (September 2012), which garnered many accolades. Sniderman’s second musical, What Are Dreams Made Of? (2013), received six Children’s awards and seven stage play awards. Do You Believe In Magic? Sniderman’s third musical, is recipient of six children’s awards, an endorsement from Kids First, and was considered for for Best Musical Theater Album in the 58th Grammy Awards.
Sniderman is also author of a new book: "A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude" (Crimson Cloak Publishing 2018), an inspirational story of the healing power of music and creativity, following your dreams and finding your true purpose. Her memoir chronicles her 10-year journey with chronic illness while obsessively creating to heal.
Sniderman has been a singer-songwriter since 2002. She played instruments such as saxophone and violin and sang as a kid, but mainly she performed in plays and musicals until she was an adult. She found her voice and her muse in an effort to reinvent herself after ending her first marriage, started to take songwriting and guitar classes, and then did private study for many years. Women artists with quirky vocals, such as Ingrid Michaelson, Feist and Regina Spektor, influenced Sniderman's music, and fans of theirs resonate with Aoede's enchantingly quirky soprano voice.
Sniderman is inspired by the opportunity to positively impact and inspire others through connecting to her original pop songs or fantasy musicals. She says her story is persevering through the darkness of her disease for more than 10 years by obsessively turning to creativity to express and as a healing path. But her story and her life’s purpose is also becoming a light in the darkness and a muse, offering support, compassion, inspiration, connection, and encouragement to those who need it most-especially those experiencing transformations: illness, disability, or unexpected life challenges.
Living with a chronic illness, Sniderman creates, records, and shares her original musicals, art and music as a healing path and to give back, and seeks to use her gifts and experience to be a light and a muse. She discovered that healing happens during the creation process, but also when she shares her music with others, who often are empowered to share their stories. Says Sniderman, “Music and art are my lifelines, and I just cannot stop creating.”
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"Chronic illness challenges us in so many ways, but need not define who we are and what we have to offer. Sniderman is an inspiration. Her memoir provides an honest window into the power of the human spirit through real life examples and wisdom to imagine what is possible."
“Much like her experience in the MRI scanner, Sniderman treats every “pulse” she hears and feels in her life as if it were music—understanding that the artistic beauty of life’s journey is its individuality and desperate plea to ignore the confinement of having an itinerary.“
"A personal and poignant meditation on healing and hope. Sniderman's brilliant account will surely enlarge empathy, so that more can understand what it means to live with and triumph over struggles."
“Sniderman's ability to overcome impossible obstacles are nothing short of miraculous. Her positive outlook on life and remarkable passion for the arts has truly helped in her recovery. I highly recommend reading A Light in the Darkness. You will find it to be a transformative experience.”
“In this honest and inspiring account of perseverance and triumph, the author Lisa Sniderman shares her honest insights and encouraging life lessons that you can use to manage the impact of your chronic illness, reignite your lost inspirations and still follow your dreams.”
"As a former psychological counselor, poet, and mother of child with Juvenile Myositis I am thrilled by Lisa’s book. Her story of both living with a chronic illness and finding ways to harness and express her talents to encourage and inspire others, is a gift. I know many kids and adults will not only resonate with her story but will be uplifted by it and will find ways to let “their lights shine” too. This is an important and necessary story, not just for people with Dermatomyositis, but for anyone who struggles with, or loves someone with a chronic illness."
“Lisa shares her journey with honesty and grace. The heartfelt ideas and suggestions she offers are useful, inspiring and uplifting—for people dealing with chronic illness or any other life challenge.”
"Caring for a son with Juvenile dermatomyositis, I was overcome with the truth and rawness (and tears) of Sniderman's moving story. Her words are uplifting, compelling, engaging, and illuminating for anyone living with chronic illness and for those who love them."
“Sniderman’s inspirational tale serves to reminds us of what is possible no matter what we are going through in our own lives. Music and art are often powerful healers that provide the hope medicine needed to keep us moving forward each day.”
"Sniderman shares valuable wisdom in her open and honest account about overcoming the adversity of living with a chronic illness. A truly inspirational story of the healing power of music and creativity and finding your true purpose."
“Lisa Sniderman’s inspiring life lessons portray the story of struggle, relentless determination and perseverance, leading to her success lifting herself up. Her artistic life is an inspiration to others and an encouraging testament to never giving up in this beautiful universe to make the best out of this life despite challenges.”
“Lisa Sniderman is an amazing example of finding unbeatable strength through one’s creativity. She inspires others with her passion for her music and art and uses them to rise above the incredible challenges of her chronic illness. Bravo!”
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This Artist Isn’t Sick, She’s Chronically Inspired
When you’re living with a chronic condition, it’s easy to lose hope, let alone feel inspired. But despite the darkness, singer/songwriter Lisa Sniderman says, “Your dreams don’t have to die because you’re sick. In fact, they can actually help you heal. “I’m a living example. We can live with hope, passion, and joy, even if the shape and substance of our dreams have changed. We can live well with chronic illness!” Lisa, a multi-talented folk pop artist (Aoede), has been honored with more than 65 awards and has been considered multiple times for a GRAMMY. She says she realized midway through her 10-year battle with a rare, auto-immune, progressive muscle weakness disease-dermatomyositis-that her art wasn’t just therapeutic, it had become a lifeline, and creativity was her path to healing. And she’s not alone, Lisa is collaborating with more than 50 other artists, musicians, and authors who have turned to creativity to heal for a live/streaming event, “Lights in the Darkness-Creating to Heal" this December. Lisa says, “My vision is to share how we’ve become lights for others through our stories and art, focused on the art of healing.” Her memoir, “A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude,” will be released September 21, Myositis Awareness Day. Contact her at lis@aoedemuse.com.
Thanks Selena: Artists Shine Light in the Darkness
Some artists, like Selena Gomez, are open about their health battles. The actress has spoken about struggling with lupus and a recent kidney transplant, but many artists shy away from revealing their personal health struggles. Pop singer/songwriter Lisa Sniderman (Aoede) applauds Selena’s honesty as well as using her notoriety to help educate and raise awareness for causes such as lupus and chronic illness. She says sharing your journey is powerful—and healing--for you and others struggling with chronic illness or disease. Lisa realized midway through her 10-year battle with a rare, auto-immune disease that her art wasn’t just therapeutic, it had become a lifeline, and creativity was her path to healing. She has collaborated with more than 50 other artists, musicians, and authors who have turned to creativity to heal and will share their stories during her live/streaming event, “Lights in the Darkness-Creating to Heal” this December. Lisa says, “My vision is to share how we’ve become lights for others through our stories and art, focused on the art of healing.” Lisa has been honored with more than 65 awards and has been considered multiple times for a GRAMMY. “A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude,” intended to inspire those who are struggling with or know someone who battles chronic illness, disability, or unexpected life events, will be released September 21, Myositis Awareness Day. Contact her at aoede_muse@yahoo.com .
See also:
https://www.aoedemuse.com/press-releases-2/
For a Complete List of Aoede's Awards:
https://www.aoedemuse.com/awards-list/
