I am Lisa Sniderman, aka Aoede, an award-winning, quirky, folk-pop artist, playwright, filmmaker, author and disabled artist advocate from San Francisco. I've been honored with more than 100 accolades and awards for my songwriting, audiobooks, films, stage plays, voiceover and books all while suffering from a rare autoimmune disease: dermatomyositis (DM), a progressive muscle weakness disease. My story is persevering through this darkness called DM for more than 14 years by obsessively turning to creativity to express and as a healing path. But my story and my 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. I use my arts and music to give a voice to, elevate and empower those with chronic illnesses and disabilities to improve their mental health and wellness, grieve and thrive. What's Your Story?
My story and my 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
Along my twisting spiral staircase of a journey into chronic illness, I did everything I could to avoid delving into or dwelling in my personal darkness. Instead, for years, I donned my artist persona, Aoede, the Muse of Song in Greek mythology, and created bright, light, happy, uplifting, positive, feel good, childlike, quirky pop songs and full-length fantasy musicals melding mythology, magic and music, to counter the darkness I was experiencing and living with daily. I discovered music and art are my lifelines, and I cannot stop creating! Since 2012, I created, recorded and released as Aoede three original, award-winning, full-length fantasy musicals on audiobooks, and then adapted two of them to musical theater stage plays: Is Love A Fairy Tale? (2012), What Are Dreams Made Of? (WADMO 2013), and Do You Believe In Magic? (MAGIC 2015). I also recorded and released Aoede's adult quirky folk pop albums such as Skeletons of the Muse (2012). A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude (Sep 2018) is my first book. I also created and published "The Grieving Project" (Aug 2020) a powerful spoken word musical audiobook that sets the stages of grief to music, sparked after I realized that during all these years of creating, I forgot to grieve...
Helping others navigate their own personal darkness continues to be an important part of my own recovery. I’m learning that the acts of creating and sharing my story, music or art can also inspire you to live your dreams, open your heart, empower you to share your story and help you heal. I wrote my memoir, A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude, to share my journey of plunging into and through the darkness, my reflections, confessions, insights, and life lessons, to inspire hope and the courage to keep dreaming and living life to the fullest no matter what life hurls at you.