Meet Ann Myra | Athlete, Artist, Author, Enviornmential Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ann Myra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ann, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
Yes! Carpe Diem! The Latin for sieze the day. I’m writing a book with that title right now. Life is fast and ephemeral and we only live once so best to make the best of it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Well if you are in the LA area this summer I sincerely hope you are able to see the Keith Haring exhibit currently at the Broad. His attitude was that “Art is for Everybody” and he also believed that “Art is Life and visa versa” as do I. So at Cal Arts in my 20’s I was a visual artist and made paintings, photographs, installations, some video art and performances. That’s one of the ideal benefits from going to Cal Arts is that they believe in multidiscpline so for instance many of the visual artists played music and or turned to creating music later on like my classmate Eddie Ruscha Jr. also known as Secret Circuit. As well as Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs of Fitz and the Tantrums. So greatful for their success and proud of them! I hope he’s still creating music, haven’t seen him in many years. Fortunately many of my classmates have done very well in the art world. Sam Durant, Andrea Bowers, Sophia Coppola, Sharon Lockhart, Laura Owens. And while I never really persued my artmaking career I did a million other odd jobs such as popcorn girl at the New Beverly Cinema before Quinton purchased it. Set Decorator and or Art department or props. Then I was teaching pre-school at La Claire Fontaine in Venice while recording my first album. It was released on 2/14/2012 and sadly 6 months later I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. So I had to take a brake from gigs, promotion and marketing and focus hard on staying alive and getting healthy. So I reached out to any and all of the local support communities the West LA Cancer Support Community, the Simms Mann Center at UCLA. The Living Beauty Foundation. The Providence St. Johns all of which helped me navigate my cancer journey. Like Angelina Joli I am also BRCA 1 positive so I had a double mastectomy and later in 2017 another pre-emptive preventitive surgery. So as far as success goes I am still working on that. Now after nearly losing my life in 2018 racing sailboats I am simply grateful to be ALIVE. I have now written two children’s books and my memoir and started the weekly My LOG podcast. It is my greatest hope that things are looking up that I will be able to continue making music, the podcast and hopefully get back to making visual art as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My cousin Julian was just in town from Switzerlamd for a week. The first night we had dinner at Ghisallo on Ocean Park in Santa Monica, Next we saw Oppenhimer & the Ferris Wheel under the full moon at the Pier. The Broad Museum and then we went to eat at the Grand Central Market took the Angel’s Flight just to show him. I love Hirashimo for a view of the city as well as the Getty gardens both of them. Then up the coast to Malibu for a pickle ball lesson and dinner with friends.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Thankfully I have had the privilege and honor, love and support of my phenomenal family. My beautiful artist mother Sonya Gurewitsch and her brother my uncle Matthew Gurewitsch. My amazing baby sister Alexandra Teter M.F.T. and Pilates instructor. And of course the influence of many other iimpactful women and artists doing crucial work at this time. Dr. Claire Zammit PhD and Cathy Heller, Sheri Salata, Oprah, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Maggie Baird, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Kate Perotti, Kelly Kincaid just to name a few. I have been soaking up everything in the self help realm for decades now. So if I have failed to mention your name and we’ve shared knowledge or wisdom my gratitude abounds. Actually really I owe my entire memoir & the idea of writing it to Kevin Pearce who’s documentary “The Crash Reel” I watched in rehab at the Brain Injury Treatment center in Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, CA. As well as the book by Eben Alexander called Proof of Heaven. Both of those and later Emilia Clarke’s nightmare with strokes or blood clots made very strong impressions on me. The foundadtion she and her mother created called Same You.org and respectively the Love Your Brain Yoga Foundation run by Kevin and family. Makes me also want to help people who have experienced TBI’s. It absolutely blew me away how many of us all different ages from 12-75 were there getting outpatient rehab. Even at the time they were turning patients away.

Website: https://www.mylittleorganicgarden.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Other: https://annmyra.com/album/ann-myra
https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grace-She-born-live-ebook/dp/B09B5QMVDT
https://www.amazon.com/Annabel-Ground-Ann-Myra/dp/1645753298

Podcast: https://www.mylittleorganicgarden.com/podcast

Image Credits
Julian_Anatol, John Markowitz