Back in the day I loved MTV videos, so I have an appreciation and a respect for the videographers and the visuals chosen to represent music. Katherine Roselli and Patricia Somers tell a story with pictures in the “Set Me Free” video. The time, love and attention given to the project come through each time I watch it!  Read on to learn more.

Creating the “Set Me Free” video was a serendipitous, fun and growthful experience involving lots of love, laughter and Milarepa sightings, which I will explain below. =] Here’s how it happened.

In October of 2016, I was catching a plane to a seminar. When I found my seat, I also saw two familiar faces, Kathy Roselli and her partner, Rand. Though I had said hello to Kathy many times before, I had yet to have a deeper conversation. Now, as seat mates on the same flight, that detail was taken care of. Yay!

On the flight we talked about many things. As we got to know each other better, I discovered that she is a filmmaker and she learned that I was recording the Set Me Free CD. Before the flight was over, we agreed that it would be fun to create a music video together.

In the following few months, after deciding to focus on the title track “Set Me Free”, we both collected video clips. Kathy had a lot of creative ideas right out of the gate, so she and Pat Somers, another filmmaking friend and colleague, quickly put together a wonderful video! With a little back and forth of sharing ideas and vision, we made small changes and fine tuned it till the final version was born.

I’m not really a perfectionist, but I know when my heart says, “Yes, this is the one.” Since the tweaks to the video took a little time, we humorously referred to the process as our “joint Milarepa experience.” =]

For those who don’t know the story about the Tibetan Yogi, Milarepa, here’s a nutshell version. It was said that he was studying with a teacher in the Tibetan mountains. His instruction was to build a home from the sharp mountain stones. With a steep learning curve and a lot of effort, he built a house, only to be told to tear it down and start over in a different spot. This happened a few times over a few years, so the story goes. In one book I read, it eluded to the fact that building the house was secondary to what was really going on. Through it all, Milarepa developed an inner strength and an unwavering, loving heart. Though they say a 9-story, stone tower still stands in Nepal today from his efforts, what he was truly building was a rock-solid, spiritual foundation and an inner temple.

When challenges, aka opportunities, arise in the midst of a project, I think of Milarepa and give a grateful nod for his amazing example of moving through life as gracefully as possible come what may. I playfully refer to these opportunities as “Milarepa sightings.”

Kathy & Pat, thank you so much for co-creating this light filled video, and for sharing your filmmaking expertise with me! What an incredible team you are!

You can check out more of their work at K-Rose Productions (Kathy) and Slow Moving Pictures (Pat). Also, stay tuned for another blog post with the “Spotlight” on Kathy Roselli sharing more information about the art of filmmaking and her personal experiences as an expert in the field!

Now please check out the video below! Be sure to give us a thumbs up if you like it, share it with your friends, and follow us on YouTube if you want to know when the next video is out. There is another one in the works as we speak! =]

One more thing, from my website you can now go directly to my YouTube videos, as well as my music on Spotify. At the bottom of the main page you will see icons for both, so you’re one click away! Please follow me on Spotify and add me to your playlists for free!

Thanks so much for reading the blog, and please feel free to share your Milarepa stories! I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmly,

Janie

*Photos below are Kathy Roselli (left) and Pat Somers (right).

Insider Notes

When we were putting the video together, I asked Kathy if she would include clips of other people interacting with life, helping each other, and giving love in different ways. She has some amazing footage; children and animals always open my heart. There are so many ways to give and receive love on any given day. When I take time to notice, it’s quite remarkable and magical. Thank you, Kathy, for all the sweet moments you captured on film and for sharing them with the world!