The Collateral of Genius and Rage, Shaped by a Woman’s Roar.

Today, the focus is more on personal reflections than on history. Allow me this indulgence. This week is my birthday and I am looking back and forward.

The first production I remember being in was Medea. I played one of the dead children—alongside my sister. I must’ve been four or five. Our babysitter was in the show, and somehow we got roped in. Our job? Lie motionless behind a scrim. Murdered. You know, classic childhood fare.

I was a squirmy kid. Restless. Not great at playing dead. My sister, ever the consummate professional, took matters into her own hands. She pinched me—hard—hoping a little pain might keep me still. It never worked. I’m pretty sure I never once lay completely still. Still don’t, if I’m honest. But there as the collateral of genius and rage, shaped by a woman’s roar, ( Medea's child) it began.

St. Dymphna, The Saint of the Shattered and Sparkling,The Quiet Patron of Panic, Created in 2023 by Valerie Marcus Ramshur, , crystal,, metal, glass beads, rhinestone

The Family Business

This is how I embarked on a journey in the arts—not quietly or neatly, but through the intricate weave of myth, memory, and creation. It has always been the family trade, the language we all comprehended. I never looked back. From that moment on, I kept working in the theater, seeking spaces filled with energy and disruption, molded not only by beauty but by defiance and complexity. And some sparkle too. I thrived on it.

More than fifty years later, after a life spent in dark theaters, noisey rehearsal rooms, dusty costume storage houses, and the electric buzz of opening nights, this sabbatical year was the first time I didn’t step foot in a theater. I didn’t collaborate on a production. I didn’t tell a story on stage. The first time!

The Strange Gift of Stepping Away

And yet, stepping away offered its own kind of story—The quiet surprise of not being on call for someone else’s vision. This year gave me space to ask:

What else is there? Who am I when I’m not making someone else’s world real?

The Shield of St. Michael: A Healing Reliquary Clay, crystal, acrylic, metal, glass beads | 2023 Created by Valerie Marcus Ramshur

Unlearning the Hustle

Aging.  When your body signals the need for rest, be sure to genuinely heed it.

For too many years, I muscled through injury, burnout, and plain old exhaustion because I thought that’s what commitment looked like. That it was “professional.” Told I was “replaceable” and had to prove otherwise.

Spoiler: That kind of thinking is outdated and damaging.

Many of us were trained to believe that being constantly depleted was a badge of honor. That theater was meant to be exhausting, even punishing—and that anything less meant you didn’t want it enough.

But it’s simply not true. YES! It does takes strength to live this life in the arts, in the theater- mental and physical- however and it takes just as much strength to resist the grind. To pause. To rest without guilt. To redefine what a creative life can look like.

Genesius Ignited, St. Genesius patron saint of those who transform through performance and faith. Clay, crystal, acrylic, metal, glass beads. | 2023 Created by Valerie Marcus Ramshur. Currently held in a private collection

Redefining Success

Success, isn’t a fixed destination. It’s fluid. It evolves year after year—and that evolution is a good thing.

After fifty years in this industry (yes, I began early; no, I'm not retiring), I'm allowing myself the freedom to evolve. To shift directions—and switch back if needed. To experiment with new ideas, even when there's no definitive "outcome" or end product to demonstrate my value or dedication. It's a tough lesson.

Creativity still motivates me, though it appears in different forms now, enabling me to explore new methods of storytelling through various mediums.

Embracing a Full Life

Relic of a Sunken Myth: The Gratitude Reliquary, Clay, crystal,glassbeads, acrylic, metal, seahorse | 2023 Created by Valerie Marcus Ramshur. Currently held in a private collection

Curiosity fuels me. Creativity keeps me alive—allowing myself to explore making other forms of art, writing more,or just brewing a really great cup of coffee, can be forms of creative living. I’m teaching myself to say: I am capable of many things. Contrary to my previous belief, that’s not a lack of focus —it’s a rich life.

There will never be enough time to do it all. See it all. Try it all. And I’m okay with that. Sort of.

Living in the Questions

I’ve spent most of my life building imaginary worlds for others to step into.I loved it then. I love it still. But life isn’t a single set, a single script. It’s a series of unfolding scenes. It’s connecting dots across disciplines, across years, across different versions of yourself.

Here I am, stepping into my 58th year with an abundance of ideas, the same restless (albeit somewhat creaky) body, and above all, a quiet hope:

To continue granting myself permission. To pursue the sparks. To share the stories. To embrace the questions.

Here’s the Mantra

Have courage. Stay curious, Every small step is significant. Each breath, pause, and unexpected turn contributes to the journey.

This is 58.

Inhale /Exhale, Clay, crystal acrylic, glass beads | 2023 Created by Valerie Marcus Ramshur. Currently held in a private collection

Next time: back to history, textiles and tabards!!

-Val