Collaboration by Aquamarine Space Unicorns (Joyanna M & Lily Bell)

Winter Rose

The album Winter Rose happened by accident. I had made a previous album Go Go Go, of quirky dance music, but I wanted to expand the sound to include vocals. I knew of Lily Bell from Twitter, and she tweeted that she wanted to sing again in the new year in December of 2015. I approached her and offered to let her sing for me, although I thought it would be just a few songs. I got to know her and her story, and I wanted to write songs about it. Her story outraged me as a feminist, and I felt bound to express that outrage in song. At the same time, she started reciting my poetry for spoken word poetry prompts; I knew that we could do something original by including the poems to introduce each song. The album grew organically as we got to know each other. She inspired me to create more than I have ever created, and our collaboration allowed her to express herself as well. But I will let her tell her story.

~ Joyanna M

Music has always been my passion. I grew up singing, playing flute, guitar and performing in various capacities. Then I met a boy and found myself consumed by his needs and jealousy of my successes. Under duress, I abandoned my dreams and became a wife.

After years of abuse, my life literally went up in flames when my ex-husband burned down my house, killed my dog and destroyed my relationship with my family. Determined to overcome the devastation, I vowed to sing again.

I knew Joyanna through social media and as luck would have it she was looking for a singer and reached out to me. Although I was experiencing many challenges, she continued to champion my recovery by challenging me to collaborate on a unique and diverse catalogue of songs and poems called Winter Rose. The stars aligned and that project launched a fulfilling professional and personal relationship.

~ Lily Bell

Accompanying paintings to Winter Rose by Joyanna M

As part of the creation of the Winter Rose album, I wanted to make paintings for each of the songs. I hadn’t painted for several years, and this was a re-awakening for me as an artist. I collected most of the paintings and poems for Winter Rose and published them separately as Paintings and Poems of Joyanna M. The paintings are all 9 by 12 watercolors. The book is available as an ebook through the usual online booksellers.

Her Garden Path

The first poem of the album Her Garden Path is an introduction to the album, inviting the listener to "Sprawl out among her flowers; absorb her verdant heat." The poem is about a spirit found in a garden, and her desire to attract and retain a visitor to abate her loneliness.

Morning Honey Sun precedes our rendition of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne. The poem borrows from his line "The sun poured down like honey," and describes waking up from a sensual dream to the morning sun coming through parted curtains.

Morning Honey Sun

Nothing Withheld

Nothing Withheld goes with my painting of Lily Bell, lying in bed with the soft morning sun giving her skin a creamy lightness. Wearing nothing but a silky smile; inviting me to transfer her soft shapes to the paper.

Eggshell Spirit is my favorite poem from this period. I wrote it for Lily when she was feeling particularly vulnerable. You can hear that vulnerability in her voice on the album. Her spirit was as fragile as an eggshell at that time, and the circumstances continued to pile on. I wanted to write her a poem that would wrap her in a cocoon.

Eggshell Spirit

Combien de Fois

Combien de Fois (How many times) is a question we all have after losing a love. But ironically it celebrates the creative spirit that lost love engenders. The idea of 'spilled ink' as tears and as poems we write as part of our grieving process is emphasized in the painting. The monochromatic palette, except pale red lips and pale blue eyes, is our faded memories

More moon dust by Joyanna M & Lily Bell here & here

---

Joyanna M and Lily Bell are partners that reside in Seattle, WA. Their collaborations have appeared in the Rumpus and past issues of Moonchild Magazine. Lily Bell is currently working on her memoir, and Joyanna M is currently working on paintings as the featured artist in an as-yet-unnamed literary journal. They both have collaborated in the past on the musical endeavor Aquamarine Space Unicorns and have recently released their latest LP She Persisted (The Brink).