An Inspired Chat with Nicole Cannon of Los Angeles

We recently had the chance to connect with Nicole Cannon and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Nicole, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I recently found out I am an official Pushcart Prize nominee in poetry. My first collection of poetry “a woman in pieces,” was released in April. My wonderful publishers at Bainbridge Island Press submitted my poem ‘learning about racism [i didn’t know]’ for this prestigious award. I’m so proud to see my work being recognized in a meaningful way.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a writer, producer and actor. In 2019, I founded my production company, Moonset Creations, when I wrote and produced my first feature film, a psychological thriller titled,”Transference” which was released in August 2020. I’m thrilled to see it’s still available on Amazon, YouTube, Tubi, and Roku, where it continues to find it’s audience five years later.

Since the release of the film, I’ve published my first collection of poetry, “a woman in pieces” through Bainbridge Island Press. This collection, crafted over the past decade, delves into the intricate journey of a woman’s life, exploring the diverse archetypes that shape her identity and experiences. Much like “Transference” this collection centers on woman and women’s issues. I’ve enjoyed leveraging my filmmaking skills to create engaging book trailers for social media, which has brought my poetry to life in a new way.

Currently, I’m in the process of developing a longer short film adaptation of my poem ‘The Salesman,’ alongside a solo show based on my poetry collection. Additionally, I’m writing a series of shorts titled “Ojai Chronicles,” a metaphysical fiction series that follows a recent empty nester who tears hole in the fabric of reality by unraveling the identity constructs that tether the divine feminine to a three dimensional existence exploring the complexities of womanhood and motherhood.

At Moonset Creation I am passionate about telling stories that resonate deeply with women, mothers, and spiritual seekers who are on a path of healing and transformation.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
The serendipity of this question is blows my mind, as the one woman show I’m currently working on opens with a poem from the Child section of “a woman in pieces” called ‘The Places She Goes.” (Interestingly, the second optional question was “What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?”) The opening stanzas of the poem are speak to both of these questions based one of my earliest childhood memories.

In a fit of grief
she thought,
‘If I wasn’t me, who would I be?’

It opened a portal to
an
other
no
thing
and gave her
a funny feeling

The kind of funny
you feel when a word
repeated too many times
loses its meaning
like
promise
promise
promise
promise

My mother left shortly before my second birthday and in the chaos of that loss, I guess you could say I had a bit of an existential crisis. “If I wasn’t me who would I be?” became a sort of mantra I recited on repeat internally and it gave me an out-of-body experience. There is probably some sort of DSM code for it now but I believe connecting with the in-between space at a very early age was a catalyst for my creativity and seeking nature. In those early years I found my ‘self’ through exploring nature, as expressed in another poem from the Child section of my book.

reborn

in the Winter
she loves to run away
from her mother
barefoot in her pajamas
out to the fresh laid snow

in the Spring
she loves to feel
the crumbling ice crunch
beneath her feet
water droplets fall
from icicles
keeping time
as they melt
sparkling in the sun

in the Summer
she makes mud pies
and feeds her friends—
the Aspen trees
she paints their trunks
with her faerie concoction
of wildflower, moss and placental earth

in the Fall
she wanders from home
when the sun is low and golden
to lay down in the forest decay
and listen to the wind chime
through the Aspen Cathedral

[she is born again]

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Shortly after I had my second child my mother suffered a severe stroke. This event brought much early childhood trauma to surface. I was crawling out of my skin knowing I needed help, but traditional therapy didn’t help excavate the core wounds of abandonment and memories of childhood sexual abuse much of which occurred pre-language. So I went to India.

There, I spent ten days in an intense program where, through meditation and sadhana, layers grief, sadness, anger and rage (so much rage!) that had accumulated over the years were revealed, expressed and released. The darker emotions we not only welcome; they were encouraged. I must have shed lifetimes of karma during that process because after I came home, I experienced mini identity crisis. It was as if I had been viewing my entire world through the lens of shame and in clearing those shame goggles, I no longer recognized who I was.

During a meditation at home I had a profound realization!

I was leaning into identity crisis #462 (lol) when and older, wiser voice came through crystal clear. My future self told my present self to console my past self to help her navigate through the isolation and chaos of my childhood. I feel that this wiser voice that has guided me through the most difficult times.

If I could tell my younger self anything, I would whisper in her ear, “Become still enough to listen to the subtle inner voice until it becomes undeniable.”

you will be met

if you could fold a
piece of paper
103 times

its thickness
would be larger
than the observable
universe

i turn inward
countless times
and fold into
the unobservable
space

i pull a frayed sutra
karmic constructs
woven through
this tapestry
existence

unwinding
unfolding
opening
into the
light

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no. I identify as an ambivert or sensitive extrovert, so it really depends on the circumstance. I don’t mask my true self and am adaptable to almost any situation. I place a high value on authenticity and accountability, so if I am having a day where I’m in my feelings and reactive I make it a priority to figure out what’s going on and redirect my energy.

I recognize I can sometimes fall into a fawn response when I’m feeling unsafe or unseen which feels false to me because I know it’s rooted in fear. However, I usually catch myself pretty quickly and work to center myself. I believe coming home to your center is a constant unfolding.

me vs me

the mean people
(the enemies)
in my head
take on
many forms
family, friends, me
and i’m tired
of fighting them
but when it’s
me vs me
i surrender
so i’d rather the
enemy of the state
wear their face
so there
is enough space
between us
to fight back
and not to believe
their lies

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
It may seem as though some people are afraid to die, but in reality, they are afraid to fully live. Our time on this planet is infinitesimal compared to the vastness of the universe. We get to experience existence through out five senses, and if we are fortunate enough to remember we can keep one foot in the non-physical realms. Many of my more esoteric poem touch on this knowing.

I believe that when my human suit returns to the Earth, the energy that animates my flesh will return to the Everything. When you’re not trapped in the endless loop of survival constructs, you find there is great freedom in impermanence.

Earthly Cravings

I’m done contemplating
the meaning of life

All of my seeking
has been to reach
a boundless state
of intense stillness
while coral reefs die

Rising temperatures
in the sea
bleach white
varietal gardens
of colorful beings
and cover them in algae

Men in power deny
so why spend time
trying to determine
what purpose existence serves

Who am I to ascribe
value or meaning
when God doesn’t differentiate

Doesn’t he
love all of his
creation equally?

Life is life
whether
coral or algae

Algae can be seen
as beautiful too

Sagan said we are a way
for the cosmos to know itself

God reaches out
to touch the hand of man

I can’t help think
God is a narcissist

A blue whale’s heart
slows, two beats
per minute
when it dives deep
into the sea

The red light of Betelgeuse
ebbs and flows
yet Orion still wields
his mighty club

The Earth pulsates
every twenty-six seconds

She is alive
therefore
I
am

When I am permitted
to leave the flesh
will I long for Life
like my earthly craving
to be one
with Everything

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/nicolecannon?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafT8pb921Mb6-ZblhG1sOcMfV-aUGylkOpjCwyDnjkGKE2dwnV5CVgdoEG0mA_aem_RsJHeUeoWHqD2FsUj5KzfQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nic0lecann0n/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.cannon.12
• Other: You can find “a woman in pieces” at

  a woman in pieces

  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-woman-in-pieces-nicole-cannon/1147282603;jsessionid=051B21C2475C6540387C0BEB161E3533.prodny_store01-atgap12?ean=9781961451100&st=AFF&2sid=Linktree%20Inc_100589976_NA&sourceId=AFFLinktree%20Inc

Image Credits
Headshot: Alexander Karavay