“I Surrender”
acrylic on canvas, 48 × 48″, 2015, inquire about price, by Ruth Chase
This was the third painting out of eleven individual portraits from the West of Lincoln Project, completed as a collaboration with Meta over the course of several months in 2015.
This 2 min. audio was recorded in January 2016 after beginning “I Surrender” by Ruth Chase. The sound quality is low because these interviews were not intended for public use.
Meta Zimmerman
b. 1965 | 1766 Washington Ave.
Humility is my best friend. What I’ve learned most, is to surrender to what I can’t change.
What others often don’t understand about people who grew up in Venice during the late 70’s was that in Venice, you had to be tough and hold your own on the street. When I was little, I would play where the original Venice Hoodlums formed. I was the only girl amongst all those boys. I didn’t have girlfriends that came to my house and played dollies; I played in a dirt lot putting up with so much abuse from them. I had to be really, really tough. I was a little girl with a little dress on, but I was as tough as any of them.
As I grew up, I developed a superhero ego, one that protected me from a fragile heart from all the pain of growing up with an alcoholic father. The events that took place in my life brought me to my emotional bottom, my need to fix, change, heal, and control my environment. Eventually, I realized my ego was my worst enemy and have spent my adult life replacing the superhero cape for authentic self-love.
When people say, “Whoa, weren’t you scared growing up in Venice?” I say, “Hahaha! No, I was one of the kids you were afraid of!” I was a different kind of girl back then! One of my friends told me, “Meta, you’ll always know when you need that Venice girl, but you’ve got to learn when you don’t.” Wow, what a revelation! I don’t always have to come in balls swinging.”
Bio taken from an audio interview by Ruth, edited by Gena Lasko
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