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AMM INSPIRATION

GONNA FLY NOW

Sylvester Stallone and Rocky songwriter Carol Connors:

Revealing “The Common Thread” They Share of
Creativity and Perseverance

By Jerry Gladstone

As I penned The Common Thread of Overcoming Adversity and Living you ever guess that they would cross to create an iconic unfor-
Your Dreams, it became evident that there is indeed a common gettable artistic moment?
thread to success no matter walk of life or background a per-
son is from. I am once again fascinated how two individuals, a This overlapping commonality has made them lifelong learn-
struggling actor and a young girl who grew up in a time when ers, achievers and creators. They each have channeled their
there just wasn’t a level playing field for women have used very creativity in more than one area of The Arts and their ac-
similar habits and disciplines on their journeys to success. tion-oriented lifestyle has given them the ability to persevere,
push boundaries and remain relevant through careers that have
“The Arts” is defined as a physical manifestation of the internal spanned decades.
creative impulse...but is that all you need to be successful in the
music, art, dance, and theatre professions? Attaining success in Humble Beginnings
The Arts, or any field for that matter, takes more than just a cre- Stallone was born in 1946 in New York’s grimy Hell’s Kitchen
ative impulse – it takes perseverance, drive and commitment, neighborhood, his parents divorced when he was nine and like
which are just a few of the “common threads” that you will others who have tried to break into the entertainment industry,
find if you delve in the backgrounds of those who have reached Sly soon found out there are overwhelming odds against making
great heights in The Arts. it in Hollywood. He held down plenty of odd jobs – from being
a hairdresser in his family’s business, to cleaning out lion cages at
Stallone, the recent Academy nominated actor for his eighth Central Park Zoo, and working on the Philadelphia waterfront.
time playing his iconic film creation Rocky and Carol Connors, He said his first apartment was a mere eight feet by nine feet.
the lyricist and composer who wrote songs for Walt Disney and
Placido Domingo. Would you ever think these two highly ac- Connors was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Her father was
claimed talents would share the same mindset when it comes to a jockey and her mother escaped from Poland before losing her
overcoming challenges on their pathways to greatness? Would entire family in The Holocaust. Connors described her early years:

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