I can do bad all by myself...

...is a movie written, produced, directed and acted in by Tyler Perry.  You may know him better as Madea, the pistol-packin' mama.  To me Perry is a perfect example of artist.  He took a difficult early life and transformed it into works that speak humanely (and with great humor) about this stew we live in.

From the article about him in Wikipedia --

Around 1990, he moved to Atlanta, where two years later I Know I've Been Changed was first performed at a community theater, financed by the $12,000 life savings of the 22-year-old Perry.[10] It included Christian themes of forgiveness, dignity and self-worth, while addressing issues such as child abuse and dysfunctional families. The musical initially received a "less than stellar" reception and was a financial failure. Perry persisted, and over the next six years he rewrote the musical repeatedly, though lackluster reviews continued. In 1998, at age 28, he succeeded in retooling of the play in Atlanta first at the House of Blues, then at the Fox Theatre. Perry continued to create new stage productions, touring with them on the so-called "chitlin' circuit" (now also known as the "urban theater circuit") and developing a large, devoted following among African-American audiences. In 2005, Forbes reported that he had sold "more than $100 million in tickets, $30 million in videos of his shows and an estimated $20 million in merchandise" and that "the 300 live shows he produces each year are attended by an average of 35,000 people a week"

His website is nicely interactive and beautifully designed and there he invites visitors to interact with him.

Below are videos from some of his works (he's definitely prolific).

A trailer for "I Can Do Bad All By Myself:"

A second trailer, this one for "Madea's Witness Protection:"

A video from his scapbook of funny moments:

And a song by Gladys Knight from "I Can Do Bad...:"

Simply beautiful.

-- Marge