Here's an interesting factoid.... this one from professor Richard Lynn of the University of Ulster, who has been doing a study on IQ. Among other things, he claims that people who live in countries with cold climates have higher IQs, likely stemming from the fact that they have to look for food in harsh conditions and that takes brain power. I know what a struggle it is to find the grocery store in the snow, especially if you want to park your skidoo near the entrance so you don't freeze on the walk back to your vehicle. Keeps the groceries fresh, though.
He also claims that people who live in cities have higher IQs, because, he says, people who live in towns were smart enough to leave rural life behind, perhaps because country grocery stores are more elusive & tend to hibernate, making mealtimes skinny.
Still, I would like to introduce the professor to a few of our Canadian citizens, who live and work in the cold climate of the big city of Ottawa, Canada's capital, supposedly running this country. Based on their current activities (or lack thereof), I don't think the prof can use them as an example to prove his theory. I'm sure he missed them when he was doing his survey. Perhaps they were out hunting moose.
When I lived 'up north' I was fascinated by the things we intelligent cold city folk would get up to, like getting your tongue stuck on an icy metal pole or driving a skidoo on thin ice, or wearing slacks underneath your dress so your legs wouldn't freeze on the way to school. I see big city girls in warm places like LA copying this fashion nowadays.
They take it a step further though - perhaps because it's warmer - and only wear their silk slips, which are finished with lace, over their slacks -- attractively ripped, of course. Another fine fashion, adopted by big city boys, is the wearing of pants so loose your fly is down at your knees. I hate to tell them, but really what they are wearing is a mutant version of the skirt-over-slacks.
In the boy's case, they are wearing a skirt that turns into slacks at the knees, and then bags down over their ankles so they have those attractive trailing bits of cloth decoratively drooping around their expensive, scuffed running shoes with loose laces flapping musically as they lounge by, hands in their pockets & ball cap jauntily hiding their intelligent eyes as they hunt for nourishment.
Anyway, it's nice to know that living in a cold, damp city makes you smarter. I hope I can find the grocery store tomorrow. I'm out of country crock.
Klingon vessel de-cloaking off the port bow
*Warning: what follows is a Blog Entry. Blogs are personal logs. This may contain dishelved and unorganized thoughts. Readers should note that the Train of Responsibility is chugging away far ahead of me while I run after it, falling ever behind. Some adults may be offended by my candid ongoing listing of projects and things to do, which I continue to enumerate in the hopes I may motivate myself to grow up and complete a few things. (If I didn't have to pay rent, I would play in the yard all day.)
Back to the Klingon vessel... did you know that researchers now claim that we will have a cloak of invisiability within 5 years? Yes, through some magic with the use of metamaterials, they will be able to make an object disappear by doing something to the light that travels around it. Just imagine how cool that would be. You could, almost literally, be the fly on the wall, the Harvey at the dinner table, stand in a corner of the office as your ex plots with his/her lawyer, maybe even be sitting in the music publisher's office when she/he listens to the first 30 seconds of your song and then files your CD in that handy basket... which you hope says 'contact for licencing' and not 'trash'.
The researchers are a little behind actually. If they'd spent some time here in my little abode, they would have, through extensive study and the use of various scopes and sensers, found that things disappear here at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, they often are not the sort of things you would like to disappear. Like the tax bill, for instance. They could beam that up and cloak it to their heart's content. All this administrative stuff I have to do... wouldn't be nice to just have that disappear... well, no really, what you want is to be able to twitch your nose and have it be done.
Let me check... no, there are still some dirty dishes in the sink. And the laundry hamper is occupied. No cloaking there.
I spent an hour on Monday going through all my craft totes to find my crimping pliers. Cloaked.
The things I'm really looking for.... like my membership card for the Songwriters Association of Canada, or my passport application and the pictures I paid $30 for... can't find them. They are definitely cloaked. They would have told me if they were going out, methinks.
Still, when I look at how I live now compared to how I used to live... I can tell you I'd much rather have it this way.
I used to be called "Ms Organization" when I worked as a dental claims examiner for an insurance firm. I was as anal as hell, stiff as a board, fairly judgemental and awfully insecure. I was also terribly unhappy. I was making lots of money, but there was no joy in my life. My guitar was 3,000 miles away in my Dad's closet. I only sang when I was in the tub. I made my life about being what other people wanted of me... the efficient clerk at work, the good wife at home. I tried very very hard to be the "good girl" that I felt other people wanted. I wanted them to like me, and not judge me, and not be angry with me. I expended all my life energy on pleasing other people.
One night, thank god, after I'd worked an entire day on my own packing up the house to move the next day, and my husband came home from being out with his friends and ripped my head off for 'packing things up wrong' ... I lay awake all night thinking about what my life had become. I had an epiphany.
I decided that being good for my husband was not so good for me. I packed what I could take into 2 suitcases and got on a plane and came home.
Totally demoralized, I looked deep into my soul and asked myself some serious questions. If I wasn't going to live my life by the "rules" of others, then I needed to find what was important to me and set out to do it. Two things became very clear. One was that my creativity had been totally stifled by the life I had been leading, and that I desperately wanted to do someting that was more creative as a living. Two, I'd wanted to be a singer for as long as I could remember... since I was about 5 or 6 and joined my first choir.
So I managed to get myself into a 7-month graphic design course and, when I was hired by the firm with whom I had done both my practicums... I began to take voice lessons. The process of taking voice lessons, over the next few years, was a form of healing therapy for me. The self-awareness, the focus of attention on the 'now' and the work to release my voice from its fetters helped me see how much I had limited myself in the past. After several years of voice training, I began to teach voice myself, cutting my time in the office to 20 hrs/week, and then to 14 hrs/week (just enough to cover the rent). After a few years of that, I gave up the job entirely and became a full-time musician.
How much I have changed. Yes, I still have to organize my time, and schedule students and cope with adult responsbilities like bills, groceries, laundry, spending time with my 83 year-old mom, and worrying about my 81 year-old-dad who has been in hospital 3 times since late November (they're divorced). But I try, whenever possible to play.
Play to me means that I have at my disposal, any number of projects I'm working on or could begin, if I feel one of them 'calling' to me. At the moment, I have beading supplies on my kitchen table and I'm making some jewelry for the summer market. This afternoon I bought some 'art trading cards' from the art supply store... you're supposed to paint them and trade them with other people (neat idea). My guitar is sitting right here, waiting for me to practice. This morning I listened to a tape of my last coaching with my voice teacher & sang the exercises and made a list of what we did for future reference. On my desk right here is a time sheet for the ebook I am helping a client write... I need to complete the drafts of chapters 5 and 6. Underneath the phone are some Taxi listings, I need to organize getting some songs ready to submit to them. Also on my desk is my studio teaching schedule, on which I've noted some changes... so I will have to update the schedule I post on line for my students. On the coffee table in the corner are some cover letters, I need to address envelopes & pop a CD in and send them off to radio stations. I have 3 or 4 unfinished songs waiting my attention. There are also some unfinished & blank canvases in my bedroom.
So I ask myself, 'what do I feel like playing with right now', and I follow the inspiration of the moment... unless there is a deadline to meet (ah, the dreaded deadline... it's amazing how hard it is to get out of bed when you have a deadline :lol:).
I trully believe it is the act of doing something creative that heals us, moves us forward, that changes us, fosters a growth spurt, opens the mind, frees the spirit, makes us happy, lifts us up, allows us to touch the divine in us & in the universe. When I write music or poetry or lyrics or paint... I look for that flow. I try to shut off my mind & my ego and just follow the muse where it leads me. Thus something is created, a something we define as a song, or an instrumental, or painting, or a story....
When we have the final product, we may spray it with fixative, or run it through the spell-check (or ask a friend to proof it), or take it to a studio engineer for a better more polished mix.
If at that point, when the inspiration for that one piece of work is done, and we've moved on... is it wrong to place a monetary value on our completed work? Is it wrong to say... 'you know, it cost me $$ to make this, plus my time, plus my inspiration. I hope you find it worthy'. Does the act of selling our act of creativity devalue it?
We post our work and our bios and our photos and our artwork and our links to CD Baby on our web pages, marketing ourselves and our work. Does that mean that we value commerce over the creative spirit?
Back to the Klingon vessel... did you know that researchers now claim that we will have a cloak of invisiability within 5 years? Yes, through some magic with the use of metamaterials, they will be able to make an object disappear by doing something to the light that travels around it. Just imagine how cool that would be. You could, almost literally, be the fly on the wall, the Harvey at the dinner table, stand in a corner of the office as your ex plots with his/her lawyer, maybe even be sitting in the music publisher's office when she/he listens to the first 30 seconds of your song and then files your CD in that handy basket... which you hope says 'contact for licencing' and not 'trash'.
The researchers are a little behind actually. If they'd spent some time here in my little abode, they would have, through extensive study and the use of various scopes and sensers, found that things disappear here at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, they often are not the sort of things you would like to disappear. Like the tax bill, for instance. They could beam that up and cloak it to their heart's content. All this administrative stuff I have to do... wouldn't be nice to just have that disappear... well, no really, what you want is to be able to twitch your nose and have it be done.
Let me check... no, there are still some dirty dishes in the sink. And the laundry hamper is occupied. No cloaking there.
I spent an hour on Monday going through all my craft totes to find my crimping pliers. Cloaked.
The things I'm really looking for.... like my membership card for the Songwriters Association of Canada, or my passport application and the pictures I paid $30 for... can't find them. They are definitely cloaked. They would have told me if they were going out, methinks.
Still, when I look at how I live now compared to how I used to live... I can tell you I'd much rather have it this way.
I used to be called "Ms Organization" when I worked as a dental claims examiner for an insurance firm. I was as anal as hell, stiff as a board, fairly judgemental and awfully insecure. I was also terribly unhappy. I was making lots of money, but there was no joy in my life. My guitar was 3,000 miles away in my Dad's closet. I only sang when I was in the tub. I made my life about being what other people wanted of me... the efficient clerk at work, the good wife at home. I tried very very hard to be the "good girl" that I felt other people wanted. I wanted them to like me, and not judge me, and not be angry with me. I expended all my life energy on pleasing other people.
One night, thank god, after I'd worked an entire day on my own packing up the house to move the next day, and my husband came home from being out with his friends and ripped my head off for 'packing things up wrong' ... I lay awake all night thinking about what my life had become. I had an epiphany.
I decided that being good for my husband was not so good for me. I packed what I could take into 2 suitcases and got on a plane and came home.
Totally demoralized, I looked deep into my soul and asked myself some serious questions. If I wasn't going to live my life by the "rules" of others, then I needed to find what was important to me and set out to do it. Two things became very clear. One was that my creativity had been totally stifled by the life I had been leading, and that I desperately wanted to do someting that was more creative as a living. Two, I'd wanted to be a singer for as long as I could remember... since I was about 5 or 6 and joined my first choir.
So I managed to get myself into a 7-month graphic design course and, when I was hired by the firm with whom I had done both my practicums... I began to take voice lessons. The process of taking voice lessons, over the next few years, was a form of healing therapy for me. The self-awareness, the focus of attention on the 'now' and the work to release my voice from its fetters helped me see how much I had limited myself in the past. After several years of voice training, I began to teach voice myself, cutting my time in the office to 20 hrs/week, and then to 14 hrs/week (just enough to cover the rent). After a few years of that, I gave up the job entirely and became a full-time musician.
How much I have changed. Yes, I still have to organize my time, and schedule students and cope with adult responsbilities like bills, groceries, laundry, spending time with my 83 year-old mom, and worrying about my 81 year-old-dad who has been in hospital 3 times since late November (they're divorced). But I try, whenever possible to play.
Play to me means that I have at my disposal, any number of projects I'm working on or could begin, if I feel one of them 'calling' to me. At the moment, I have beading supplies on my kitchen table and I'm making some jewelry for the summer market. This afternoon I bought some 'art trading cards' from the art supply store... you're supposed to paint them and trade them with other people (neat idea). My guitar is sitting right here, waiting for me to practice. This morning I listened to a tape of my last coaching with my voice teacher & sang the exercises and made a list of what we did for future reference. On my desk right here is a time sheet for the ebook I am helping a client write... I need to complete the drafts of chapters 5 and 6. Underneath the phone are some Taxi listings, I need to organize getting some songs ready to submit to them. Also on my desk is my studio teaching schedule, on which I've noted some changes... so I will have to update the schedule I post on line for my students. On the coffee table in the corner are some cover letters, I need to address envelopes & pop a CD in and send them off to radio stations. I have 3 or 4 unfinished songs waiting my attention. There are also some unfinished & blank canvases in my bedroom.
So I ask myself, 'what do I feel like playing with right now', and I follow the inspiration of the moment... unless there is a deadline to meet (ah, the dreaded deadline... it's amazing how hard it is to get out of bed when you have a deadline :lol:).
I trully believe it is the act of doing something creative that heals us, moves us forward, that changes us, fosters a growth spurt, opens the mind, frees the spirit, makes us happy, lifts us up, allows us to touch the divine in us & in the universe. When I write music or poetry or lyrics or paint... I look for that flow. I try to shut off my mind & my ego and just follow the muse where it leads me. Thus something is created, a something we define as a song, or an instrumental, or painting, or a story....
When we have the final product, we may spray it with fixative, or run it through the spell-check (or ask a friend to proof it), or take it to a studio engineer for a better more polished mix.
If at that point, when the inspiration for that one piece of work is done, and we've moved on... is it wrong to place a monetary value on our completed work? Is it wrong to say... 'you know, it cost me $$ to make this, plus my time, plus my inspiration. I hope you find it worthy'. Does the act of selling our act of creativity devalue it?
We post our work and our bios and our photos and our artwork and our links to CD Baby on our web pages, marketing ourselves and our work. Does that mean that we value commerce over the creative spirit?
two new projects? :)
Well, although I am not finished catching up on the collaborations on my list....
yesterday I came up with an idea for an ebook, and I actually have even written a page or two on it. It's going to be about what I've learned about living by being in the music, how music (art) was a process by which I became who I am today.
I just had a meeting with my 'Waiting for the Bus' co-writer, Mike Kavanagh - and we decided to work on another CD together. We already have several songs we've been working on. We'll put our noses to the grindstone over the next 4 months & see if we can come up with a winter album to balance our spring album
I also still want to put out my own ambient album & I have 3 pieces written for that and ideas for more.
I had a cold/sore throat last week so didn't get much singing done. But I did have a harmonica lesson (yes!).
We've had to order a second run of the CD (yes!) it should be ready in the next couple of days :)
I wrote the music for a lyric by Lloyd Kyrk & Michael Buller last weekend, and I wrote the music for a lyric by Michael Kavanagh this week as well.
I bought an external harddrive for my computer but I need to spend a half day setting it all up.
I have a headache for some reason so I'll sign off and hit the sack. Have a creative week, everybody!!
yesterday I came up with an idea for an ebook, and I actually have even written a page or two on it. It's going to be about what I've learned about living by being in the music, how music (art) was a process by which I became who I am today.
I just had a meeting with my 'Waiting for the Bus' co-writer, Mike Kavanagh - and we decided to work on another CD together. We already have several songs we've been working on. We'll put our noses to the grindstone over the next 4 months & see if we can come up with a winter album to balance our spring album
I also still want to put out my own ambient album & I have 3 pieces written for that and ideas for more.
I had a cold/sore throat last week so didn't get much singing done. But I did have a harmonica lesson (yes!).
We've had to order a second run of the CD (yes!) it should be ready in the next couple of days :)
I wrote the music for a lyric by Lloyd Kyrk & Michael Buller last weekend, and I wrote the music for a lyric by Michael Kavanagh this week as well.
I bought an external harddrive for my computer but I need to spend a half day setting it all up.
I have a headache for some reason so I'll sign off and hit the sack. Have a creative week, everybody!!
the Life of a small “a” big “I” Indie artist.
Many of us aspire to be artists or songwriters of note... maybe not famous, but well-respected, working... well, I've been taking tiny baby steps towards that goal for awhile... but I'm finding out just what it means to say... for an Indie artist... it's DIY all the way.
A few days in the Life of a small “a” big “I” Indie artist.
The CD that we worked to put together over 8 months finally was complete at the end of April. Writing & recording, artwork, mastering, duplication, done. Hurrah!
-oh. Send 5 CDs to CD baby with a bank draft. Encompassed trip to bank and post office.
-oh. Send 5 CDs to CanTunes. Encompassed trip to post office.
-Ya, buy expensive padded envelopes, nice stationery for press kits
-okay, write one sheets, track list… on hold til get CD Baby web address for CD sales
-yes, get promo photo done, run off copies
-go through Indie Bible, select appropriate reviewers, radio stations, radio hosts…
-find the list of radio shows, reviewers & hosts I’d been making over the last 8 months, too
-look up each radio station on the net and get the name of the current music director
-write individually addressed cover letters to each MD at each radio station, each host of a radio show, each reviewer… try to be clever, fun, short, sassy… suggest a track that their listeners might particularly like
-address each envelope, to / from
-CD Baby is set-up! Hurrah!
-put album address on one sheets and track list, run off
-sign each letter, stuff each envelope…. laboriously remove expensive shrink wrapping from CD before putting it in envelope – note to self—always get 100 unwrapped CDs for promo purposes
-trip to post office, weigh a promo pack… spend $70 on postage
- put postage on envelopes
-make three trips to the mail box
oh yeah... update CD Baby page with bios, track lists, credits
-oh yeah… CD Baby is set-up…. now I have to update all the websites with the address… I hope I remember all the passwords. Upload a jpg of the cover to my server so I can link to it.
-my folk trio is starting to get bookings. Hurrah. Oh. Now I have to update all the websites with upcoming gigs. Oh. Now we move from rehearsing once a week to three times a week. We got an opp to sing in a Christmas concert series. Oh, they want a press kit. Now we need a bio, a demo, a song list, a promo photo. Recording time? We want to do more originals. Spend time arranging two songs for the next rehearsal. Make a list of places to call for potential bookings. Make the calls, make the bookings.
-look at that, I had another sign up for my ezine, The Shy Singer’. Oh. I haven’t put an issue out for awhile. Too busy. I should do that. Before I do that, though, I should revamp my website. Spend weekend revamping website. Looks good. Haven’t got newsletter done yet.
-fan mail. Yes, I get fan mail. Not a lot, but usually two or three emails a week, PM’s through various boards, messages on MySpace. All need to be answered. Set aside an hour at least once a week to answer.
-The Collaborators – the collabs are my internet band. It’s a group of 6 talented songwriters & musicians. We take turns producing each other’s work. I love them because they always give their best to every project. Because they work on my songs, I work on theirs. They are a top priority for me. I often mix / produce as well – that means downloading tracks, lining them up, mixing them in, rendering audio, uploading the updated version of the song. Plus singing, adding piano, synth, etc.
- I have 18 students. Each week I schedule their lessons, prepare for the sessions, choose music, answer their emails and calls, give them my full attention when we’re one-on-one. Not to mention keeping the ‘studio’ tidy.
-my co-writer, Michael Kavanagh. Mike is my songwriting partner. We meet at least once a week to brainstorm and write together. We talk business & marketing, throw ideas at each other. We are now working on a second country-folk CD and we’re talking about a Christmas CD too.
-my virtual client(s) – I have one steady client for whom I work as a ‘virtual assistant’. I edit/design & distribute two ezines a month for her, perform other administrative tasks, and meet with her once a week for an hour, by phone. At the moment we are working on writing an ebook – I set aside an hour each morning for the task of writing.
-my finances. Money drips in from various sources. I have to figure out what needs paying, when I’ll have the money to pay it, get to the bank, etc.
-my collaborators… I love the fact that I have the opportunity to work with talented lyricists, musicians and songwriters from all over the world. I probably have about 20 projects on the go, in various stages of completion. Some just require vocals, most require me to write music, record tracks, mix/produce. Each song probably takes, as the crow flies 3 to 7 days to produce. I rarely have the time anymore to work on one song on a consistent basis. I get an hour here or there. They are very patient with me… and I appreciate that very much...I hope I’m worth waiting for ;)
-my coaching & vocal practice – yes, I’m still coaching after 16 years of training. I need to sing at least an hour a day.
-my guitar lessons – I’d almost given up on playing the guitar due to the effects of carpal tunnel. However, my new guitar fits me much better… but I have to learn to play with a pick… and I also want to be as ergonomic as possible in playing. I should be practicing every day.
-my solo album… I really want to put together an ambient pop album… I’ve got the lyrics and sometimes even some music…. but it all needs to be developed – record tracks, etc.
-my songwriting boards… I belong to 5 songwriting boards which I try to visit at least a couple of times a week. I used to critique several songs a day…. I think I’m down to one or two a week, if I can.
-my blogs – my blogs are important… I like writing, it helps me sort out my thoughts & feel less scattered. I like sharing my journey, and I appreciate the messages and comments I get from my readers.
-my computer. memory is full. I picked up an external hard drive. I have to find the time to clean up my drives & back them up. I’m talking with my album producer about his building me a hard drive for my audio work.
-somewhere in there I need to do mundane things like buy groceries, cook, do laundry, tidy the house, pay bills…. and keep up with my family & friends… and go for a walk everyday… and sleep. Note to self: sleep is good.
A few days in the Life of a small “a” big “I” Indie artist.
The CD that we worked to put together over 8 months finally was complete at the end of April. Writing & recording, artwork, mastering, duplication, done. Hurrah!
-oh. Send 5 CDs to CD baby with a bank draft. Encompassed trip to bank and post office.
-oh. Send 5 CDs to CanTunes. Encompassed trip to post office.
-Ya, buy expensive padded envelopes, nice stationery for press kits
-okay, write one sheets, track list… on hold til get CD Baby web address for CD sales
-yes, get promo photo done, run off copies
-go through Indie Bible, select appropriate reviewers, radio stations, radio hosts…
-find the list of radio shows, reviewers & hosts I’d been making over the last 8 months, too
-look up each radio station on the net and get the name of the current music director
-write individually addressed cover letters to each MD at each radio station, each host of a radio show, each reviewer… try to be clever, fun, short, sassy… suggest a track that their listeners might particularly like
-address each envelope, to / from
-CD Baby is set-up! Hurrah!
-put album address on one sheets and track list, run off
-sign each letter, stuff each envelope…. laboriously remove expensive shrink wrapping from CD before putting it in envelope – note to self—always get 100 unwrapped CDs for promo purposes
-trip to post office, weigh a promo pack… spend $70 on postage
- put postage on envelopes
-make three trips to the mail box
oh yeah... update CD Baby page with bios, track lists, credits
-oh yeah… CD Baby is set-up…. now I have to update all the websites with the address… I hope I remember all the passwords. Upload a jpg of the cover to my server so I can link to it.
-my folk trio is starting to get bookings. Hurrah. Oh. Now I have to update all the websites with upcoming gigs. Oh. Now we move from rehearsing once a week to three times a week. We got an opp to sing in a Christmas concert series. Oh, they want a press kit. Now we need a bio, a demo, a song list, a promo photo. Recording time? We want to do more originals. Spend time arranging two songs for the next rehearsal. Make a list of places to call for potential bookings. Make the calls, make the bookings.
-look at that, I had another sign up for my ezine, The Shy Singer’. Oh. I haven’t put an issue out for awhile. Too busy. I should do that. Before I do that, though, I should revamp my website. Spend weekend revamping website. Looks good. Haven’t got newsletter done yet.
-fan mail. Yes, I get fan mail. Not a lot, but usually two or three emails a week, PM’s through various boards, messages on MySpace. All need to be answered. Set aside an hour at least once a week to answer.
-The Collaborators – the collabs are my internet band. It’s a group of 6 talented songwriters & musicians. We take turns producing each other’s work. I love them because they always give their best to every project. Because they work on my songs, I work on theirs. They are a top priority for me. I often mix / produce as well – that means downloading tracks, lining them up, mixing them in, rendering audio, uploading the updated version of the song. Plus singing, adding piano, synth, etc.
- I have 18 students. Each week I schedule their lessons, prepare for the sessions, choose music, answer their emails and calls, give them my full attention when we’re one-on-one. Not to mention keeping the ‘studio’ tidy.
-my co-writer, Michael Kavanagh. Mike is my songwriting partner. We meet at least once a week to brainstorm and write together. We talk business & marketing, throw ideas at each other. We are now working on a second country-folk CD and we’re talking about a Christmas CD too.
-my virtual client(s) – I have one steady client for whom I work as a ‘virtual assistant’. I edit/design & distribute two ezines a month for her, perform other administrative tasks, and meet with her once a week for an hour, by phone. At the moment we are working on writing an ebook – I set aside an hour each morning for the task of writing.
-my finances. Money drips in from various sources. I have to figure out what needs paying, when I’ll have the money to pay it, get to the bank, etc.
-my collaborators… I love the fact that I have the opportunity to work with talented lyricists, musicians and songwriters from all over the world. I probably have about 20 projects on the go, in various stages of completion. Some just require vocals, most require me to write music, record tracks, mix/produce. Each song probably takes, as the crow flies 3 to 7 days to produce. I rarely have the time anymore to work on one song on a consistent basis. I get an hour here or there. They are very patient with me… and I appreciate that very much...I hope I’m worth waiting for ;)
-my coaching & vocal practice – yes, I’m still coaching after 16 years of training. I need to sing at least an hour a day.
-my guitar lessons – I’d almost given up on playing the guitar due to the effects of carpal tunnel. However, my new guitar fits me much better… but I have to learn to play with a pick… and I also want to be as ergonomic as possible in playing. I should be practicing every day.
-my solo album… I really want to put together an ambient pop album… I’ve got the lyrics and sometimes even some music…. but it all needs to be developed – record tracks, etc.
-my songwriting boards… I belong to 5 songwriting boards which I try to visit at least a couple of times a week. I used to critique several songs a day…. I think I’m down to one or two a week, if I can.
-my blogs – my blogs are important… I like writing, it helps me sort out my thoughts & feel less scattered. I like sharing my journey, and I appreciate the messages and comments I get from my readers.
-my computer. memory is full. I picked up an external hard drive. I have to find the time to clean up my drives & back them up. I’m talking with my album producer about his building me a hard drive for my audio work.
-somewhere in there I need to do mundane things like buy groceries, cook, do laundry, tidy the house, pay bills…. and keep up with my family & friends… and go for a walk everyday… and sleep. Note to self: sleep is good.
Exploring the voice to find freedom from fear
I did this World Talk Radio show a while back, with Dr. Shoshana Bennett, talking about how singing helped me overcome my shyness.
I post it here because it's my philosophy that it's the creative process (of singing, of songwriting) that can heal & nurture & inspire... and that "voice" is not just the sound we make, but how we talk to ourselves, and how we 'speak' through our writing.
http://www.worldtalkradio.com/archive.asp?aid=2906
Let me know what you think :)
I post it here because it's my philosophy that it's the creative process (of singing, of songwriting) that can heal & nurture & inspire... and that "voice" is not just the sound we make, but how we talk to ourselves, and how we 'speak' through our writing.
http://www.worldtalkradio.com/archive.asp?aid=2906
Let me know what you think :)
singing in the rain
...I'm just sittin here surfin' the web and watchin that old movie, 'Singin in the Rain'. I had an outdoor gig this mornin' and I thought we might end up singin in the rain cause there were some pretty gray lookin clouds in the overcast sky and a cool breeze blowin. But it didn't rain and our sets were well received. It was the first pro gig for my folk trio (Easy).
Haven't felt too inspired musically this week - goin' thru one of my 'incubating' periods, I think :lol: But, I did send out two armfuls of promo packs to radio stations for the new album ( www.cdbaby.com/cd/flawith ), and rehearsed 3 times with the trio in prep for the gig. Had lunch with my mom yesterday, had coffee with a client earilier in the week.... after the gig today, went out for coffee with a couple of songwriting pals. I also spent some time writing/designing my newsletter for distribution (comin soon - sign up on my profile page), and redesigning my teaching website ( www.theshysinger.com ).... plus the usual teachin'.
I love these old movies, there's so much energy and excitement around puttin' on a show, and you get the feelin' that anything is possible, that everything will turn out okay in the end, that love at first sight can last a whole life long.
Sometimes I think that love has become such a commodity in our society that we've lost our innate knowledge of what it really is. Movies & magazines & tv shows trumpet on about romance and love but the vision that they project to us is superficial.
We fall madly in love and madly out of love. I know, I've done it, I've watched my friends do it -- it's like all or nothing.
To me love is like art - a process. We deny process, the fact that good things like love and artistry and success take daily waterings and steady little steps in the right direction.
And think the truth is.... at least, generally speaking, for woman... the truth is we give ourselves up to love and lose ourselves in the process. We're like Julia Roberts in 'Runaway Bride', who didn't know what kind of eggs she liked.... because she liked whatever her finance liked. Because she didn't know how to hang on to who she was while hanging on to someone else.
I guess my point is, it's an old cliche, but we really do have to know & like ourselves first. Not only who we are, but what we dream for ourselves.
Years ago, I gave up my dreams for a relationship (again). I wasn't asked to do that, not directly, but I did. I did because I wanted to be 'good'. I wanted to be the good girlfriend, the good finance, the good wife. And while I was busy being good... I slowly lost myself. When I finally left that relationship and came home.... I felt like I had to put myself back together, brick by brick.
So now, when folks are kind enough to comment on my blogs, my music, my teaching, my small successes --- it means so much to me because I am finally here, again. Doing what inspires & interests & challenges me. Doing and being who I am, imperfect, human, night-owl-grumpy-in-the-morning, so-lucky-to-have-great-friends, be living my creative musical life, and even luckier to have some fans who seem, unaccountably, to like what I do.
I'm glad to finally be Me!
Haven't felt too inspired musically this week - goin' thru one of my 'incubating' periods, I think :lol: But, I did send out two armfuls of promo packs to radio stations for the new album ( www.cdbaby.com/cd/flawith ), and rehearsed 3 times with the trio in prep for the gig. Had lunch with my mom yesterday, had coffee with a client earilier in the week.... after the gig today, went out for coffee with a couple of songwriting pals. I also spent some time writing/designing my newsletter for distribution (comin soon - sign up on my profile page), and redesigning my teaching website ( www.theshysinger.com ).... plus the usual teachin'.
I love these old movies, there's so much energy and excitement around puttin' on a show, and you get the feelin' that anything is possible, that everything will turn out okay in the end, that love at first sight can last a whole life long.
Sometimes I think that love has become such a commodity in our society that we've lost our innate knowledge of what it really is. Movies & magazines & tv shows trumpet on about romance and love but the vision that they project to us is superficial.
We fall madly in love and madly out of love. I know, I've done it, I've watched my friends do it -- it's like all or nothing.
To me love is like art - a process. We deny process, the fact that good things like love and artistry and success take daily waterings and steady little steps in the right direction.
And think the truth is.... at least, generally speaking, for woman... the truth is we give ourselves up to love and lose ourselves in the process. We're like Julia Roberts in 'Runaway Bride', who didn't know what kind of eggs she liked.... because she liked whatever her finance liked. Because she didn't know how to hang on to who she was while hanging on to someone else.
I guess my point is, it's an old cliche, but we really do have to know & like ourselves first. Not only who we are, but what we dream for ourselves.
Years ago, I gave up my dreams for a relationship (again). I wasn't asked to do that, not directly, but I did. I did because I wanted to be 'good'. I wanted to be the good girlfriend, the good finance, the good wife. And while I was busy being good... I slowly lost myself. When I finally left that relationship and came home.... I felt like I had to put myself back together, brick by brick.
So now, when folks are kind enough to comment on my blogs, my music, my teaching, my small successes --- it means so much to me because I am finally here, again. Doing what inspires & interests & challenges me. Doing and being who I am, imperfect, human, night-owl-grumpy-in-the-morning, so-lucky-to-have-great-friends, be living my creative musical life, and even luckier to have some fans who seem, unaccountably, to like what I do.
I'm glad to finally be Me!
flying dreams
Most of the time I dream and only fleetingly grasp at the meaning of the pictures, which fade quickly, although I have often woken up inspired or with an answer to something I've been struggling with.
But I have had dreams so powerful that I can still see the images of those dreams in my mind right now. Once, when I was a child, I was dreaming of the Disney cartoon, 'Dumbo' - the little elephant with the huge ears that everyone laughs at... of course, in my dream, I was the baby, embarrassed and ashamed and hurt by the malicious laughter of the others.... until one day, I spread my ears and flew.
The sensation in my dream was absolutely unreal. I could feel the wind rippling over my skin, my whole body vibrating with joy... soaring through the sky, looking down at the earth.
I woke up. I was lying in my bed in the fetal position - on my side with my hands wrapped around my pillow - and it took me a little while to understand I had been dreaming. I must have been only 5 or 6 at the time.
I still remember how it felt to fly.
It's interesting, cause, in a lot of ways, my life has resembled that dream. I was, for a very long time, teased and put down for being different. But my being different eventually made me stronger... and now and then, I soar.
Just two days ago, I was feeling down. It was one of those days where you feel like all your efforts are futile and maybe it's time to get a real job and who am I kidding anyway. Inside, I was feeling like that little, odd, sad baby of my dream so long ago.
Then someone sent me a lovely note about how they had felt inspired by something I wrote in my blog. Someone else wrote me a note to say how much they enjoyed my folky CD. Someone else took the time to give me some much needed information. One of my students generously drove me around to do errands (I hurt my ankle and can't walk or drive) and refused to take any money for gas or for her time. Another student gave me a hug at the end of a wonderfully moving lesson where we were both close to tears because of the beauty of the sound that he was releasing.
I can't tell you how meaningful those things are to me. Making those kinds of connections with people - deep, inner connections - in a world that seems to have lost its capacity for serenity and peace - makes it all worthwhile.
But I have had dreams so powerful that I can still see the images of those dreams in my mind right now. Once, when I was a child, I was dreaming of the Disney cartoon, 'Dumbo' - the little elephant with the huge ears that everyone laughs at... of course, in my dream, I was the baby, embarrassed and ashamed and hurt by the malicious laughter of the others.... until one day, I spread my ears and flew.
The sensation in my dream was absolutely unreal. I could feel the wind rippling over my skin, my whole body vibrating with joy... soaring through the sky, looking down at the earth.
I woke up. I was lying in my bed in the fetal position - on my side with my hands wrapped around my pillow - and it took me a little while to understand I had been dreaming. I must have been only 5 or 6 at the time.
I still remember how it felt to fly.
It's interesting, cause, in a lot of ways, my life has resembled that dream. I was, for a very long time, teased and put down for being different. But my being different eventually made me stronger... and now and then, I soar.
Just two days ago, I was feeling down. It was one of those days where you feel like all your efforts are futile and maybe it's time to get a real job and who am I kidding anyway. Inside, I was feeling like that little, odd, sad baby of my dream so long ago.
Then someone sent me a lovely note about how they had felt inspired by something I wrote in my blog. Someone else wrote me a note to say how much they enjoyed my folky CD. Someone else took the time to give me some much needed information. One of my students generously drove me around to do errands (I hurt my ankle and can't walk or drive) and refused to take any money for gas or for her time. Another student gave me a hug at the end of a wonderfully moving lesson where we were both close to tears because of the beauty of the sound that he was releasing.
I can't tell you how meaningful those things are to me. Making those kinds of connections with people - deep, inner connections - in a world that seems to have lost its capacity for serenity and peace - makes it all worthwhile.
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