It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare, that things are difficult.
- Seneca
Wednesday 11th July, 2018
The Courage to take Action
Finally the part is arriving when I get to launch the album I've worked on for so long and set the music free! I hope you can join me in the celebration. But first a little story..
When the music side of things was all finished, I got a glimpse of what it might be like to be an empty-nester. The thing that had occupied my life and was always somewhere in my field of attention, no longer needed my attention. There was a freedom, but also a loss. I can only say, the letting go that mothers must go through when their 'babies' leave the nest must be huge!
There were times during the making of the CD, when I questioned what I was doing and why I was doing it. I thought I'd share with you today, a few reliable threads of inspiration that kept me going.
# 1 No death-bed regrets!
Sounds a bit heavy, but it's true. I've heard myself talking about recording an album for years and I didn't want to still be talking about it in years to come. I'm always making music - it's part of my DNA, but I've not been giving myself the opportunity to complete the creative process fully, by sharing the fruits of my creativity with others. The doing as opposed to thinking about, or talking about, bursts any romanticism around the idea and gets you into the nitty gritty reality of what it involves. I'm happy I committed and jumped into the creative fire. No more wondering and no regrets!
# 2 Raising the Voice of the Feminine
I have to admit that my experience of being a woman, is that I often feel like I live in a man's world. You can't help but see an imbalance. It seems to me, that ever since the #MeToo wave entered the field, I've been hearing a lot more women offering their voices and wisdom from various platforms. It's heartening. So in times of doubt, I would remind myself that adding another female voice to the field, is somehow playing a part in creating balance.
The field of music production is definately a male dominated field. Though the task of recording, mixing and producing the work myself felt onerous at times, having creative control and learning to trust myself has been a valuable learning experience.
# 3 Walking the talk
One of the things I love most about my work as a kinesiologist is helping people follow through with their creative visions and dreams. It is a priveledge to share these journeys; walking the hot coals of "not good enough", swamps of self-doubt and all manner of unknown terrain before delivery. I realised it was time for me to walk my talk and do that for myself!
The process transformed me and I think that's the point. It's not about the outcome but who you become. The tools and understanding I have developed to identify and overcome those creative blocks we all encounter have left me better equipped to help others on their path. I think of that quote by Mahatma Gandhi that "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
# 4 You never know who your work will inspire and how your work can inspire
One day I was reading a newsletter and the story reminded me of a song I wrote some years back. I fished it out of the archives, listened to it with fresh ears and the song found a place on the CD. Though it's roots are in a different period of time, I love it's inclusion and the sense of journey it gives to the album as a whole. The person writing the newsletter would have no idea that their words had inspired me in that moment. This is true for all of us. Our thoughts, actions and speech inspires others in ways we cannot know.
It is this thread of not knowing that I hold, as my music is released into the ether. Once it's on it's merry way, I have no idea who and how it will inspire. If I use the empty-nester analogy again, it's really not my business what it gets up to in the world once it's free. But I can honestly predict, this music child of mine is more likely to run off to an ashram and rise at dawn than party 'til dawn!
I'll be interested to hear what you think :)
What's stopping you?
Is there something you've been talking about doing for years? Is it something you truly wish to do, or is it something you think you should do? If it is something your heart truly desires, maybe it's time to ask the question
What's stopping you?
What's stopping you?