Christmas is nearly here. I decided this year I would play a few shows during December as part of my music biz plan. People like music at Christmas and I had a Christmas single to play so it seemed like a sound decision. I have enjoyed playing although I have only just gotten into the spirit of the season. I received a couple Christmas cards a couple days ago and that helped. It is interesting to sing Christmas tunes and not actually be in the Christmas spirit. It was fun to have people sing along. It was also a stretch continue reading…
adult contemporary
Christmas is Coming
We are in the month of November, Halloween has come and gone and Christmas is just around the calendar. That’s how things are for those of us in Canada. Remembrance Day was this past Sunday (Veterans Day in the United States) and we don’t talk a lot about Christmas until we are at least past November 11th. When I mention to people that Christmas is very close, there is a variety of responses. There is either joy at the idea that their favorite time of year is here or dislike at the mention of it. Christmas brings out feelings like continue reading…
New Season, New Beginnings
It is eleven months since my album Shifting Sands was released. It is nearly impossible to believe that it was such a short time ago. I have come to love and understand these songs more and more as I play them. As I head out on my tour/trip I understand again the words of the song Thanks Past Me. I find myself almost daily being grateful that I can depend on something I have done or learned in this past year. I bought some new sound equipment yesterday and was proud to realize that I do understand some of the continue reading…
New Connections
I have had a lot of chances during this last month to experience some new connections and for this I am very grateful. I just finished a trip to the UK where I met my first grandchild. It is impossible to express how grateful I am for this new person who has come into my life. The most amazing things are often the ones you don’t expect. I had never really thought about being a grandma but here it is and it is so cool, new connections indeed! Before I left for my trip to the UK, a wise friend continue reading…
Building Community and Trusting Oneself
Hello on this first Wednesday of July. I have a lot of things to look forward to this summer plus I have had a great first half of 2018. I have been performing a couple times a month which is way more than ever before and I am grateful for all those opportunities. The show that I am reflecting on today is one that our songwriting group just had on June 20th. We had our wind up which we celebrated by putting on a showcase which included nine of our songwriters. We were fortunate to do so at a local continue reading…
This is what I know
This is what I know. That is quite the statment to start with but hey if Oprah can say it so can I… This week has been one where I have continued to think about creativity and hopefully practice more of it. As well, I have gone down memory lane as it was pride week here in Regina. When I first came to Regina I was starting a new life alone. My sons had stayed with their father in Montreal and I broke up with my partner shortly after coming here. I remember the pride events that I took part continue reading…
New Perspectives from the Badlands
I went to the Badlands last weekend for a music festival. It was a fundraiser for an old school house that is now a museum and it is situated in the hamlet of East Coulee along the Red Deer River. The Badlands and the valley are very cool with formations in the hills that look like dinosaur feet, old coal mines, hoodoos and this gorgeous river that runs along the river bottom. New views and new perspectives. The music festival called the East Coulee SpringFest takes place in the school museum along with the town’s community center. There is magic continue reading…
Spring has Sprung
We have gone from winter to very warm spring in one weekhere in Saskatchewan. It is lovely to have no snow and it is also a jarring transition. I keep thinking about transitions, both in my music life and in my nursing and home life. They can be jarring. How can I smooth out the edges? In performing how do I transition easily from one song to another, giving myself and the audience time. I am so aware of any silent spaces, as I allow myself to really prepare for the next song, to let go of some of the continue reading…
All of a Sudden
All of a sudden two weeks has passed and it is time for me to write another post. I have done some fun things these past two weeks, shared a new song with my songwriters group, had two paying gigs and had an interview with a freelance journalist about my music. Who says the Universe is not helping out. When I asked the journalist how he found me, he said he found me because another musician he interviewed was following me on Twitter… Wow. I also heard from my sister that they continue to play my music on my hometown continue reading…
A Week of No Social Media
I have been doing the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron these past few weeks and during one of the week’s activities she strongly suggests not reading. The book was written 25 years ago so social media wasn’t a thing and I figured a break from that would be very beneficial and it was. I immediately had more space in my brain and way more time then I would have anticipated. The other thing I have noticed now that the week is over is that I am back to a lot of my old habits. Checking Facebook especially when I am continue reading…
