I have been busy finalizing things for the ten days that I will be away on tour. I have six shows in that time period and will be visiting friends and family as well. I seem to be able to do this every time I go away on a short tour. I am extremely grateful for the friends that have stepped up to be hosts for a couple house concerts around the Calgary area and for the friends that have offered me a bed as well. It is a very rewarding experience to be reconnecting with folks from my high continue reading…
singer/songwriter
Be the Unexpected
I have been working on a signature program (keynote address) this last week.This is a program of songs combined with stories that add up to an inspirational message. My business coach told me a while ago that this would be a good idea. I had a few friends over on the weekend to run through my material and they gave me some feedback. I am so grateful for the helpful feedback. The main thing I need to do is to be more specific and focus on the three main things that I want to say. This was helpful to hear continue reading…
Transitions
I realized a few weeks ago that transitioning out of my life as a nurse was going to be a little more challenging then I thought. I will be retiring July 1st. I have been so tired from my work as a nurse that I had assumed that there would be no issues with this change. Then I realized that I have a lot of pride in what I have done in my nursing life and that I wanted to leave it in a thoughtful way. I have come at this in a couple of ways. Firstly, I went to continue reading…
Christmas is nearly here.
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…
Five Years of Music
I have recently heard that we overestimate what can be done in a year and underestimate what can be done in five years. I was thinking about this as I went up the elevator to my nursing job this morning! I began to reflect about all that I have been able to accomplish in five years. Five years ago I was driving to Saskatoon every couple weeks to do pre-production work on my first album Awakening. That first album was released the following September. I had a lovely release. I also didn’t know anything about the music biz. In January continue reading…
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…
Showing Up
I have just finished my 10 day tour Life is Wide Open 2, which took me from Regina, Sask to Kelowna, BC. I had six shows in all and I am grateful for each one. The biggest lesson for me was the reminder that it is important to show up. I reconnected with friends from my grade 12 class (1977) and with other friends whom I hadn’t seen for several years. It was also a healing journey for me as I reconnected with old friends from my church life. I was very involved with my church life and Christian faith 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 Perspectives 2
I am in the middle of a trip to the UK. It is always interesting to travel and see things from a new perspective. As well, to be reminded that there is more then one way to do things. This can be as simple as how people eat their food. Apparently I don’t use my fork and knife quite right as compared to people here. I would have never guessed this was a difference in the past. I had a colleague review my album Shifting Sands recently and I was so pleased with the review. What struck me was the continue reading…
Camping in a Tent , a Gig and Connections
I drove the highway from Ravenscraig towards the Cypress Hills and I could feel my body begin to unwind. Concerns I had been obsessing about seemed to lose their intensity. I found my tenting spot when I got to the park and got set up. My body relaxed even deeper into the nature that surrounded me. Then there was time spent hiking in the trees. Wildlife seen on the road near the park, coyote, deer and a hawk reminded me of my place in the universe. A Moose showed up on the road as I drove back to the park continue reading…
