Did you watch the Grammy’s? I did. They were terrific.
Bruno Mars fills my longing for James Brown. Halleluiah! Adele is not only a great singer, but oh so beautifully real. And I am sure there’s a sound person in Hollywood out of a job and on his way to doing sound for The Ice Capades in North Dakota for the dreadful sound we were hearing during her song.
Turns out it was a mic in the piano that had fallen onto the strings. Both Adele and her pianist were PROS! She said afterward she was going to treat herself to an In and Out burger. Yeah, baby!
Gaga is a force of nature and never fails to entertain and demonstrate what true cutting edge creativity looks like. My experience of her is that she is truly fearless, and, my guess is that what fear she does feel, she pushes right through.
Then Bonnie Raitt saunters on, guitar hung low, and plays “The Thrill Is Gone,” and I’m doing a Wayne’s World bow to her in front of my TV. Goddess.
As if I’m not slayed enough – Alabama Shakes finishes me off.
These are just a few of my favorite moments that reminded me of the courage and discipline it takes to follow a vision for your life. It takes courage to shine as brightly as Maurice White, to be as alive and raw as Kendrick Lamar, as innovative as Gaga, and as long lasting as Bonnie Raitt.
You might ask yourself the same thing I do: How do they keep going? How do they block out the negative thoughts and naysayers?
Well, how do you do that?
For me, I learned long ago it all starts in my mind. And my mind is not my friend most of the time. I have learned that focusing on what is right in front of me and letting go of the past is one of the best ways to make progress.
Connecting with a Power greater than myself is also a really good idea. (Although that is constantly morphing). I have to trust that if I’m not moving in the right direction, this Power will guide me. I also connect to my Higher Power through getting help and support from others – which I need to ask for!
And I connect to my Higher Power by taking action. I love the saying, “Move a muscle, change a thought,” and I know when I do something differently, my Higher Power brings me different results.
So, hey, while the feud between Kanye and Taylor has been playground fun, I think it’s time for them to move on and to send Kanye some good thoughts. He is clearly in some trouble, and I ask myself, “What would it be like to send him some healing energy instead of criticism?” Taylor Swift too. She has been really graceful through this, and might have a hard time putting her sword back in the sheath, but I hope she can take Bette Davis’s mother Ruby’s quote to heart: “It’s the best fruit the birds pick at.”
Even though I wasn’t on stage at the Grammy’s, as I write this from my hotel in Newark, OH, where I have a gig with The Four Bitchin' Babes in a beautiful theater tonight, I feel grateful and proud to be a member of this musical tribe. As a voice teacher, I love encouraging others to follow their vision by passing along the wisdom of those who have gone before me. This is what they taught me:
Bruno Mars fills my longing for James Brown. Halleluiah! Adele is not only a great singer, but oh so beautifully real. And I am sure there’s a sound person in Hollywood out of a job and on his way to doing sound for The Ice Capades in North Dakota for the dreadful sound we were hearing during her song.
Turns out it was a mic in the piano that had fallen onto the strings. Both Adele and her pianist were PROS! She said afterward she was going to treat herself to an In and Out burger. Yeah, baby!
Gaga is a force of nature and never fails to entertain and demonstrate what true cutting edge creativity looks like. My experience of her is that she is truly fearless, and, my guess is that what fear she does feel, she pushes right through.
Then Bonnie Raitt saunters on, guitar hung low, and plays “The Thrill Is Gone,” and I’m doing a Wayne’s World bow to her in front of my TV. Goddess.
As if I’m not slayed enough – Alabama Shakes finishes me off.
These are just a few of my favorite moments that reminded me of the courage and discipline it takes to follow a vision for your life. It takes courage to shine as brightly as Maurice White, to be as alive and raw as Kendrick Lamar, as innovative as Gaga, and as long lasting as Bonnie Raitt.
You might ask yourself the same thing I do: How do they keep going? How do they block out the negative thoughts and naysayers?
Well, how do you do that?
For me, I learned long ago it all starts in my mind. And my mind is not my friend most of the time. I have learned that focusing on what is right in front of me and letting go of the past is one of the best ways to make progress.
Connecting with a Power greater than myself is also a really good idea. (Although that is constantly morphing). I have to trust that if I’m not moving in the right direction, this Power will guide me. I also connect to my Higher Power through getting help and support from others – which I need to ask for!
And I connect to my Higher Power by taking action. I love the saying, “Move a muscle, change a thought,” and I know when I do something differently, my Higher Power brings me different results.
So, hey, while the feud between Kanye and Taylor has been playground fun, I think it’s time for them to move on and to send Kanye some good thoughts. He is clearly in some trouble, and I ask myself, “What would it be like to send him some healing energy instead of criticism?” Taylor Swift too. She has been really graceful through this, and might have a hard time putting her sword back in the sheath, but I hope she can take Bette Davis’s mother Ruby’s quote to heart: “It’s the best fruit the birds pick at.”
Even though I wasn’t on stage at the Grammy’s, as I write this from my hotel in Newark, OH, where I have a gig with The Four Bitchin' Babes in a beautiful theater tonight, I feel grateful and proud to be a member of this musical tribe. As a voice teacher, I love encouraging others to follow their vision by passing along the wisdom of those who have gone before me. This is what they taught me:
- Believe in yourself and whatever you conceive to be a Higher Power.
- Keep your eyes on your own work. (Thank you Sister Mary Martha – 5th grade)
- S.I.T. Stay in today
- If you never want to have stage fright again, never criticize another performer
- We are all sparks of The Divine. We just forget.
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