Who Stole Your Song

Yesterday I was at the grocery store, when the guy bagging my groceries started singing a popular Sarah McLachlan song.  He looked at me and asked me to join in with him (I do live in Nashville ... a.k.a. Music City, USA! ). With everything in me, I wanted to belt it out, but couldn’t.

You see, I am a singer with vocal problems. The last few years have been rough vocally and, a few months ago, I was even struggling to talk. I have worked with vocal coaches and breathing experts. I do a myriad of strange exercises for the voice, I’ve started swimming, and I vocalize regularly. My speaking voice is stronger,  but my singing problem is still a mystery. In August I will visit the Vanderbilt Voice Clinic and, hopefully, finally get an official diagnosis.

I have good and bad days, but it’s all very frustrating, because everything I do depends on my voice.  I believe I’m dealing with something much like Shania Twain. If you haven’t heard her story, she also lost her voice. Hopefully,  it looks as though she is getting it back.

Everything I thought I would be doing during this season of my life is on hold. My plans did not pan out. I cannot sing the song that is in my heart. So I’ve been singing a different tune lately: I’m painting! I'm also building a business to encourage creatives in their marketing pursuits. My song is now being sung in new and different ways. Most of the time, I’m fine with it. Today, I’m not. I miss singing.

What song do you long to sing? Have circumstances, difficulties or a lack of funds stolen your song? Is there an ache inside you to do something that you simply cannot do?

What do you do with that disappointment? Do you ignore it or deal with it? I’m doing all I can to get my voice back. What are you doing to get your song back?

"Most people die with the music still in them."  Oliver Wendell Holmes

Don’t let life go by with your deep desires buried inside. You were created with a song to sing and to be fully alive you MUST sing it. Life has a way of silencing our song, but we must be intentional and fight to get it back. Some of us don’t even know the song anymore? We can’t even hear it.

Here is the rest of the quote: "Most people die with the music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out."  Oliver Wendell Holmes

Determine to set aside some time to listen to your heart. What is the song? It may be faint, but odds are, if you listen long enough . . . you will hear it again.

Robbed By Rabbits

For every breakthrough, there are pesky 'critters' that want to rob you, just before the first bloom!

My beautiful garden is being attacked by bunnies. At least I thought bunnies were eating my flowers. But yesterday, I came face to face with "Jack" Rabbit;" he was bigger than the neighbor's fat cat! Jack startled me and he has already been back this morning for breakfast!

As soon as you decide to step outside of your comfort zone and launch into the deep, it's as though critters appear to gnaw on the blooms of your creativity, before your glory is even revealed. These critters may be bigger than you expect and closer than you had imagined. They may even be members of your own family, who are threatened with your new activities.

I'm reminded of a passage from the book, The War of Art. The author talks about learning to function fully, in spite of fear and opposition. That we are not to let those 'rabbits' destroy our creative flow, but we are to learn how to move forward, in spite of them. So . . . this morning I did a little on-line research and ordered some "Shake Away" for my garden. It's a deterrent for rabbits.

Do you need a little 'Shake Away' for your garden of creativity? Are you struggling with fear and insecurity, disorganization, or lack of discipline? Do you stumble with marketing and feel like a failure, before your 'glory' is even revealed?

Don't despair . . . I'm gonna shake away some of your critters!  First, you need to name the 'critter'.  What is it that is keeping you from making headway? What is your excuse?

Have you swallowed the lie, that you'll always be a struggling, starving artist? That it really is too hard? Let me encourage you, with the Internet, we now have the opportunity to have a world-wide store, open 24/7. With YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, we can advertise while curled up on the couch in our PJs. There has never been a more opportune time for creatives.  We simply need to let our creativity flow over into our marketing. We must 'do something' to get rid of those pesky rabbits.

So I'm going to encourage you today by offering a free gift. Just fill out the form to the right of this forum and get my 'FREE GIFT'. It's a special report ~ Artists Arise! 12 Steps To Turn Your Vision Into Provision. Allow me to help you 'shake away' those - as Elmer Fudd would say -"dirty rabbits" today!

1 ~ Leave a comment below.

2 ~ Fill out the form on the upper right to get your free report.

3 ~  Please click the +1 button below if you like this post .

New CD Release For The Fourth of July

             I want to let you know about a new CD my hubby just     
     released. It's a solo piano CD of seven of America's favorite patriotic songs plus three originals, done in his signature 'calm' style.

  For a FREE song, song samples and download options click below:
                    http://cometothequiet.com/patroitdreams.cfm

My Beautiful Garden - A Precious Gift

I have recently received a beautiful gift. As a matter of fact, it may be the most beautiful gift I've ever received. It is the gift of a flower garden.

Some of you may remember that my friends, Bob and Jayne Farrell, lost everything they owned in the Nashville flood last year. The sad part of the story is that they still have no home. They've been staying with their kids in Phoenix for the last year.

This past month they were here in Nashville, looking for land to build on. While here, they faced many ups and downs and are still wrestling with the reality that those who promised to help them rebuild have since changed their minds.

In the midst of the confusion, Jayne came to my house, shovel in hand. She spent endless hours in the hot sun ... digging, preparing the soil, and planting. It was very humbling for me to watch her give so much of herself to make my home beautiful, when she has no home of her own. Such a beautiful picture of selfless love and unselfish giving.

I've always wanted a garden, but I simply didn't know where to start. I needed someone who knew about gardening. My desire was there, but I didn't know the steps. Jayne showed me the basics, how to prepare the soil, what types of plants and flowers to buy, what kind of plant food and fertilizer to use. It's really overwhelming when you don't have the basic knowledge. My dear friend Jayne became my gardening coach and I am forever grateful to her.

Perhaps that's where you are with marketing your creativity. You create, but you have no clue how to market your creation.

Imagine if you had a coach, someone like Jayne, who could show you the basic steps. Perhaps your creativity could blossom into a thriving revenue stream.

If this sounds good to you,  I'm thrilled to share with you my Summer Success Coaching Packages.

 I'm eager to help you!


Click here to view my Summer Succes Coaching Packages!

P.S. Please share your thoughts below and click the +1 button below, if you like this post.

Find Your Focus

Creatives, you are blessed with innovative ways of thinking, but if you're not careful, this creativity can lead to a lack of focus.

I keep running into creatives that are tackling new projects every time I see them. They are bouncing from one idea to the next on a regular basis, never making any headway. Now, I'm all for multiple streams of income, but if you bounce before you get traction with one, you're on a path destined for failure.

It seems that many are looking for that 'magic bullet': the one thing that will make money and take them from starving to thriving. I hate to burst your bubble, but if that's the way you're thinking, I'll save you some time and lot's of energy by telling you that the 'magic bullet' doesn't exist!

Instead of chasing after the new thing that promises to be a magic bullet, I encourage you to find your focus, your highest passion, and determine to make it fly. Decide to stay with it for the long haul. Focus all of your energy on this one project and determine to get it off the ground. Discipline your time and reject all 'shiny obects' that come along to zap your energies.  Believe me . . .  they will come like clockwork to distract you.

Whatever you decide to focus on, know that it will take hard work, discipline and long hours. It will progress little by little. You'll have to fight against discouragement and impatience and constantly remind yourself that success does not happen overnight! 

You will need encouragers to help you focus and stay on task. It's impossible ... difficult, at best ...  to do alone.

So ... what are you working on? What is your dream? Are you getting discouraged before it's even off the ground?

Give yourself a time limit. If you're not making any headway in 4 to 6 months, I would suggest your seeking some wise counsel. Hire a coach if you can ... someone to hold you accountable and make sure you're on the right track. After that,  if you're still not making headway in a few months time, you might want to reconsider. But always get advice and seek wisdom before you move on to the next thing. Often, discouragement and giving up comes just before the breakthrough. 

Stop bouncing and start focusing! If you take consistent steps daily in one direction,  before long you will see the vision start to become reality. 

If you need some support, let me know. I've been known to cheer many over the finish line!  And please, feel free to share your struggles. Are you tempted to change paths, because the one you're on is taking too long? Are you discouraged or are you stuck? 

Action VS Perfection

I'm constantly running into creatives who are STUCK. They can't seem to push their projects over the edge to completion. Upon hearing their stories, I'm struck with statements that seem common to the "starving artist" community:

"I just can't make up my mind about what to call my website."
"I must redo 'such and such' and don't have the funds or time." 
"When I get past this obstacle, I'll start on marketing my art."
"I just can't figure out how to do . . . . " 

These aren't reasons,  they're excuses born out of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Maybe even fear of success.

 As a creative, are you an excuse maker or an action taker? Do you wallow in your reasons for 'why not' rather than fight through the fog to the finish line? If you find yourself hitting a wall with your creative projects, listen closely.

We get stuck in our creativity for lots of reasons. But often it boils down to the fact that we don't think our product is good enough.

Well, I say, 'Action is better than perfection!'

If you don't get your art out there, you'll stay STUCK .... and STUCK is not a productive place.

Have you noticed that Apple puts their products on the shelves and sells multiplied millions of dollars of product, before all of the kinks are worked out? How many hours have you spent on-line with 'trouble shooters,' just to find that it's a flaw with the computer or software program?

 Now, I'm not advocating that you produce flawed products on purpose, but surely you get the point. If you wait until it's perfect . . . . you are losing money, fans and endless possibilities.  Truth is . . . it'll never be perfect! So what are you waiting for?

Take action today and everyday. Get your art, your music, your writing, your designs out there for the world to see. In fact, take the first step out of 'Stuckville' and share them below (post a link to your work) in the comment section. I'd love to see you unstuck and on your way to becoming a thriving artist!

What Cupcakes Taught Me About Marketing Art

By Jeff Slaughter, guest blogger
Living in Europe for the past 13 years has sheltered me from some of the delights of living stateside.  So on a recent trip home to Louisiana I was stunned to find an upscale boutique dedicated solely to selling cupcakes.

Not just any cupcakes, but mouth-watering, blood sugar shocking oversized concoctions in familiar flavors like vanilla, chocolate,and red velvet all the way to the unusual such as peanut butter, key lime pie and banana pudding. The eye-popping display features 21 flavors a day and can hold more than 1,000 cupcakes. And it's not uncommon for them to sell out before closing time.

Now, I like a good cupcake, but I like a good business idea even better. So I was intrigued that a business could focus on such a narrow target - and be successful.

I soon learned that the cupcake craze was a national trend, having already spawned a Starbucks-like multi-store company called 'Sprinkles'. In the Memphis airport this week, I found an article in Inc. Magazine declaring that, 'The Great Cupcake Wars' is full on in our nation's capital, with multiple stores and chains competing for the capital's taste buds (you can find the article on Inc's website). There's even a TV show about the cupcake wars on Food Network!

Really? All that over cupcakes?

But I shouldn't be surprised. Cupcake companies have developed business models that are focused, marketed well and poised for profit. Which is what we should be doing with our art. As artists who are learning to focus, market and yes, make a profit, we should take some tips from the Cupcake Craze:

Here are a few things I learned:

Be creative, but be smart: Create art that people want to buy. I bet the flavors that don't sell well in cupcake shops get dropped like hot potatoes. They want to make money, not just prop their shops with cute cakes.

Market shamelessly: That's right, the Cupcakers have learned to sell using facebook pages, twitter accounts, you tube videos, articles in magazines, even trucks driving around Washington D. C. giving away samples. What are we doing to market our art? Are we so ashamed of it we hope no one notices it? Or are we as proud of our art as the Cupcakers are of their Red Velvet masterpieces? Do we really think our art isn't worth as much or more in marketing efforts as a wad of flour, sugar, butter and eggs?

Don't be afraid to charge....a lot: $3.00-$4.00 for ONE cupcake? Do people really pay that much for one cupcake? Yes, they do, just like they pay $3.50 for a tall latte, $4.00 for a gallon of gas, and $10 for a movie ticket. Starbucks, Shell and Tinseltown know how to make money. So do the Cupcakers.  And so should we. 

I'm going to give you a fun assignment: If there's a cupcake shop near you, get there, buy yourself a nice calorie-laden cupcake, take a big bite and think about how the Cupcake Craze has taken America by storm.

And come up with some ideas about how you might go just as crazy marketing your art.

Jeff Slaughter lives in Brussels, Belgium where he serves in international church ministry, oversees a worship training organization, writes and develops content, and enjoys an occasional cupcake. You can write to Jeff at: JeffKathyS@hotmail.com.