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The Shy Singer |
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#1 – 01Feb05 |
VIKKI
FLAWITH, SINGER/SONGWRITER & VOICE TEACHER, |
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Hi. Well, a couple of weeks ago two different
and unassociated people said to me, “Vikki, when are you going to write your
book, about voice, and about life?”
I’ve never been quite sure if my philosophy of voice would have a mass
appeal, but perhaps a good way for me to start is to write a monthly ezine. I’ll be
discussing the various issues we face when working in the artform
known as ‘singing’ – that strangely seem to mirror the issues we face in
life. I hope you find this to be a
valuable contribution to your creative growth. ~ Vikki Please note: I’ve taken the liberty of putting
you on the subscription list for my ‘zine; if you’d
rather not receive it, please scroll down and use the link to
unsubscribe. |
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Stumbling is Part of the Journey
This brings me to the issue of talent. Whether you call it creativity, artistry,
ability or talent, there is a pervasive myth in our culture that says you are
either born with it or without it, and if you are without it, there’s simply
no point in trying. Forgive my less
than polite, fervent and loud opinion of that point of view: it’s a crock. Now, I’m not saying that if you were born without a voicebox you can find a way to speak - altho there is technology to do that now. I’m not saying that someone without arms
can paint - altho there are people painting with
their toes. I’m not saying that if you
were born without the use of your legs that you can run a marathon - altho there are wheelchair marathons. I’m simply saying that, if you are willing
to open yourself up to the possibility of doing the impossible, if you are
willing do the work, stick to your guns, and ignore the protests/beliefs of
the nay-sayers, you can do anything humanly
possible – and maybe more. Part of the issue is how you are going to define ‘success’ as you pursue your artistic dream. In the beginning, success should be simply
and clearly defining time and space in your life for your artistic
practice. It’s certainly not about
being perfect, or comparing yourself to other
artists (and finding yourself wanting).
It’s doing the work, and then feeling the satisfaction of knowing that
you did it. It’s experiencing, in the
moment, the active working of your creative muscle... and knowing that, as
you routinely flex and work this muscle, it will become stronger and stronger. Baby steps, day by day, falling, getting
up, doing it again.
Routinely challenging yourself to take the risk of being with and in
your art, warts and all. “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” ...Joseph Chilton Pearce Many of us have, to a great extent, deeply integrated the
idea that perfection is key to success. Making mistakes is bad, we are told at
work, at home, in our relationships... there’s little patience for those of
us who are clumsy or shy, timid or inexperienced. “Do it right or don’t do it at all.” Yet we all yearn for unconditional love and
acceptance! As many of you know, there’s a huge contradiction in vocal
practice. On the one hand, we say,
“don’t forget your legato, your breathing, your shaping, your expansion, your
‘right thinking’,” yet, on the other hand we say, “believe in yourself, let
go, open up, be free.” “Dance as you
sing, but keep your lips wrapped around your voice!” Balancing these two points of view is
essential... but takes time. Be too
critical of yourself, and good intentions become tension and inhibit the
voice. Be too free, let go too much,
and the voice sits improperly in the throat and we lose clarity and ease in
functioning. CONSIDER:
Think about the possibility that your stumbles are crucial to
your experience of the creative process.
Think about the fact that we learn, in voice, by simply doing, then
adding new thoughts, and doing again, and experiencing the difference. If there was no before, how could we have
an after? And if we have no before
& no after, then how do we learn?
How do we grow? “Work each day on your thoughts rather than concentrating
on your behaviour.
It is your thinking that creates the feelings you have and ultimately
your actions as well. Catch yourself
when you verbalize thoughts that are self-defeating. What we see is
evidence of what we believe.” [Wayne
Dyer, You’ll See it When You Believe It] Apply the above to our singing: what we hear is
evidence of what we believe, isn’t it?
If we think positive thoughts, focused on supporting our voice to be
the best it can be, by breathing, shaping and believing... we free the voice
from expectation and allow it to be... we surrender to the
breath and to the voice, and the voice comes naturally to the right
place. Suddenly what was hesitant now
flows, what was high is easy... and our perspective is changed. |
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LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT: ‘Sundays at the JBI’ requested submissions for
their annual ‘Loves Me, Loves Me Not’ Valentine night. I submitted, and they’ve asked me to participate. That’s gonna be
at the James Bay Inn, Sunday, February 13th. I’m not sure what time it starts yet
(probably 7:30 pm), but if you’d like to come and hear me read an excerpt
from my current work, that would be great.
Let me know, I’ll give you the details as soon as I have them. ~ Vikki a.k.a. student Judy Fainstein and her rock &
roll band, will be playing a gig at the Velox Rugby
Club, Judy says: “This is a chance to kick up your
heels and celebrate the coming of Spring!
It is an informal event in a relaxed atmosphere – lots of fun! We are pre-selling tickets, however, there
will be some available at the door, space permitting.” |
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A FINAL THOUGHT: “When we stay with
the familiar, we take no risks. If we
do not risk we do not have to change.
Avoid change and we can explain that the reason for our lack of growth
is a multitude of external circumstances.
It is a comfortable-seeming circle that keeps us safe, albeit stuck in
place, and in a place that seldom serves us or those
we love....” [Wayne
Dyer, You’ll See it When You Believe It] |
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NOTES & LINKS: Alexander
Technique: “teaches a person to recognize and
change habits that interfere with well integrated functioning. The student is
guided by the teacher's tactile and verbal cues, which are designed to elicit
a specific reorganization of the body, primarily focused on the head to spine
relationship. The student participates in a new kinesthetic experience,
allowing the natural ease of movement to emerge.” Gwen Dobie is a well-respected practitioner of AT and is
located in Demo Recording: DJ
Promotions Recording Studio, located in Songwriters Association of Taxi – www.taxi.com – good articles on the music biz |
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"What
I really want my students to 'get' from my studio is
the knowledge that the life of an artist is a process. We must find time for
our art in our daily lives, for it is when we are in the act of creating, or
studying (practicing) that we affect what is unseen in us. The act of 'doing'
over and over again trains the subconscious to do things in a new, more holistic
and natural way. Thus each 'doing' is a tiny but transformative event on the
path to self-discovery and creativity. Each step, each practice, each song,
each lesson, each performance, is part of a whole -- a joyfully artistic
life." |
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Email: vflawith@islandnet.com ~
Web: www.islandnet.com/~vflawith
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