"...other songs tho, he [had] to work hard for like digging potatoes out of the ground..."
- Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
I don’t know about you but the ebb and flow of being an artist, voice coach, wife and mother can feel very...elusive. It's as if I am skating on thin ice and trying to make it to every section of the lake before it all melts. This seems particularly true when I am trying to reconnect with a songwriting routine. While it is possible to sit with other artists and co-write, at this stage I prefer to be alone unearthing material from inside me.
However, after a very full new year and election (AHH!) it has taken time for my mind to settle and the creative visibility to clear. An average writing day for me is a part meditative, part singing, part writing, part dancing/humming/piano playing/foot tapping, dish washing, bed-making experience. Sounds like some avant garde theater show right?
The latest song I've been catching is called "Kwa-Fyoor" the phonetic spelling of the French word “coiffure” (meaning an elaborate hairstyle). I hope to include this piece on my upcoming album "Head Full of Hair, Heart Full of Song". The most frustrating part about this song is that I have 3 different potential melodies I could journey on but I don’t know that any of them are the right fit. And this is where I get to wondering, "is that really for me to decide?" Similar to life I don’t know if it's really my business to know (or control) this now. It would probably be better to go ahead on this path and discover what the music wants to be. A jingle, a interlude, a suite or nothing at all. Something poignant, something light. The answer is most likely closer than I think...if only I would let myself loosen the reigns a little. Do you ever have this problem with securing your sonic catch? If so, do tell. Until next time, "we are all in the band".
Peace, love and green juice.