Blog

11.26.18

Songwriting Your Own Story

Songwriting is all about a good story. My story, your story, our stories as a culture, and the stories that make us who we are as individuals. Storytelling is a way of life.

Ancient artwork, storying telling is an art that contains deep truths. Truths that usually stand the test of time. Story time is something that is represented through SO MANY cultures the world over. They remind us of where we’ve been, or what we’ve been through. Storytelling can help us heal. A great story can teach us more about who we are and who we can be.

As a songwriter it’s never lost on me the effect that our stories have on us. Especially as individuals. The stories we believe about ourselves continue to have an impact on us our whole lives. Sometimes it’s the stories other people have told us about ourselves. If you had a parent who was overly critical this can affect you your whole life. The same applies if you had a parent who told you that you could achieve anything you believed. All of the things you’ve believed about yourself make up your story.

Songs allow me to write the stories the way I feel they should go. I can change the characters, the outcomes, or start purely from an idea and not an experience. But most importantly, I can choose the perspective. The perspective is everything when it comes to a story. It’s what the ultimate message will be; what the song or story represents.

I like to remember this same idea for life. The perspective of the story is the most important part. How you see the story has the biggest impact on the ultimate result. This is applicable for you as well, songwriter or not.

The next time you don’t like the way your story feels, think of it from a different perspective. And ALWAYS remember that this is your story, you can write it however you choose, and if you decide you want something different all you have to do is keep writing.

11.23.18

The 10 Best Songs of Christmas Music

Today I want to share something that I love so much. Music! Specifically, CHRISTMAS MUSIC.

Music has been my life for so long, and just like anything in life – we’ve had our ups and downs. But that doesn’t mean that anything has changed about how much I love music. Or how much it moves me.

When I was a child I was part of a group of children who got to perform all over our city throughout the year, but ESPECIALLY at Christmas! Which means that I’ve listened to A LOT of Christmas music, and usually from about August through to January 1st. Because of this, I feel like I just HAVE to share my favorite Christmas songs with you! Having listened to so so so many, and so many versions,

throughout the years – I consider myself a connoisseur of Christmas songs.

Here is my top 10 for Christmas songs – including my new favorites and my all time favorites, and some instrumentals!

Angels from the Realms of Glory – The Piano Guys
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Lindsey Stirling
Christmas Canona – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Ave Maria – Celine Dion
Snow – Danny Kaye, Trudy Stevens, Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
Cold December Night – Michael Bublé
Night Divine – Josh Groban
What Are You Doing New Years – Karen Carpenter
Carol of the Bells – David Foster

11.21.18

3 Day Guide To Las Vegas

I love Las Vegas, but not for the reason you would think.

I love Las Vegas because I grew up there. I went to high school there, I know the city as more than just the strip, which is why I can give you guide that only a local could.

Las Vegas is a city that you can’t fully see in three days, but I’m going to give you some of my most memorable favorites.

Day 1

Drive the famous Las Vegas Blvd. at night. It’s why you came to Vegas right?! So do it. Indulge in the touristy part! Drive the whole strip and start with the famous ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign.

After your drive there are a few things on the strip that are totally worth seeing.

The fountains at Bellagio
The atrium at the Bellagio (and make sure to note the multimillion dollar light fixture in the main lobby)
The canals at the Venetian
The Forum Shops at Ceasar’s Palace

Day 2

Get off the strip. Go out and see some or all of these, but at least see one. Las Vegas has too much natural beauty to spend all your time right on the strip.

Red Rocks
The Valley of Fire
The Hoover Dam
The Grand Canyon (yes, I know this isn’t technically IN Vegas, but it’s a short helicopter ride away and helicopters go out every hour or so!)

Day 2: Night

Option 1

Go down to Fremont Street Experience. It is crazy, and you will see the whole gamut of what Vegas can be. But it’s also where Vegas started, and although it’s not the glitz of uptown, it used to be and it’s worth seeing. It’s also had a revival in the past few years with a lot of historic elements restored.

Option 2

See a show. Almost every single resort/casino has a show inside. The big casinos have Cirque De Soleil shows, and the smaller casinos have their own smaller shows. Several musical artists have residency at one of the casinos as well, so make sure to see who is playing during your trip!

Clubbing

Vegas is full of nightclubs. While it’s not my favorite part of Las Vegas, if you like clubbing this is the place to do it. Especially for ladies, who typically get in free AND drink free.

Day 3

Shopping. If you like to shop, this is the day to do it. You have seen everything and you know what you want so you don’t have to tote it around with you all day. Here are my shopping recommendations:

The outlet mall – it has all the usual stores and then it has some high end stores as well
For designers shop at the big resorts. Vegas has so many designer stores that you’re bound to find that bag or pair of shoes that you couldn’t find anywhere else

Day 3: Night

Go to one of the restaurants overlooking the strip. The view is amazing especially at night, and the atmosphere in most of these restaurants is electric.

There is so much to do in Las Vegas that you really couldn’t do it all even in a week. There’s natural beauty, museums, history, shopping, RESTAURANTS (so much good food!), and sights to behold. The important thing is to try and pick a few really memorable experiences and if you do that, you’ll have a great time!

11.12.18

Five or Five

Five years or five minutes?

I’ve recently been trying to follow the idea that if it’s not going to matter in five years, I shouldn’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it.

This is a hard one for me, because I can get worked up about things so easily and so quickly. But I realized that one of the things I would regret most as I got older was the time I wasted being angry about things that didn’t matter. Which means that every time I feel myself getting worked up I have to try and decide if it’s important enough to be angry about.

Let’s be honest, even when we’re angry, we know if it’s a big deal or if we’re just making it a big deal. It can be hard, trust me I know, to try and talk yourself out of being angry about something. But the reality is that there just isn’t enough time to make it worth being angry without a legitimate reason.

Here’s how it works.

I feel myself getting angry/mad/irritated/annoyed about A/B/C
I recognize what’s happening and try to be objective about whether or not A/B/C is something that will matter in five years (Mostly it’s not something that will matter in five years)
Here’s the coolest part – after I take some deep breaths – I can pretty much just let it go! Because I just decided it wasn’t worth getting upset over! It wasn’t worth wasting my precious time on!

It’s not always easy to be rational when you’re in the process of getting worked up about things, but I’m finding that I feel much better when I can stop it before it really takes ahold of me.

Hoping this will help you when you feel like you’re losing it. How do you keep perspective?

10.31.18

What’s Your Mission Statement and Why You Want One

Napoleon Hill called it your “definite purpose” and now we call it a mission statement.

It’s mostly used by business to define the mission of the brand or business. I recently started reading a book called “Principles” which is what it sounds like – a book about principles. It essentially touches the same idea – that humans work well with a guiding mantra for their life – a mission statement.

It sounds DAUNTING, I know. “How do I define my life and what I stand for in one short sentence?!” But it’s actually somewhat simple. It’s a statement built around your:

Beliefs
The kind of person you are/want to be
Principles
Priorities

Why a mission statement for your life can be so helpful is because it is a guidance system by which all decisions can be measured.

As I mentioned business have them. Starbucks’ is “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” What I like about mission statements is that they transcend goals but they can change! It’s like having a compass in your pocket to pull out when you start to feel confused or overwhelmed.

It allows you to define the terms on which you will live your life and it will make decision easier because you have defined who you are and what you stand for.

10.24.18

“Am I Doing It Right?” and Why It Doesn’t Matter!

I know I’ve asked myself this, and I’ve definitely asked this in school, in art classes, and in many other scenarios I’m sure…”Am I doing this right?”.

But I recently came to a wonderful realization – IT USUALLY DOESN’T MATTER. Occasionally it does – if you’re a doctor, your cooking raw meat, or it’s life or death, or you’re driving a car; but those situations are different because it’s a legitimate concern. In day-to-day life or in creative endeavors it’s not actually about whether your doing it right or wrong – it’s the FEARof making a mistake or the FEAR of being wrong. So what does matter?

Are you doing your best?
Do you have good intentions?

That’s usually all you need to be focused on. It’s not about getting it right. It’s about learning to enjoy the journey, the experience, etc. Save yourself the stress and stop worrying about “right”, what does that mean anyway? That your wine and painting class masterpiece will look exactly like the instructors? Does that matter? It will you uniquely yours and it will be because you didn’t worry about being “right” and just enjoyed the process!

We can all give ourselves a little more grace and compassion when we’re learning and trying new things. A good measure stick is to say, “Does this have serious consequences if I get it right or wrong?” and if the answer is “no” then you can stop worrying about being RIGHT.