Happy New Year, and Hello Sweet 2016!
A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who came out to one of my live shows in 2015, and to all who have supported my efforts along the way! I am grateful for you.
As we turn the corner into 2016, I am already busy working on my book, The Art of the Song. I’m smoothing out sentences, shaping them into paragraphs, and stacking paragraphs into chapters.
It’s starting to feel like I am writing the longest song EVER. Having never written a book, I’m learning as I go. I’m digging down deep into the songwriting process, describing writing as a healing art form and telling stories along the way.
Here are a few excerpts from my initial drafts of the book:
Good songwriting is about telling the truth in an interesting way. It springs from love, hope, and oftentimes desperation. It is about discovery.
Songwriting is an art and a craft, but foremost an art, and artists should not be neutral. An artist should be committed to humanity and emotional honesty, always aiming for truth in their work. A songwriter’s relationship with both the song and the listener is based on trust, and that trust is a sacred bond. Songs are more than just sweet undulations or sale-able entertainment products - they are powerful medicines that serve to connect us to ourselves, to each other, and to something bigger.
Songwriting is one of the healing arts. Songs affect attitude, emotional state, outlook, and way of being. They are vibrations from a higher world, which we humans have been given the power to invoke.
Thank you for being a part of my journey! I will keep you posted as my book unfolds. May this new year be full of truth, discovery, healing and many opportunities to share your authentic voice.
In the meantime, I hope to see you out on the road in 2016!
