Back in the seventies, when I was a high school student, we had to choose a major for our high school years. I don't think highs schools do that anymore. I chose Fine Arts as my major. I couldn't believe that I could choose to study the arts and get away with it. I loved all of the performing arts and being involved in music and drama made school an enjoyable experience for me. I felt most alive when I was singing and dancing and playing sports. These activities have always been in my life in one way or another. One of those ways has been through my children.
My daughter, Emily, has been writing songs and singing them since she was a little girl. She has been given the gift of song. I love to listen to her share her latest creations because they give me a glimpse into her heart. She is a very soulful person and expresses the depth of her inner life in her music. Being her mother, I have had the privilege of seeing her grow as a person and as an artist.
The life of an artist is challenging on many levels. We live in a world of pragmatism and judgment. So choosing to open your life up through artistic expression can seem foolish to some. We have all heard the term "starving artist" and so many young artists are nipped in the bud because of the odds of financial success.
I believe that being successful is more than monetary gain. Don't get me wrong, we all need to find ways to support ourselves through hard work and determination. For an artist this is also true. I have heard that to become good at any skill you need to invest 10,000 hours of practice. So I have great respect for people that stick to their craft long enough to become a true artist. Emily, you are a true artist and a true gift to me.
I have always challenged my children to listen to themselves and to live from their true hearts. I believe that every person alive has something inside of themselves that the world needs. It is our responsibility as fellow travelers to help each other figure out what that gift is and then to cheer each other on with our love and support.
Here, in her own words, is the history of this song:
Did You Ever Love Me
This song remains one that is the most dear to
my heart, perhaps because it feels so exposing and vulnerable. I wrote this
song in the midst of deep heartache. I’d just broken up with the guy that I
thought could be my forever, but knew deep down should never be. I knew that
breaking up was the right and necessary thing to do, but as we can all attest,
the right thing is rarely the easiest one in these instances. As I wrote this I
couldn’t help but wondering, hoping, that maybe, just maybe he’d show up
at my door ready to change, to be the man that I needed. But days went by, then
weeks and all I was left with were questions and missing puzzle pieces, that
left me brokenhearted, wondering what, if any of it was ever real at all.
Here is the link to the video, take a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8q_fRwA9l8
The completed album will be released on Friday December 4th. She wrote these songs while working through a painful break up. So this music is written from the heart about life, love, and the risk and rewards of relationships!
It takes great courage to live from your true self. So thank you to all artists that risk living in a vulnerable space so that the world can receive beautiful works of art. Music and art, song and dance, and storytelling are what make life interesting!
Here is the link to the video, take a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8q_fRwA9l8
The completed album will be released on Friday December 4th. She wrote these songs while working through a painful break up. So this music is written from the heart about life, love, and the risk and rewards of relationships!
It takes great courage to live from your true self. So thank you to all artists that risk living in a vulnerable space so that the world can receive beautiful works of art. Music and art, song and dance, and storytelling are what make life interesting!
