Creative Winter Storms

Over the last month we've been hit by many winter storms. It is probably the most snow we've had in South Western, Nova Scotia in over a decade. The lakes are frozen, something that hasn't been accomplished over the past few years. Heck, we've had a hard time finding ponds that were frozen. It did not remain cold enough for it to freeze, the temperature would fluctuate so much. This year however, brought lots of snow, high winds and cold temperatures. Winter has landed and I don't think it is going anywhere.

Fortunately, we've managed to keep busy. We have Comet, our Christmas puppy, giving us a run for our money. He is quite clever and rambunctious, as Golden Retrievers are known to be. 

We've also been getting some much needed recording done around these parts. Mat has been recording his vocals for Lead Mule. By this time next month, I will be working on the finishing touches of my debut as well. 

In the meantime, I have been creatively consumed with music video production. I still have a few weeks left to dedicate to the project. My goal is to get as much done as I can before I get back in the studio. I'm very excited about this project and I can't wait to tell you more! Patience though. 

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of my cat Phoenix, enjoying her box on top of an amp.

Oh! Don't forget, you can also find me on YouTube! 

New Year, New Basement, New Puppy!

Happy New Year, everyone!! I know none of you have heard much from over the last little while. I hope that your holiday season has been wonderful. I've been very silent here over the last few months. We had renovated our home during the fall. We managed to get most of it done before Mat started lobster fishing at the end of November. The lobster season is a whole new kind of busy. It flips our schedules upside down. The house is quiet then and I get lonely. That was soon replaced with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I only just sat down a couple days ago. Mostly because I was sick and needed rest. Aside from a couple songs and a sponsored post, I really hadn't had the time to dedicate towards this aspect of my life. However, regardless of the space of time between my posts, I find my way back.

We had to install a new chimney and wood stove in our home. Our basement was unfinished. It was musty. Our home is split level and the lower level did not have heat. We wanted to put a heat source in the basement and finish it off because it is our main entryway, our old stove needed to be replaced and I was scared to run it for another winter. The new chimney would be built where an old closet stood in the basement and would continue through two upstairs closets. The upstairs living room closet and dining room closet would be modified to encase around the chimney and redesigned to balance the storage space in each room. Making them much more efficient.

This is the basement now. One of these days I will post before/after shots of each modification. I can lay down on my basement floor now by the fire. I couldn't even think about laying on it before. When we lit our first fire in the new stove, I commented on how that room has never seen heat before. So many firsts.

We got our kids a puppy for Christmas, so a lot of time has been spent housebreaking him. I've lost a lot of sleep. It is just like having a baby in the house all over again. Despite all of that, he's a cute little fellow and his name is Comet. He is a handsome golden retriever. We got him from a breeder near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia on the 23rd of December. We managed to keep him hidden from the children for two days in the garage. Mat and I took shifts tending him. Every time the kids went outside I was scared the puppy would bark or whimper. I had the radio rather loud in the garage just in case. We usually keep it on all the time anyway. We like listening to CBC. Here is a video shot Christmas morning, the quality isn't good but it certainly captures the special moment. I'm laughing and crying at the same time, it was a very emotional experience for all of us. 

The new year promises wonderful things. I'll be releasing my debut album and house breaking this new puppy. I'm excited to see what else it promises. I hope your year is filled with happiness, bliss, wonder and abundance. Happy New Year to each of you.

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Thoughts - Storytelling, Expression

I often reflect upon the things that are important to me to help me gain perspective and even work through insights. This process sometimes helps me understand myself in a new way or expand upon ideas which are already familiar to me.

Music is important to me.

Family is important to me.

These two ideas are constant variables in my life. I will always be a mother and I will always live and breath in song. Those two things are interwoven into the very depths of my being.

Creative Expression is important to me.

Storytelling is important to me. 

I love a good story and I place a  high value on creative expression. Those two things shape why I enjoy video editing and songwriting so much; through both mediums I create and tell stories. During this process I expend much pent up energy. I love the satisfaction of knowing that what I made did not previously exist. Most of all, I get to know myself a little better each time something is created. It took a while to release that the things I make are imperfect, just like me. These creations aren't just imperfect though, they are expressions of MY imperfection. The times when I have loved and lost contains a story, as does each heart strand connecting you to another person, idea, belief or inanimate object.

Ya know, we often don't dig deep enough into our own selves to observe our story unfold. In the same breath, we don't often pull ourselves away from our own selves to observe the story. It is too easy to succumb to distraction; and not that distraction isn't good sometimes. I have personally observed that it is vital to balance the times when you allow yourself to be distracted with the times when you need to clearly be focused. Sometimes, in order to be completely present you need to allow your mind to drift and your attention to shift. Sometimes, this is the way new stories are made.

Balance and Perspective, I value you too.

The Creative Process??

I've been sitting here for the last 10 minutes trying to wrap my head around the creative process.

It's so different for everyone too depending on who they are as a person. As with life people can be very passive or aggressive with their arts. I've seen people go into almost a trance like state when the are creating, almost like they aren't even here! Almost like meditation in a sense.

For me, it's just something I do... sometimes it's as though a light-bulb went off in my brain. Sometimes it doesn't even go off, I just become... aware of it. It isn't consistent either. I do not have access to a creative stencil, or magical formula to make things happen... I mean, creation just IS.

With songwriting, sometimes the music comes out first and I build around that. Perhaps a melody... Maybe, I might have two lines of lyrics stuck in my head which can inspire a whole other world of ideas. Let us not forget about the other creative things like still design, film, crafting, drawing, animation... Look at that surface! Scratch free.

So, I decided to Google "the creative thinking process". Google answered.

The 5 steps to the Creative Thinking Process are as follows:

1. Goal
2. Creative Thinking
3. Prioritization
4. Plan/Take Action
5. Evaluation


:-/

OKAY

Yes...

That is a very logical response...

That's also assuming I decided to write a song, in most cases the song decided to write itself. Or I started doodling and the drawing just happened. Or I end up going overboard editing something I was just messing around with and coming up with this random unexpected blessed gem!

But there are other very important things that aren't being considered. Have you every watched people create? There is passion, pride, ego, heart, psychology. All of these things make creation complicated and moody... and beautiful.


My brain hurts now, I think I have blogged enough for today. So goodnight to you :-)