criticism become inspiration! lol!

for those of you who read the post below about the various feedbacks i've received so far, you'll understand why i think this is so funny.

i was sharing the "really truly in love" feedback with my 5'10 muse, michelle, who, as i started philosophizing about it, stopped me and said, "quit talking emily! SING IT!"

...which promptly led to a sassy, silly song about how pointless love definitions are and how no one can really know what love means to different people :) LOL!


inspiration comes from all places, folks, even our favorite criticisms! ;)

feedback so far...

since i recorded my music, i've had some cool/interesting experiences getting feedback from my supportive friends and family!

here's just a few of them:

1) first of all, before i could even SHOW it to people for feedback, i was caught in a struggle of WHO to show it to. i didn't want people who knew me well to hear it and realize how 'fake' i might sound. but then...if i showed it to a stranger who WOULDNT recognize my voice... they might hate it and SAY SO! ...it was then that i realized that if i REALLY wanted feedback on what people thought of my music...i would have to be tough enough to accept rejection as well as any critiques or praise. :} you'd think that was a given, but it wasnt until that point. :)

2) first feedback was from a coworker who was concerned by the fact that the word "truce" never, in fact, appears in the song entitled "truce." i decided it didn't bother me and i intend to keep the name. :)

3) one friend said i sounded a little like Ingrid Michealson, which i found very flattering.

4) my sister told her sister in law about my music and she may use one of my songs for her awesome blog-site targeted at building up today's young women in the gospel! nothing for sure, but it was flattering she'd consider me and ask to hear the recording! :)

5) i had alot of nearly-strangers who i played for live at michelle's wedding tell me to keep writing/recording and that they wanted to hear as soon as i'd finished a CD, which was very encouraging! :)

6) one of my dearest friends who is a recording artist himself told me he loved them (HUGE compliment, in my book!) and shared some counsel with me that my music should always be ME, and not someone else. and if i wasn't sure who that was yet, to discover her so she could keep shining in my music like he was hearing. it was inspiring and has made me look at my music and the recording process very differently :)

however, my favorite feedback was:

7) one of the managers at work (who is married and quite the hopeless romantic) listened to both songs and said they were pretty but neither one sounded very happy or romantic. i protested, saying "truce" WAS a happy song but he ignored me and asked,
"emily, have you ever written a song when you were really TRULY in love?!"
i laughed, tho i wasn't sure what to say. how does one guage when they're "really TRULY in love" enough to know "its time to write a song about it"? i write when feelings strike me. ...some are playful, thoughtful, resigned, etc - i think i would call "truce's" feeling 'grateful'. i was in love as much as i knew what love was at the time, and i was grateful for what i was learning. what kind of song or feeling should i expect to be struck with if i were "really truly in love"? and why can't it be a feeling of gratitude?
however, since i'm still unmarried, i guess i can chalk it up to never having fallen in love for reals with the right guy ;) lol SO!!...i'll make sure you all (as well as my coworker) hear the amazing "REALLY TRULY in-LOVE" song that will surely be written when such a love and man eventually appear in my life! ;) loL!

it has been and will keep being an experience as i work on being brave enough to let people hear my music - i marvel at people who do this professionally! :)

thoughts on recording...

i recorded two of my songs ("truce" and "this morning") before the christmas break, and it was a terrifying experience! :}

i never knew singing live was so different from playing for a microphone. i had thought that singing into a mic by myself would be easier than in front of a room of people (which gives me sreious stage fright, ps), but it was a whole new world of scary!

live singing is somewhat forgiveable because people only remember what they choose to remember and its over once you've finished playing. not only that, but you can change up the strums, the beat, the feel, and the meaning each time, even though you play the same chords and sing the same words.

RECORDINGS, however, will be played again and again. any flaws will be there for cross-examination each time someone listens to it. doensn't matter if you were having an 'off' day and could play a better version for them now, that's all they'll hear. not only that, but since you have to play and sing separately, you need to keep a consistent beat, a recognizeable strum pattern, and choose exactly what little isms you will and won't include - cause there's only one take of it people will hear. :}

don't think it was an awful experience though, i loved it! it was just terrifying :D lol