#6 – June 2006

VIKKI FLAWITH, SINGER/SONGWRITER & VOICE TEACHER, VICTORIA, BC

Hi! Happy Spring!

Hot news this month: 

- my music was featured on Free World Radio;

- 'If Wishes Could be Granted' made #1 on the Soundclick pop/AAA charts;

- my Father came and spent a few lovely days with me;

- Michael Kavanagh & I finally got the first edition run of our album;

- we renewed our membership in Taxi & I received a personal note from Michael Laskow, Taxi's CEO;

- I pitched a country song to an up & coming singer, and got some positive feedback (no deal yet, though);

- I joined 'Industry Resource';

- New Music Canada (CBC Radio 3) accepted 'Waiting for the Bus' for their playlist;

- I sent out nearly 40 promo packs of the new album to various radio stations and radio hosts;

- my trio, 'Easy', has been rehearsing for gigs, we'll be the featured act on Friday June 23rd, 8 pm, James Bay Coffee & Books on Menzies at Simcoe.

~ I've been experimenting with writing some new age, ambient instrumentals - they have received some very nice feedback from my songwriting peers.  Check them out, they are posted at www.vikkiflawith.com (hey, if you pop by, sign my guestbook!).

~ I have totally revamped my 'singing' site - www.theshysinger.com - I'd love it if you could take a look and give me some feedback.  It's a work in progress.  I'm expanding my services from local singing lessons to creative coaching, songwriting basics, and coaching on performance/recording.  I plan to offer some eBooks and eCourses that will provide some basic information on the creative process, songwriting, and the artist's way.

~ I continue to meet and collaborate with some wonderful folks, most recently: Arie Boom, Lloyd Kyrk, Richard Larabie, and Billie Spencer.  I continue to work with my talented friend, the ever-poetic Michael Kavanagh; as well as all the great musicians in my 'internet band', "The Collaborators" - Cliff Hitchcock, Vic Bonner, Morris Rainville, Joe Wrabek & Vonee Rose.

I try to blog my personal journey on a regular basis. Check it out at www.theshysinger-songwriter.blogspot.com   ~ Vikki

Don't make getting there more important than being here...

Traveling from A to B

Speed. It's all around us. Cell phones, text messaging, emails, instant coffee, fast food, cars that go from zero to 60 in less than a minute, stacked in-trays & too much overtime, we're over-scheduled and under-nourished.

Society seems to value artists as idols, but not the practice of artistry. We seem to think that you either have it or you don't and if you don't...hey, get out of the way. With all our progress, we've forgotten process.

Process is understanding that creativity and artistry are muscles that we must gently tone. That over time, with consistent workouts and TLC, those muscles will become stronger. Our work and our skill levels improve whenever we pay attention to our creativity... whenever we slow down... whenever we make time for joy.

We also seem to forget that art is an activity that is meant to be enjoyed by all. To me, it's better for us to sing than listen passively to music. It's better for us to move to music than sit and watch it be played. It's better for us to hum as we fulfill our obligations. It's okay to be a voyeur of the arts, but it's better to be someone who actually picks up a brush & hesitantly paints, or plays a halting rhythm on a new guitar, or shyly sings a song they love.

IMO it's the act of doing creative things that inspires us. Our artistic activity energizes our souls. We feel better. The journey ahead is bathed in light for a moment, and we take another small step in the direction of our dreams.

I'm always talking about process, aren't I? Life is a journey, I say....

Now and then I also confess, "oh, yes, I'm the great procrastinator'. I'm really very good at not doing today what I could do tomorrow. So it's rather a surprise to wake up and find that, with the invaluable contribution of my co-writer, Michael Kavanagh, I've actually released a CD. It's a gentle little disk, and when I look at it I can see my journey reflected back at me, warts & all. When it catches the light, I get a brief flash of illumination... and I know the final, title track is the sun rising, showing me the road in front of me, and my steps into an unknown landscape become more confident.

I hope there's coffee where I'm going, :lol:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/flawith  

Price: $7.49US + postage if you buy from CD Baby.  Only $10 cash if you buy from me personally!

I thought I'd share this with you....

Flying Dreams

Most of the time I dream and only fleetingly grasp at the meaning of the pictures, which fade quickly, although I have often woken up inspired or with an answer to something I've been struggling with. But I have had dreams so powerful that I can still see the images of those dreams in my mind.

Once, when I was a child, I was dreaming of the Disney cartoon, 'Dumbo' - the little elephant with the huge ears that everyone laughs at... of course, in my dream, I was the baby, embarrassed and ashamed and hurt by the malicious laughter of the others.... until one day, I spread my ears and flew.

The sensation in my dream was absolutely unreal. I could feel the wind rippling over my skin, my whole body vibrating with joy... soaring through the sky, looking down at the earth.

I woke up. I was lying in my bed in the fetal position - on my side with my hands wrapped around my pillow - and it took me a little while to understand I had been dreaming. I must have been only 5 or 6 at the time.

Even today, I can still remember how it felt to fly.

It's interesting, cause, in a lot of ways, my life has resembled that dream. I was, for a very long time, teased and put down for being different. But my being different eventually made me stronger... and today, every now and then, I soar.

Just last week, I was feeling down. It was one of those days where you feel like all your efforts are futile and maybe it's time to get a real job and who am I kidding anyway. Inside, I was feeling like that little, odd, sad baby of my dream so long ago.

Then someone sent me a lovely note about how they had felt inspired by something I wrote in my blog. Someone else wrote me a note to say how much they enjoyed my folky CD. Someone else took the time to give me some much needed information. One of my students generously drove me around to do errands (I hurt my ankle and can't walk or drive) and refused to take any money for gas or for her time. Another student gave me a hug at the end of a wonderfully moving lesson where we were both close to tears because of the beauty of the sound that he was releasing.

I can't tell you how meaningful those things are to me. Making those kinds of connections with people - deep, inner connections - in a world that seems to have lost its capacity for serenity and peace - makes it all worthwhile. ~

LISTEN TO MY WORKS-IN-PROGRESS:

www.soundclick.com/vikkiflawith

CHECK OUT MY MUSIC WEB SITE:

www.vikkiflawith.com

ARE YOU ON MYSPACE?

www.myspace.com/vikkiflawith

READ MY SONGWRITING JOURNAL:

theshysinger-songwriter.blogspot.com/

A FINAL THOUGHT:

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. "

Albert Einstein

NOTES & LINKS:

l Alexander Technique: “teaches a person to recognize and change habits that interfere with well integrated functioning. The student is guided by the teacher's tactile and verbal cues, which are designed to elicit a specific reorganization of the body, primarily focused on the head to spine relationship. The student participates in a new kinesthetic experience, allowing the natural ease of movement to emerge.”  Gwen Dobie is a well-respected practitioner of AT and is located in James Bay.  Give her a ring at 389-0611 for an appointment.

l Namaste B&B: Located on the harbour in beautiful Ucluelet, BC.  Only a short drive to Long Beach & Tofino, this wonderful home-away-from-home B&B is owned and operated by sculptor Linda Lemay.  I highly recommend it!  Give her a call at 250-726-2580 anytime or check out her listing.  Isn't it time you plannned a trip to the Island's gorgeous west coast?

l Sacred Space ReDesign: ReDesign gives you the look of an interior designer....without the excessive cost. It is the creative - and practical - process of using and enhancing your current furnishings, art and accessories to recreate your space, using the well-established principles of interior design: line, shape, rhythm, balance and proportion in reorganizing and reframing your residence - www.sacredspaceredesign.com

l Songwriters Association of Canada – www.songwriters.ca

l Taxi – www.taxi.com – good articles on songwriting & the music biz

l Songwriter101 – www.songwriter101.com – good forum, good articles on songwriting & the music biz

l Just Plain Folks – www.justplainfolks.org – every songwriter should belong to JPF

l Muse's Muse – http://www.musesmuse.com/ – another great songwriting resource

Vikki Flawith, Singer/Songwriter & Voice Teacher

"What I really want my students to 'get' from my studio is the knowledge that the life of an artist is a process. We must find time for our art in our daily lives, for it is when we are in the act of creating, or studying (practicing) that we affect what is unseen in us. The act of 'doing' over and over again trains the subconscious to do things in a new, more holistic and natural way. Thus each 'doing' is a tiny but transformative event on the path to self-discovery and creativity. Each step, each practice, each song, each lesson, each performance, is part of a whole -- a joyfully artistic life."

Email Vikki ~  Web: www.theshysinger.com