This post comes courtesy of Chelsea Elise, business coach and singer/songwriter.
Well, this escalated quickly.
It seems like just yesterday I was eating all the samples at Costco, trying on clothes just for fun, and laughing in friends’ faces until my stomach hurt.
But things are very different now.
With masks that make it hard to give a smile and 6 feet between you and the next person, relationship and connection can feel as much a thing of the past as Myspace.
But now more than ever is time for the healing power of art.
When I think of every difficult time I’ve gone through in life, whether it be a break up, loss, or having a baby at 20, there was a song that I can point to that lifted my spirit, gave me hope, and got me through.
It was during one of these difficult life events that I realized I wanted to be a singer/songwriter.
It’s often in the most difficult times that we realize our heart’s desire.
Times of crisis like this show us what we’re really made of, and push us to seek the resilient parts of ourselves we may have never seen before.
Music can be a catalyst to doing that.
It is in hard times that we learn many important things.
Here are 5 reasons why your gift of singing and songwriting is more important now than ever:
1. Your story, message and voice inspire others to step into theirs.
We’ve all seen a movie, read a book, or heard a song that inspired us to do something different.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. In that moment as I sang at the top of my lungs I made the decision that I was breaking up and never getting back together.
For reals. It was that powerful.
Your song tells a story that inspires someone to tell theirs, or step into the fullness of who they were created to be.
That’s pretty epic.
2. People are looking for someone to lead them.
In times like these people are looking for an authentic leader. As a singer/songwriter and public figure, you’re inspiring others to look at life through a certain lens and thus leading them.
Artists have always been the visionaries. We are the trendsetters, the innovators. It starts with an important idea placed on our hearts, that we boldly share with the world—even if it feels vulnerable and scary.
That’s leadership.
3. Music provides connection
Masks, gloves, and social distancing make it really hard to feel connected to family, friends, and the world around us. And unfortunately no amount of Zoom can fix that.
But music on the other hand, has the ability to transcend the here and now and take you to the place you long to be.
Have you ever listened to a song and could imagine dancing with friends or laughing with family?
Now is the time to help others escape the here and now and look to the good times they’ve had and will have in the future.
Make your music, you’re literally helping bring the world together!
4. Authenticity is medicine.
Authentic, genuine raw emotions are needed at a time like this.
Sometimes it can be hard to put emotions and feelings into words and as a songwriter you’ve been gifted with that ability, like magic. Not everyone is born knowing how to do this.
But when you share your truth with your music, you give someone else the chance to hear their thoughts and feelings reflected in a song.
Remember that last song you heard that made you say, “Omg, this is exactly what I’ve been going through!”
Yeah, you can do that for others. Pretty incredible.
5. Hope.
Right now everyone could use a healthy dose of hope. Hope reminds us that today will be better than yesterday and tomorrow even better than today. Hope gives us something to look forward to and the confidence to press ahead regardless of the circumstance.
Singers and songwriters bring hope through music.
Music heals.
Music connects.
It can bring you closer to yourself, others and to the world around you in the deepest of ways.
People turn to music to make sense of what they’re going through, and that’s when your work shines.
That’s where you boldly pave the way.
Your work is needed.
Your work is necessary now more than ever.
Don’t give up or give in to the look of hopelessness around you.
You were given a gift to inspire, to be a catalyst for good.
You are an artist, a work of art and your message is one that has to be heard.
Ready to write those songs, but you just need a little extra encouragement?
Join our Live Write-Ins!
Live Write-Ins are your bi-weekly songwriter meetup & songwriting session & hang time with your best friends, all from home.
Here’s what’s inside:
Bi-Weekly Songwriting Events
Keep a songwriting schedule with these events! Think of it as your bi-weekly songwriting appointment with yourself. Log in and write a song. We’ll all be online at the same time, writing our own tunes.
We will be streaming every other week. It’s a great way to stay accountable and always have an excuse to write.
All Live Write-Ins will happen every other Thursday, from 5pm-6pm Central time. (USA) The first write in will be April 23rd, 2020.
Connect with other SongFancy songwriters
You’ll never have to solo write alone again!
These events are a bit like an online meet-up: Each session we’ll have a chat room for you to hang out and talk with friends in between strumming and thinking of that next line. make friends, cowriters, and bounce ideas off each other!
Songwriting Prompts
If you don’t have an idea to write that week, no worries, I got you! Each session will come with an optional songwriting prompt. Feel free to use that to get the creative juices flowing!
Come join us this week! We kick off Thursday evening. For the full schedule of write-ins, sign up and more, click below!
Join Song Club and never miss another day to write.
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