Happy New Year and New Dreams!

I recently got asked to join a renowned singer/songwriter at a family concert he was doing in our area. I consider this a milestone in my music career. He’s a Grammy nominee and has traveled all over the world sharing his beautiful, life-affirming songs. Here’s more about him: http://www.redgrammer.com/ And he wanted to sing—with—-me.

I almost said no. It would be a stretch for me and take me out of my comfort zone. I knew I'd be feeling those stabs of adrenaline and pre-show jitters more so than usual. And I’ve been doing shows for many years. But then I thought, “if I don’t do it, how will I feel?” You know the answer to that. So I did it---gulp---and am so glad I did. The main reason? Meeting him, Red Grammer. He was so amazingly professional and gracious and grounded. A role-model, a gem, a loving co-creator.

This opportunity must have resulted from the goal-settings and raising-the-bar work and affirmations I’ve been doing : )

What do you aspire to? Do you spend much time thinking “in your wildest dreams” type thoughts? If there’s one thing I’ve gotten from connecting with all the positive movers and shakers in Social Media it’s definitely: Go for your Dreams! Focus on what you most desire in Life! Believe in yourself, and know that we believe in you too! Here is a community that knows the power of positive thinking!!!

Mixing business with pleasure

Mixing business with pleasure and finding the right balance in your social-media efforts, is what I got from Derek Sivers's recent blog post.

Here's a quote: "It's about being honest with your intentions. Many companies' “Social Media Strategy” is about appearing to be cool and part of the conversation. But they're not really interested in anything but selling."

For me it's all so intertwined. The music, the sharing, the reaching out, the flow of creativity, the professional experience....and wrapping it all neatly up into a life style.

Taking a Joy Ride on the Social Media Bandwagon

There's a whole world of thriving, life-affirming leaders in indie music out there, and the more you look for them the more you'll find. Since I've made it my business to spread the word about the empowering benefits of music for children, more and more fellow artists are surfacing for me, to my amazement and delight. How am I finding them? Through the blossoming networks of social media, and especially through Twitter. As an indie artist, I've used Twitter to find like-minded fellow artists and other positive thinkers all highly motivated to helping one another.

Now I'm doing business and networking with musicians from all over the world: a composer from Brazil, a rock band from Australia, a sound therapist from Northern CA,
a pop world songwriter from Canada, a Gullah culture musician from South Carolina...to name a few...What do we have in common? Sharing the joy of positive, uplifting music, and a sincere wish to support each other in our creative endeavors.

It's an exhilarating experience to be in close contact with such a network. I recommend it highly, and in my next post I'll give some guidelines for how to use social media networking to your best advantage.

In the meantime, what are you finding that works to keep your creative juices flowing?