There's something incredidibly personal & tangible about writing a blog, its almost like an online diary..so I thought I would share some of my thoughts & feelings with you as well as giving you an update on what I'm doing at the moment.
Having spent the first part of this year performing weekly at various venues across London & the South East, rehearsing, recording, writing and having a private life outside of the industry, it suddenly occured to me that maybe it was time to take a step back and take stock of where things are at musically speaking.
At the turn of the year, my thinking was to set my sights on getting my album finished and dedicating my time and energy to performing, writing and generally 'Geting out there' and increasing my fan base. I have always had quite a personal relationship with the people that support my music and come to my gigs. I have always believed that an Artist is 'Toe to Toe' with thier audience, you have a personal exchange with them. Without an audience behind you, it doesn't matter how gifted a Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Performer you are, you are nothing without them, they are part of what you do and who you are as an artist, thay are respeonsible for any success you achieve as much as you are, so never underestimate, or under value them.
As the year has progressed I have started to pay more attention to the industry around me. This ever evolving backdrop of modern music, fresh innovative productions and the constant stream of the next generation of very talented artists appearing on the scene almost daily.
Considering my place amongst my peers & in this industry as a whole, sometimes it feels like i'm riding the crest of a gigantic wave, exhilarating, exciting and sometimes a little scary to say the least, then in the blink of an eye there are times when I feel like I'm treading water and getting nowhere fast...so I ask myself ' Do I measure my success or failure by how much I have managed to achieve in the last 18 months or have not achieved in that time? The glass is half empty, half full senario...Personally I have always tended to lean towards the latter, although at times that can be hard to maintain.
At the moment..I am at one of those stanstill moments. My album progress has slowed somewhat due to some financial constraints...and my own need to keep control of what I'm doing and most of all my songs. I have a very integral way of working, my songs are honest creations from everything, I see, feel and experience, part of my soul I guess and something I will never compromise ownership of to benefit someone else's pocket..its taken me too long to get here.
So for those of you waiting for 'The Whispering Years' it will be finished as soon as possible, and I will be continually perfoming the tracks at my gigs and keeping you informed and up to date with progress...all I would ask of you is don't forget about me :o)
So I will just end on this simple saying 'If you sit still, the grass still grows'
I know things will keep on moving forward and in the right direction, I love what I do so much it is a pure affair of the heart, a romance thats never ending even though it goes through rough patches, crisis of confidence, changes of direction and players, it also brings, connection, feeling, emotion, happiness, sense of achievement, empowerment and a satisfaction thats deep seated in my heart.
Thankyou for taking the time to read my ramblings :o)
Take care, speak soon
Tara xxx