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Finding Your Sweet Spot: Why Fame May Not Be What You Really Want

February 19, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hello all!

So, I was in New York City last week – my first time in the Big Apple – and I had a blast! Caught up with old friends, saw some shows, went to museums, had high tea at the Plaza. The whole nine yards.  It was thrilling to witness “the best of every industry”, as my friend put it, that was represented in this mythical city. Seriously – since I’ve been back, it seems that every TV show and movie takes place in New York.

But that’s not my point. My point is, while watching these truly talented performs strut their stuff on the Broadway stage, I couldn’t help but wonder, would I want to be doing that?

You see, many of us are programmed to crave the spotlight. We are taught that those we see most often – the Beyoncés, the Bradley Coopers, even the J.K. Rowlings (as famous as a writer can get) – are the most important people in our society and their status is the only measure of significance and success. We are told that if we desire anything in this life, it should be to be the focus of attention in the biggest arena possible.

Now, I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing to go for fame or to want to be the front man. Some people are sincerely meant to be in that position and they inspire the world with who they are.

There are times, however, when the thirst for fame can be misguided – not because we may not be talented enough but because, if we really think about it, it’s not what we actually want.  When we’re striving for anything, it behooves us to actually look into what is involved in living that life. For example, being a prima ballerina seems like a beautiful vision – and they do look lovely and strong – but if that’s what you want to be, be prepared for really sore feet, Like bleeding and blistered more often than not.

The shows that we saw on Broadway involved an incredible amount of physical activity ; not just two people sitting in chairs chatting away.  And one of them, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – completely brilliant, by the way – was constructed in two parts of three hours each. That’s literally six hours a day of running around and throwing suitcases and all sorts of crazy things!  Would you be up for that? Would you be willing to move to a metropolis like New York if it meant being at the top of your field? It’s a big switch if you’re used to living in a small town. What about having to be “on” when you’re not feeling well? I remember watching a live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera and, while the cast sounded glorious as always, there was so much sniffling and snorting backstage because most of them were sick.

There are often ways to adjust things to better suit our inclinations. For example, you can love singing but not love performing live so you could potentially consider becoming a studio musician. Or you can do community theatre as a hobby rather than going for a full-time career as an actor and all that comes with it. Even so, however, we can still look at where our real talents and inclinations lie instead of towing the party line of fame and fortune. Well, I say that but, in many cases, it’s the ones who don’t have the fame who are actually making most of the money so I’m not really sure why they put those two words together so often. But that’s another topic of discussion.

When I was in university, I went to see a counsellor on a regular basis. Hey, we all need someone to talk to at certain points in our lives.  Anyway, there was a session when I when I expressed my confusion that I would be watching these people on stage and be totally captivated them but, at the same time, wasn’t sure if that was what I should, or wanted to, be doing. I knew could sing but was insecure about my voice at times, I wasn’t sure how I felt about travelling from place to place without fully experiencing it, being isolated, and I was adaptable to a certain extent but didn’t really like being up too late most of the time. I’m usually in bed at 10:00 most nights unless there’s a special event or something.  So what was it that made me want to be these “rock stars”, for lack of a better word?

And then my counsellor suggested something I’d never thought of before. He suggested that perhaps I was meant to be behind the scenes but I was attracted to something else about these people, like their confidence or level of skill. It wasn’t the fact that they were performing so much as they knew they were meant to be performing and they were damn good at it. And, to someone like me who was in a state of flux, that knowing would be incredibly attractive. He made me realize that I could be that assured and skilled as a songwriter or a producer or a director or whatever and have that same sense of self-possession and satisfaction as those “rock stars” seemed to have.

Because, really, I will follow whatever path is right for me and if being in the public eye comes with it, I’ll accept that with grace and humility. But I don’t care if people are screaming my name. I don’t need to be chased down the street by mobs trying to get my autograph. I’m more interested in being respected in my industry, being the one who those in the know whisper about as I stand in line at the grocery store. “Do you know who that is? She’s the one behind <insert life-altering, world-enhancing creative experience here>.”

So, if you desire being in the spotlight and entertaining the crowds and honestly love it and all, or most, of what it entails, go for it. Reach for your marquee dreams and good luck to you. But if you’re at all feeling a sense of disconnect with your creative path, I ask you to consider what your soul is really craving, look at your true gifts and talents and what skills you’re willing to acquire, and learn to be at peace with that.

You may be a good guitar player but maybe you’d be an even better recording engineer or producer or even artist manager. You may be a decent novelist but you’d really be a brilliant journalist or editor. There are so many parts to play in this creative world, so many roles to fill, and none is more or less important or valuable than another, no matter what celebrity mags try to tell you and no matter how some of those celebrities – I won’t name names – like to give the impression that they do everything themselves .

I’ll leave you with this. We love our lives the most when we are giving the best of our authentic selves to the world, whatever that looks like. So don’t be afraid of discovering what you’re really here to do. You’ll only be happier for it!

In Swimming Tigress news, I’ve just put up some new tracks for licensing on Pond 5 . So, if you need music for your media production, whether it’s a commercial, TV show, web video or podcast, check out all available tracks here  https://www.pond5.com/artist/tprochera#1 .

Have a fabulous day!

Tiffany

Filed Under: blogs about music, blogs about writing, books about singing, canadian authors, Canadian composer, canadian composers, canadian music, music blogs, music by canadian composers, music by manitoba composers, music for film, new music Tagged With: blogs about music, canadian composer, canadian compsoers, canadian music, celebrity, composer blogs, creative career, creativity, fame, inspiration, manitoba music, performance, podcasting, pond 5, production music, stock music, swimming tigress music, tiffany prochera, tips for artists, tools to create

So Many Projects! When You’re Swamped With Creative Inspiration

January 8, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Sometimes we can get creatively blocked – our current projects have been completed we have no ideas for new projects to undertake. That’s alright. We don’t have to be “on” all the time.

But sometimes – at least I hope you’ve experienced this – there are so many ideas going through your head – so much inspiration – that you don’t know what do with it all and you can’t decide what project to actually focus on. That’s not a bad problem to have. J I’m actually in the process of releasing an ebook about how to keep those creative juices flowing – I regularly have several ideas a day and I want to help others have the same type of flow -so keep tuned for that.

Anyway, realize that you can be working on more than one project at a time. You don’t have to spend eight or ten hours a day on one book – it’s alright to spend the morning on one story and the afternoon on another. You may think you won’t make as much progress but your attention can only be sustained for so long. There comes a point when you think you’re working but what you’re putting out is, well, how shall I say it – gobbleygook. So it’s probably a good idea to split your time up a bit to keep things fresh.

Understand that all of your ideas may not come to fruition – perhaps they were never meant to – and those that do won’t necessarily happen at the same time. Some projects may have to be put on the back burner for a while. You have to trust that the projects you chose to undertake are the right projects for you for some reason or another.

Alright – enough with the preamble. Here are some tips to help you decide what to work on and when.

First of all, you can narrow down the projects that actually inspire you. Some ideas are just random passing fancy – you see a butterfly and you think you should do an art installation about butterflies. And maybe you should. Maybe it’s going to be your signature piece. You can certainly keep all ideas on tap, but some things hit you in the gut and keep coming back to you. Those are the ones to go for because they will keep you working.  Keep in mind, however, that this is a creative industry so, if you do want to make a living at it, some projects may be more marketable than others. But , even if it doesn’t make you millions of dollars, you can still be learning something from the process – maybe it’s a new technique, maybe it connects you will something that can help you in the future.

Is there a deadline of some kind? Even if you’re not hired to work on a project with an expected turnaround time, there can still be better or worse times to put something out there. For example, if you are interested in composing some Christmas music with the hopes of having them licensed for holiday movies, you’re not going to start the process in November and expect to hear your handiwork on your TV screen in December.  I mean, the following December maybe but these things are set in motion months ahead of time.  Books discussing trending topics need to be finished rather quickly or they will no longer be relevant by the time they are published. If you’re writing a play for a specific situation, like a fringe festival, it has to be completed before the start of rehearsals, not before the start of the festival. Kind of obvious, I know, but it had to be said. 😉

While we’re on the topic of deadlines, if you are interested in obtaining grants to fund your projects – something many artists do – you have to be mindful of deadlines for applications and when you are allowed to actually begin the project. If you have an idea for a grant-worthy project, you will likely need to do preliminary preparation well ahead of time so you can submit your plan before their deadlines – depending on the funding organization, some programs are always open to submissions, others accept a couple of times a year. And, even when you are accepted – which would be awesome – you may not be allowed to begin your project for another several months, according to the agreement.  So, with the long-term preplanning involved, you want to get started on it as soon as possible while having other projects to fulfill you in the meantime.

In fact, it may not be a bad idea to always having one short -term and one long-term project on the go. That way, you can scratch that itch that wants the immediate satisfaction of completing something – and might make you some money in the process – and still have that magnum opus, that masterpiece they will be talking about for generations to come.  You can be submitting articles to your favourite magazines while you’ve got your epic novel on the go.

So, those are some tips if you are in the blessed situation of finding yourself overwhelmed with inspiration.  Have a fabulous day and keep on creating!

 

Tiffany

Filed Under: blogs about music, blogs about writing, canadian music, canadian songwriters, composer blog, creative inspiration, inspirational blogs, Manitoba composers, manitoba music, music blogs, tiffany prochera, tiffanyprochera.com, Tips For Creators, tips for musicians Tagged With: blogs about music, canadian composer, creative inspiration, creativity, how to create, music, tips for creators, tools to create, writing, writing tips

The Flowers Are Popping Up – Along With Some Great Musical Deals And Not One But Two New Directions For STM!

May 1, 2014 by tprochera Leave a Comment


Happy May Day!
It`s Tiffany here! How are you doing? Enjoying the spring so far? We had a pretty rough winter over here – as many of us have –  but it’s so great to see things growing again, or at least wanting to grow – it`s a late start but I can feel it happening! 🙂
So, I thought I would set Mews and Moos in a bit of a different direction. I want to use this blog to share things that are beautiful, inspiring and feed the creative spirit. I want to share videos and stories that will help you in your creative pursuits, make you laugh and maybe even make you think differently about life.
I`ve got a bunch of ideas in the works – things about dealing with stage fright, tips for music teachers, inspiring musical stories – but I want to hear from you. What would you like to read or hear about? What would help you along your creative path? I’m ready to do the research so comment on this post and let me know what you want to see!  
Okay, so a couple of updates in tiffanyprochera.com land. I’m currently working on creating a whole new website full of awesomeness – inspiration, fun and, of course, great music! It will take time but I’m so looking forward to sharing it with you when it’s all done! This blog will be incorporated into the site so I’ll let you know when the switch-over happens.
Last month, I provided the voice for a Spanish/English video narration project – mucho fun and the folks I was working with in the studio were barbaro!
I recently returned from my first trip overseas –  a week at the International Harp Festival in Edinburg, Scotland and a week seeing the sights in London – and I had a blast! I met amazing people, learned a little harp and a little Gaelic, was mere yards away from Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle ( though I didn’t actually see her) and had the chance to face some fears – of things like long flights and haggis – which was awesome!
And – drum roll, please – it just so happens that May is my birthday month and I wanted to celebrate by offering to you my two song collections – Bad Moods and Seven Other Super Reasons To Sing A Silly Song and Dreams, Magic and Other Realities – for over 25% off until the end of the month! I’ve also made some of the most popular songs from Bad Moods available as individual downloads so if you wanted Mr. Willywallywolowitz on its own without the rest of the collection, you can get it! Just head to www.tiffanyprochera.com to check them out!
Okay, so I’m so looking forward to hearing about what you want on the blog. Bring it on and have a fabulous day!
Ciaoski!

Filed Under: bad moods songs, celebrate spring, inspirational blogs, month of may, music blogs, sheet music downloads, songs about magic, songs for kids, swimming tigress music-cat, tiffany prochera, vocal music downloads

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