Follow the Yellow Brick Road Part 2

"How do you pick the songs?" 

That's such a great question from another Portraits of White fan. In order to answer that, you need to know about a pivotal point in my music journey in 2004, long before Portraits of White existed.

I'm sitting in Franklin, Tennessee at The Factory. It's my first time in Nashville and I'm eager to learn. I'm here because my record producer [Keith] moved from Pennsylvania to Nashville so he could help music artists. In fact, the night before he and his family packed up the U-haul and hit the road, we finished recording my vocals. Not only did their belongings move to Nashville, I felt like my music career had just moved with them, leaving me behind. I was sure my recording days were over. After all, with the talent that swarms Nashville, why would he want to work with me ever again?

Keith had been such a blessing in my life as the producer of I Still Believe (my 3rd album). He had a passion to find more ways to help the music artists he was working with, so he relocated to Music City. Within six months of moving to Tennessee, he put together an amazing conference of speakers and resources for musicians. Now, here I am at the conference, in the front row, note pad ready. My cup is turned upward, waiting to be filled.

All kinds of speakers, producers, publicists, songwriters, coaches, etc., are there, filling us with incredible inspiration, wisdom and resources. This is the conference where I will meet my future producer, Eric Copeland, as well as find a manager. It's a pivotal point in my music journey. I can feel it. The water is stirring.

Eric Copeland discussing Brand New Me photo shoot.

It is through these connections that I will eventually meet Ed Kee, the original conductor of Portraits of White, who will help me launch my big dream. Of course, I don't know that yet.

Ed Kee, Conductor 2014-2018
Tom Jackson, Live Music Producer
Portraits of White 2015

But of all the amazing information I take in at the conference, the most significant life-changing moment happens when Tom Jackson, Live Music Producer, steps out on the stage. 

"Your audience doesn't come to just hear you sing or play, they come to experience moments", he says. 

He has my full attention.

"There are three reasons people go to concerts", he continues.

• To be captured and engaged. 
• To experience moments. 
• To be changed.

Please tell me more, Tom.

I can't decide whether to take notes or just sit and absorb. Everything he is saying is resonating with me like nothing else I'd ever heard. In all my years of various music lessons on multiple instruments, no one has talked about this angle of performing—at least not that I recall. I sit on the edge of my seat as Tom takes us deeper. 

"Songs create moments. When you create many different moments in your night, people will come back to your merch table and ask for a song by its name or by something they remember about the song. But what they are really asking is... "Where is that song that made me cry? Where is the song that made me laugh? Where is the song that gave me chills?" In other words, "Where is the song that made me feel that way...because I want to feel that way again." —Tom Jackson, Live Music Method

I have experienced this many times at my table after a concert. A perfect example is my song, Never by Accident. After I tell the story and play the song, inevitably someone will come up to me and ask, "Where's the accident song?" I smile and point the way to the CD, or iTunes. It doesn't matter that they can't remember the exact title. They just know that they want THAT song. They felt something while they were listening and they want to take the feeling home with them.

I love hearing people's homemade titles of my songs—it's like they give me a gift; their own interpretation of the song.

One of the greatest compliments I've ever received came on a survey I sent out after Portraits of White one year. "I laughed, I cried, I sang and I left wanting more."

Mingling with fans after Portraits of White 2015

My yellow brick road is paved with songs. Each song is a brick on the journey to the Emerald City. Each song creates some kind of moments. And with those moments in mind, that's how I choose the songs. I look for different moments. I try to make sure the concert road contains all of the elements needed to pave the way for a great show. That's my yellow brick road.

Speaking of roads...it seems appropriate to end this post with a journal entry I wrote on my trip home from the Nashville conference in 2004.

"I'm on the plane heading home after the CIA Summit (Christian Independant Artists). I don't even know where to begin. This weekend was another "God thing." A pivotal point in my life. When will I ever learn that when God seems to bring a season to an end, it only means that down the road something better will come along and you'll look back at what you left behind (and though you're thankful for what you had) you realize that letting go was the absolute best thing! Everything builds on everything else. It all counts, but if you cling to the present season and resist letting go, you'll miss out on bigger opportunities. 

Just when it felt like I got cut off from my only chance at getting out of Newville, all heaven has broken loose for me. I met SO many great people this weekend.  Producers, evaluators, speakers and other artists who are doing what I do. I know I have a great problem—not how will I ever find anyone else to work with, but which great one should I pursue? 

I learned so much about loving your audience, getting bookings, performing with more passion, giving more to others and finding joy and fulfillment in what I'm doing.

I can feel things stirring in my spirit. I know good things are ahead. I also know that I've needed tools to help me take things to the next level." — Frances Drost, March 7, 2004 Journal

This week's video.

The In-Between.

"To go TO something, you must go THROUGH something."—Bob Hazlett

It was January 7, 2018 when I heard this phrase from the guest speaker, Bob Hazlett. I could tell that I was going to need my kleenexes when he started to speak. I grabbed my pen and little travel notebook where I write song ideas, shopping lists, to-do lists and inspiring messages from speakers. I couldn't write fast enough, in between blowing my nose. His words stirred my creativity and began to replenish my happy but greatly depleted soul.

January tends to be a month of trying to find ways to fill up my empty soul. It's an In-Between month for me. It used to feel like a "new year" season, but not anymore. No resolutions or goals for the new year. Just recovery and tying up loose ends from my December concert, Portraits of White.

Since I started the concert experience over six years ago, I feel as if I've gone from having a daily routine to "seasonal" routines. The change has been both subtle and surprising and I'm still trying to adapt. The show is over but there are accounting books to finish up, surveys to read and consider, thank you notes to be written to so many people who help make the show a success and next thing you know, it's time to start planning the show again and I wonder how I'm ever going to do it again. Eventually, new ideas present themselves. Until then, it's a lot of waiting.

It was in this state of mind that I sat in my seat absorbing every word from the speaker. The thoughts I share here are not Bob's words exactly, but the essence of what he shared and how my soul received them. He spoke them over a year ago but I could tell even then that they were for me—somewhere down the road. As is often the case with "words" I hear, they might not be for the current moment but are futuristic. In this case, one year later, they are exactly what I needed for this month, this year.

There are three potential things we experience in the In-Between stages and it seems we often have to go THROUGH these to get TO the next thing.

1) Uncertainty

• Certainty of the last season is taken away. Now you have a choice; experience fear or hope. 

2) The Unknown

• The greatest creativity comes from the place where you have questions you would have never thought to ask.
• If you want to see a new thing, you have to stop looking at the old—old relationships, old pain. (I would add that there IS a time to look at the old, but only enough to understand, heal and move forward.)

3) The Unfamiliar

• It's more of a feeling than an experience. For example, Peter—the guy who walked on water in the Bible—was used to boats, water and storms, but he had never walked on water before.

A few other random phrases he shared:

• If you want to see new things, sing a new song. (I've been asking what the "new song" is for this year's show. It might not be literal, but I'm staying open to all possibilities and every now and then an idea twinkles in the darkness.)
• Voo Ja De - when you see a familiar thing in a new way.
• You may feel boredom—it's God wanting to move you forward.
• Think of the In-Between as discovering "old things done in a new way".
• A helpful prayer during this season would be: "Show me what I need to know about You in this new season."

My record producer, Eric Copeland, wrote a great song years ago that I pull out every now and then to remind me that In-Between isn't always a bad place to be.

So if you're going THROUGH something that's uncertain, unknown or unfamiliar, take comfort that it can potentially lead you TO something new. It's the In-Between stage that can be disconcerting, but it's worth pressing through it.

Click HERE to listen to "In Between Dreams"

The Sidewalk.

"What children are exposed to, hear, and see when they are young goes deep. It enters their soft hearts, and it stays there. What happens to them and around them during their formative years affects them for the rest of their lives.

Imagine this supernatural window of time early in life when our spirits are so impressionable as the constructing of a sidewalk. Once the liquid mixture has been poured, you have a very limited amount of time to imprint anything on the cement. However, if you can draw your initials in the concrete before it hardens, it is permanently etched forever. Whatever else makes contact with that cement later on does not have the same impact or long-standing effect as those original markings." —Charity Virkler Kayembe

I've spent most of the summer sharing part of my family's story with you. This past week we passed the 52 year mark of Nathan's tragic death, October 11, 1966. As the author, Charity, stated above, the imprints placed on our hearts as children are permanently etched forever. Fortunately, sidewalks also offer a path to other places if you follow them and so it has been with my own heart. Yes, losing our brothers, Nathan and Doug have certainly left their marks, but as I've paid attention to the imprints in the sidewalk, it has brought healing, understanding and growth. So I keep moving forward with full awareness of the path behind me.

I think this past summer was the right season to go back to the farm where the concrete began to "set" and capture the song that has become a foundation stone in my life and songwriting. I see things from a new perspective.

Please feel free to share this with your family and friends, especially those who have lost loved ones. I think they will understand.

Click HERE to view the music video to Beside the Barn.

Sing Anyway

Sing Anyway is a song on my newest CD project and is based on the book of Psalms. David seems to frequently challenge us to "sing" in the midst of the ups and downs of life. When I started writing it, I really liked where the song was headed but got stuck part way through.

After many tries and re-writes, I started praying for help to finish it and wouldn't you know, one day I happened to do an event for speakers and authors where award-winning singer-songwriter Babbie Mason was in the crowd.  We started talking afterwards and didn't really stop until we parted ways in the Atlanta airport. Somehow, we were both scheduled on the same flight from Cincinnati to Atlanta even though we had never met before that day. The airport and airplane became our writing room and she helped me finish the song.

The icing on the cake was having her record it with me in Nashville.

when the way is dark and you lose your song

sing anyway

when the faith you have is almost gone

sing anyway

light will come and the pain will ease

hope will rise with a melody

with a joyful heart

even if off-key

sing anyway, sing anyway

sing, sing out loud

find your voice 

though you don't know how

you'll be alright take a leap of faith

sing anyway, sing anyway

when you're in the fire and you feel it burn

sing anyway

when you hit a wall at every turn

sing anyway

lift your voice let the courage flow

mercy comes in the afterglow

and grace will make your weak heart grow

sing anyway, sing anyway

sing, sing out loud

find your voice 

though you don't know how

you'll be alright take a leap of faith

sing anyway, sing anyway

when you feel afraid of what lies ahead

sing anyway

and you start to doubt what God has said

sing anyway

faith will grow when you start to sing

praise will conquer anything

let the heavens hear your music ring

sing anyway, sing anyway

sing, sing out loud

find your voice 

though you don't know how

you'll be alright take a leap of faith

sing anyway, sing anyway

by Frances Drost and Babbie Mason

Babbie, Frances, Eric and Ronnie working on "Sing Anyway".

To hear this song click here.

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 100 Caught in the middle!

I was hoping Day 100 would be the thrilling announcement.  Keep praying and (a-hem) mark your calendars anyway.  November 23.  Help me pray that it all comes together for that date.

I presented my vision to another group of people Friday night and they all said they'd be there at the show!  So my group of supporters is growing and I can't wait to step up and say THIS IS IT!

Until then.....

I was able to talk with my producer Friday afternoon and the only way he can provide a score of the music we have so far (in the way the conductor would like) is to stop the creative process they are in right now.  They are cranking out the songs - that's for sure.  But not all the songs are completed, so he would have to stop what they are doing and focus on printing.  As you can understand, there is a flow to this thing and I certainly don't want to stop that.

Once all the songs are completed, we will still want to take a step back and make sure there is final cohesiveness and that all songs are as we want them.  It made sense to me.  But the conductor needs to see the score to know what musicians to hire.  If he can have that by the end of May, he assured me that we can get moving on this beast.  I can see his side too.

Somehow, I felt caught between two worlds.  The orchestral world and the Nashville recording world.  I'm the middle person between the producer of the CD and the conductor of the live show orchestra pieces.  It's not an easy place to be, but I am certainly learning to ask a ton of questions.  (I thought I already learned that lesson).

I'm still enjoying this whole process in spite of the twists and turns.  My producer promised that we could have the score by the end of May.  Time to do a dance.  That's progress.

Looks like I am booked to record vocals for the CD on May 23 and the week of June 18 at the studio of Phil Naish.  That was an exciting piece of news!  

I got to work with Phil in January on the single I'm doing for Creative Soul Records 15th anniversary project and he was very easy to work with.  Now I get to do the whole project with him.  This put some sunshine in my day in spite of the other delays.  Sounds like I'll also be doing a photo shoot in June.  Yikes!  It's coming together fast.

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 64 Notes of Encouragement

So much has transpired in the past 2 days:

• a long phone conversation with my previous producer leading to the decision to have him be the producer of my Christmas CD (meet Eric Copeland - President of Creative Soul Records)
• many e-mail exchanges, music file sharing and talks about budget 
• a miracle - in the sense that Eric gave me a much lower price than expected (because of all his past experiences, he has come up with ways to make this more affordable to artists like me so I am now able to move forward sooner than I thought!)

AND.....I have received some encouraging notes from readers and I want to share them!

Reader # 1:

My dear friend,

You and Tom have been in my thoughts and prayers often the past few days.  I want to encourage you to keep going forth with your vision and dream for what God has placed in your heart.  What I've seen in my own life and in the lives of others I've seen step into their destiny and into the place God is directing them is this: it seems like things come against us and our dream when things are on the brink of God moving us more into where He wants us to be.  The enemy does not want you to doing what you are doing or for you and Tom to move into all God has for you.  ______ and I have been experiencing a lot of the same things the past few months since moving into this new area of our lives.  

Our car totally died a few months ago and God told us not to take out any more loans but to trust Him to provide another vehicle.  Since quitting my job as office administrator it's been very tight financially.  Since we feel right now that I'm not to get another job, it's tight.  I have to keep fighting to not go get another job.  It's been a challenge to be without a car the past few months.  

Sometimes I fight also with doubt about the things I feel like God is telling me to do in the near future.  God has been giving some specific scriptures to stand on and I keep them with me and try to speak them over myself everyday.   I'm sure you have already done this, but ask God to give you specific scriptures to stand on.  One scripture I felt drop into my spirit to pray over you and Tom when I heard about all that has been happening to you guys this week is this:

Isaiah 54:17 -Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁷ But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.

Psalm 18:33

Amplified Bible (AMP)

³³ He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.

We love you guys and continue to keep you in our prayers.  

Reader # 2

Dear Frances, oh my word what the past several days have been put forth to you and Tom. You both have been on my mind and I know so many friends are praying for you. Isn't it just the time you needed to hit one of those pot holes in your life? 

So often we are on the verge of success and darkness overcomes us. What if the Lord would turn His heart from us when bad things happen to good people. He knows the struggle you are going through. Thank God He hears us when we call..or cry out to Him during these times. When I was your age I did not have Jesus in my heart like you do, and I was always blaming or complaining to someone about my bad "luck" (no such thing as luck).


It's according to Gods Plan with you Frances. 

Take a peek at what our ancestors had to struggle with.....It takes my breath away what men, wives and oh those children must have suffered through. But God is love....God is love.

Please know our prayers are with you and Tom.

Peace and Love,
Gary & Annette

Reader # 3

After catching up on the blog today, she decided to call me and tell me that Tom needs to pick a different animal for his life.  If the elephant really is turning on him, stepping on him and taking bites out of him, he needs to re-think this.  Agreed.  But I'm afraid I've influenced him.

We laughed.  I asked her what her animal would be. 

"A Giraffe" she said without any hesitation.  "Because I'm always sticking my neck out".

Love it!  

Thank you everyone for your prayers, laughs and words of encouragement.  

 P.S.  (Did you know that you can leave comments, but make yourself anonymous if you want - that way everyone who is reading can enjoy the comments - like a little blog family that is supporting me - just a thought)

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 35 This Works Both Ways

On Wednesday of this week, some of us who were in Nashville to record for Creative Soul Records gathered at Panera Bread to have lunch and receive some advice and encouragement from president, Eric Copeland.

He reminded us that no matter what we think our plans are, or what we hope them to be, God is ordering our steps.  He originally hoped to be a well known songwriter in town, but now he runs a record label and has impacted the lives of many artists, including me.  He still writes music, but developing artists seems to be his bigger passion these days.  It was nice to gather with other artists and share ministry stories.

But, I was thinking today that I need to take the weekend off from blogging, thinking and cramming so much into so few hours.

Eating the elephant of a big project like making a CD is done little by little, consistently, over time.  Eventually the elephant will disappear.

It works the opposite too.  A little elephant, growing a little bit every day, over time, grows into a giant elephant.  There is a little elephant slowly growing in my house and I need to stop the growth.  Big elephants can do a lot of damage.

It's called balancing working hard at your goals with just taking time to rest and be with your family.

I've been racing full steam ahead for 35 days, proving to myself that I can indeed blog every day and accomplish something every day toward my project.

I don't want my marriage and home to suffer though.  Don't worry - it's not that my marriage is in trouble, but I've been away this week and busy even when I am home for many weeks in a row and I feel like I need to give myself time to rest this weekend and to just be present with my husband.

There will be plenty more waiting to be done on Monday.  See you then!