"The Elephant Diet" Day # 153 Learning Curve Or Cliff?

They speak of 'learning curves'.  I have many of them.  At least when you are on a 'curve' there is hope that things will straighten out eventually.

The thing about a 'learning cliff' is that you fall over the edge into nothingness.  You have no idea where you will land.

I feel like I've been on the edge of a cliff and yesterday I fell off.

I've been working furiously at finding snow scenes for my upcoming Christmas concerts.  The first one is on Dec. 15.  After trying about 11 different sources, I found a photographer with great snow scenes and she is letting me use them for free.  I'm putting together a media presentation that will go with the song "Portraits of White".  I want people to 'see' the portraits of white that I see in my mind (and sometimes in my country).

I decided to not give up.  But after much frustration, I realized that I must find someone who can help me figure out how to make sure my snow images are as beautiful on the big screen as they are on my computer.  That's another story and a very tricky process, I'm finding, when you're not a photographer or a geek.

I finally went over the edge yesterday and begged someone to help me.  I think I found someone.  They will come to my studio next Tuesday and help me go through the process.  Every time I try to export the movie to another file type, the photos get grainy or too big or .....well, you get the idea.

In the meantime, I'm excited to announce that the song "Miracles" has been selected by a website that I'm part of as a contestant in an indiesong contest.  If you don't mind, I'd love to have your 5 star vote for this new song.  It will help move it up the charts and give me more of a chance to win some fabulous prizes that would help my career.  Just click on the 'vote here' button and look for "Miracles".  Click on the stars to rate it once you are on the page.

Thank you!  Vote here.

P.S.  You can vote once a day and tell your friends many times a day.

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 152 De-railed brain

My brain can get off track so easily.  It's a full time job to keep myself focused on the task at hand.

Today was no different. But this time I had to chuckle to myself.  My oh my what a trip my brain tried to take.

I was rehearsing a piece on the piano that I've been rehearsing for a month from the new CD.  As my fingers went about their normal routine, my brain decided to jump tracks and go a different way and the result was a 'crash'.  "When will I ever learn" I say to myself as I shake my head and try to keep going.

Within two seconds of music my brain can wonder what's in the mail (especially since yesterday was a holiday and there will be extra mail today), think about the fact that next week my CDs should arrive and how much work I'll have to do when that happens because of all the orders I've been taking ahead of time (let's see, do I have everyone's information correct?).  And oh yes, that reminds me, I need to figure out why my printer isn't printing clearly before I print mailing labels.

From there it jumped to the books in the back of my van that will be taken to the library and donated to a good cause.  Which reminded me that I still have more cleaning up to do in the room I've targeted all week to be de-cluttered.  The books came from that room.  More to do!

Then there is the bag of clothes I bought from the consignment shop this morning when they had a 50% sale from 5-6 a.m. this morning.  I got up at 3:45 a.m. to go and participate in the thrill of black Friday (is it a thrill?)  Now I need to go through my old clothes in my closest, de-clutter and reorganize.  I can do that tomorrow (I think as I play through the next 2 seconds of the piece) and then I lose it.  Bad mistake on the piano.

I know better.  Even after all these years of practice, I CANNOT lose my focus or I lose my performance!  I often think if people knew what was going on in my head while I'm performing they would be amazed that I'm even 'there' at all.

This probably seems silly, and yet it carries over into so many areas of my life.  For instance, today at lunch, while I was eating my tuna salad sandwich, I realized that I could also be opening my mail and see if my new credit card came (because my old business card had fraudulent activity this week and a new one had to be issued and I can't get my new CDs unless they have my new number).  I started to get up from my seat to go get the mail, and then I made myself sit back down and only do one thing at a time.  EAT my sandwich for crying out loud!  Sit and enjoy lunch with my husband.  Really, brain???   Must we always be SO active and travel so many places in one sitting?

I am determined to keep my train on its track and not let it de-rail me.  No matter how many times around the track I have to go.  Sometimes the rehearsal is as much a mental focus exercise as it is musical.

Sometimes in life you set out to accomplish one thing and start thinking about other things and the next thing you know, you haven't accomplished what you've set out to do.

What is the most important thing you must do right now in this moment?  I challenge you to stick with it and see it through to the end.  I know you'll see an improvement in your performance.  It certainly works wonders for me.

Now what was I going to do after I blogged???

P.S.  I have a new website coming and we are switching to WordPress.  In case there is some kind of technological glitch in the process, please be patient with me as I embark on another learning curve.  I hope that I can continue this blog without interruption but I have no idea what I'm getting into.  Stay tuned.

"The Elephant Diet" Day 151 Thanksgiving Special

Hear two more tracks from the new CD "Portraits Of White".  A special Thanksgiving epsiode.  Short and sweet.

Check out this episode!

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 150 Tools

Tools of the trade.  Rehearsing the music for Christmas.

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 149 Story behind "Portraits of White"

Listen in as Frances tells you the stories behind the completion of this new Christmas/Winter project "Portraits of White".  You'll hear samples of some of the music and hear the journey of how it all came to be.

Check out this episode!

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 148 Why do you do what you do?

Now that everything is approved and on its way to being released, I am practicing the music.  I was able to book 4 gigs for this December where I can flesh out my ideas on smaller stages for the big stage next year.  This helps to motivate me to put together a whole new concert.

It's taken me years to find a groove with the music I have on the past CDs as it relates to sharing it with audiences, capturing special moments within each song and capitalizing on them so that audiences experience the music with me.

A new project means a new concert template.  I start all over again, but with much more experience behind me.

I'm looking for special rhythmic, musical, message moments (among others) and pulling them out of the songs and making a bigger deal over them.  That involves a lot of planning, experimenting and practicing.  If the idea ends up not working, I have to start all over again or adjust some things.  I think through what I really want to communicate to people in each song and through the concert itself.

Last week I came upon a verse that really summed up my desire for these Christmas concerts.  Heb. 10:24 "Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out."  (The Message).

That's what I do.  I come up with creative ways to encourage love and help others in their journey through life, by way of music, rhythm and lyrics.

I met someone last week who does the same thing but in a whole different arena.

Last Thursday night I went to the home where my mother lives and got to see (and hear) first-hand why I've always liked one of the nurse's aides who cares for my mother.  She's always so kind and I can tell she really cares about the residents.

Once a week my mother gets a luxurious bath in a whirl pool tub with bubbles and all.  When I asked if I could see how it's done, the aide was more than welcoming.  She warned me that she keeps the room very warm!  I confidently declared that we have a wood stove at home so I am used to a very warm home.

When she said she keeps it at 83-85 degrees I had to brace myself because we don't keep it quite THAT warm.  Too bad I don't carry my swimsuit with me in November.  I was thinking I might need it.

We had some time to talk while my mother soaked in the warmth and so I began to ask the aide how she came to be in this position.

Turns out she had been a hair dresser for over 20 years until her mother got ill and needed dialysis treatment and then got cancer.  For years, she spent all day with her mother taking care of her and getting her to and from the treatments, hospitals and Doctors.  When her mother passed away a few years ago, she found herself wishing she had someone else to take care of and felt rather empty doing the 'hair thing'.  One day a patron of her's recommended she get a job at a local retirement home where she could continue taking care of others like her mother who needed that extra loving touch.

She applied at the home where my mother lives and got a job right away.

I eagerly listened and when she finished, I told her that I could see now why she seemed to always work with compassion.  She keeps the room toasty warm for residents (in spite of her own discomfort) when other aides think it's way too hot. She puts lotion on their legs and backs.  "I train others to do this but the residents complain when I'm not here because the other aides don't do it."  She goes the extra mile it seems.  She is finding inventive ways to encourage love and to help others.

I thanked her for her kindness toward my mother and wished that there were more like her in the medical field.  She's there because she loves people and wants to make a difference and it shows.

Everyone's work is different, but we can all find inventive ways to use our work to touch others.

For this reason, I continue working away at my elephant diet.  I practice the guitar, piano, drums, accordion and singing and I listen for interesting things in the music that I can draw attention to that will help drive the message home.

After my mother's bath, she got her hair dried, combed and made pretty just in time for bed.  I tucked my mother in bed and noticed she still had her socks on.  When I asked if she wanted me to take them off, she said, "no, I like to leave them on until I'm warm enough and then I take them off".  I smiled.

I do the EXACT same thing.  I never knew that my mother did that.

She saves the last bite of toast for jelly. I do the same thing!

I cried as I left her room that night.  Not sure if they were tears of sadness because she continues to become more disoriented these days, or tears of joy because I have the privilege of finding out the little things about my mother that we share in common.

Either way, I left thankful to have that little window into someone else's story and how they work to touch other people, especially when that 'other people' is my mother.

It must be the why that makes all the difference!

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 147 All the eggs are in one basket about ready to hatch.

The artwork has been modified and approved.

The Master CD has arrived safely at the printers.

About 12 business days until the project is completed and hatched.

If you want to get in on a special discounted pre-order price, you can Sign up here.

Those on my e-mail list can get a special price AND an autographed copy when the CD arrives. Otherwise, it will be available on the web soon.