Mi2N.com - Jamaican Jazz Singer Releases Debut EP

Mi2N.com - Jamaican Jazz Singer Releases Debut EP

Discovering Others

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFb_JV0gkM0

As a Singer who is truly in love with the beauty of the human voice and the true art of Singing, I am always excited to listen to Vocalists that I've never heard. One such Singer that I discovered recently by the name of Teddi King really impressed me.

When I listen to Singers who are truly special like Teddi, I wonder why they were not better known, and why fame seems to be reserved for the very, very few. I am not necessarily talking about filling Madison Square Garden stardom, but singing regularly enough so that audiences can hear you and know where to find you. It made me wonder if Singers had more venues to to be heard and appreciated that certain careers would have more longevity and stamina. A lot of blame is placed on recording labels, but its hardly all about records. Most of us when we start to play or sing know that its about loving to share your talent with others, not about recording. It begins with the performance. So much of Musicians struggles start with finding places to play and being payed properly for their hard work. Some times too Musicians find it hard to find a place to even play for free! I am a huge fan of Barbra Streisand, but I feel Teddi King was just as great, and I wonder what could have been done to make her career bigger so that more people could have shared the splendor of her talent. I read where the amazing Vocalist Marilyn Maye spent 11 years, 5 nights a week in a small 70 seat venue in the Mid-West. Although Marilyn was a favorite guest of Johnny Carson and appeared on his show a record amount of times, clearly her priority was to perform regularly regardless of the size or prestige of the venue. I believe Teddi King, even though she left us early, would have benefited greatly from such an opportunity.

Discover the fabulous Teddi King in the video post above.

Know That Your Glory Days Are Always In The Present - Susie Warmington

As I come upon a new birthday,  I feel as if who I am is expanding. Not particularly upward at this time, but certainly outward.

My  knowledge of self is building, my self education is increasing. I feel as if I’m understanding the world better than I had before.

My strong belief is that my glory days are always in the present and I am always learning and growing in each phase of my life. 

Life for me is comprehending where I am now and accepting it while still feeling an amazing curiosity about new and old things, and exploring what I might want to do next.  I’m flowing!

Becoming more positive and rolling with the punches is becoming more of a natural reaction from within. Even circumstances that should be overwhelming on paper are being met with a matter of fact attititude that is surprising to even myself sometimes. Particularly, since I used to become way more anxious and excitable about life's inconveniences before.

Although I am no longer what society deems as young, I am very far from being old, and I enjoy having younger friends who enjoy my youthful fervor for new experiences while enjoying older friends who appreciate their little sister’s burgeoning creativity and Artistic progress. I don’t have to be a Spring Chicken to be fabulous as I can be a fabulous Summer Chicken instead!

Positive people around me are a must now. And I have no time for nonsense. Really, there isn’t time! I expect people to lift me up as I lift them up. You can expect encouragement and a smile from me. If you don’t have that for me…Well, I am sure that your Gloomy Gus diatribe will be needed somewhere in someone else’s evolvement or life’s lesson, but I’m past that.

Life’s aches and pains come pounding at everyone’s door no matter who they are or what you think they have, so petty jealousies are seriously not a part of my makeup, never have been, and never will be, and I consider that one of my greatest gifts.  And if that is one flaw I would encourage someone to get rid of, it’s the damned old jealousy. It makes you weak and unprogressive in spirit.

So, I look forward to the new year in my life with all its old and new, its tried and true, its surprises too, and all the hopefully positive whatevers that are coming my way. And I wish the very best for all of you with all my heart.

Let Others Discover Who You Are

How do you present yourself as a creative person?

Who are you at the core of your personality? Your spirit?

What do you answer when people ask you what you do?

My next door neighbor plays marvelous African Pop and Folk Music and always states that he is a professional Musician, and he presents himself as one too. He always dresses in colorful clothing, and has his Guitar hanging across his shoulder. He has a job at the Car Wash down the street, but that is not who he is. He does what he has to do get bread on the table, but playing music at his gigs is his whole being.

If you work in the bank, but you spend most of your waking hours on writing kids books, do you say that you are a Bank Teller or a Story Writer? If you are doing your day job diligently why shouldn’t people know that who you truly are is a Writer?

Don’t keep your talent hidden under a bushel because you supplement your income while you are working on your next creative project, or while you are auditioning, or creating the next big whatever.

I discovered that one of the starring Actor’s of the famed Sopranos series worked as a Marketing Director in Manhattan while working as one of the most popular characters on the show! She is an Actor. Period.

So, if you are a Drummer, say it! If you are a Painter, announce it to the world! To deny your creativity is to deny yourself! If someone asks you what it is that you do, think what your soul would say.

Say who and what you are so that people can discover the real you!

Discovering new friends

Tonight, I will be interviewed on blogtalk radio by my friend Stephanie Jordan on her show Living In Color.  We will be talking about living creatively and having fun discovering new things about each other. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/steph-jordan/2011/07/28/living-in-color-with-songstress-susie-warmington
Stephanie is an ebullient and wonderfully creative soul who discovered me singing on my youtube channel susuemikado. I in turn discovered that Stephanie was a Renaissance Woman, who created yummy meals, colorful paintings and crafts, and hosted her own talk shows.
Stephanie has found a way to show her talents to the world and in turn loves to discover people who she thinks are creative and interesting.
 The world is a new oyster now with plenty of juicy shells to open and pearls are popping up everywhere! The internet especially, is creating creative communities all over the place, and imaginative people are showing all the amazing things that they can do!
Do you have an undiscovered gift thats been living to come out? I can assure you the world is waiting with bated breath to see it!

Discover Yourself!

You know that you are a terrific Storyteller, Hatmaker, Cake Decorator, or what ever Creative Wonder that you are. Yet, there you are sitting in your room wondering when it will all come together. The  phone isn't ringing. Nobody knows who you are!
You know that you are talented, but you are so frustrated! You moved all the way to New York didn't you?! But you still have to stand in line to sing! And then you sing the midnight slot at the open mic, although the Janitor does applaud you wildly! You studied Acting at the best conservatory in Los Angeles, but you graduated with 100 people who are just as eager to get their first job as you are. And at least 22 of them are the same "type" as you  and will be going for the same roles. Not to mention the 100 other Actors that graduated just a semester before and the next 200 that are coming up behind you. Sigh!
Wouldn't it be great if you could get discovered in a soda shop like Lana Turner, or be heard singing at a gas station and get a record deal like Toni Braxton?
Well, thats cool, but that was their path. Now, you have to make yours.
Truth is you discovered yourself and your talent long before any Agent or Producer could.
So act like you've been discovered and get out there! Create your own opportunities. Be your own Agent! Sing at the top of your lungs at the gas station and say to yourself, "Hey! You're pretty good!"
Wear a tight sweater and sit at the Deli counter, order a Coke and declare yourself the cutest thing in there! And if you are not brave enough to say it out loud I bet the cute Deli guy behind the counter will!
Get the fame and the money thing out of your head for a second and create out of pure love. Put the fabulous Agency that will put you on the path to stardom out of your mind, and do what you love as if your life depended on it, because it does!
I know a lady who makes peanut brittle. She discovered that she LOVED to make this peanut brittle. It relaxed her to make it when she was stressed. Feeling happy? She made the brittle. Feeling sad? She made the brittle. She made it for co-workers, her church fellows, her neighbors. She made it for me and I don't even like peanut brittle. Long bus commute? Yup, she would whip it out of her purse and offer it to strangers. One of the strangers offered to carry it in her small gourmet bakery. Now, her peanut brittle is being carried in 3 gourmet shops around town. And word is spreading!
Make your peanut brittle and they will come!
If you are a Hatmaker, make your hats, wear them everywhere, give them to all your friends. Find out when Hat Day is at your neighborhood public school, and give out a prize of one of your wildly creative custom made hats to the student with the best Chapeau. I'm betting a whole bunch of students will order from you next Hat Day! What's the worst that could happen? The worst that could happen is that you did what you loved to do!
Make every audition fun! Make your audition your star turn! It's your chance to perform for a captive audience! If you don't get the part, keep in mind that the universe is infinite, and that you will get the part that is right for you. Don't agonize about how you could have played the part better than him or her because you have already discovered how good you are! You might even discover that you have a talent to write your own one man/woman show!
Bloom where you are planted! There are always opportunities around you to grow your creativity. And if the terrain is too rough? Uproot and move to greener pastures! That does not mean moving to the traditional "get discovered" towns like LA or NYC or Nashville. It means moving to where you can truly discover yourself!
There is a world class Singer who I am a great fan of, who lives in Arizona. She rules her neck of the woods! She is featured on all the sophisticated local glossies and has her pick of the nicest venues. She discovered that she could make a great life for herself and her family off the beaten path and is all the happier for it!
You are your own best support, your own best Agent, your own best Manager! Nobody is going to look out for your talents like you are. You are only going to be doing what a regular Agent would do so why not DIY? Don't stand still waiting for somebody's permission to be your wonderful, creative self!
No more waiting! Go on! Discover yourself today!