Forthcoming Women's Wellness Breakfast & my usual chit-chat

Picture: Inez Woods (life coach, Reiki practitioner, i.a.) outside Eden on the Bay, in Bloubergstrand, close to Cape Town. Read about her exciting event, a Women’s Wellness Breakfast (2 July), in the blog post below.

Friday 24 June 2011

Listening to Nic Rabinowitz on Redi Tlhabi’s show on Cape Talk Radio (567 FM). He does a slot on her show called “The Week That Wasn’t”, and he goes through things that have happened in the country – and around the world - in the previous week. He has a wonderful talent for imitating accents, and he seems to particularly like those of South African politicians. What adds to the funniness of his radio slot, is how Redi responds, laughing like she’s about to fall off her chair! He IS very funny, though: irreverent, takes on anyone, any topic, any religious group, any public figure – I’m sure he’s had to apologise to a few offended people during his career. I’d love to go to a live show of his, sometime. There’s one happening next month, I believe.

Speaking of radio stations, I had a really cool experience this week – I was interviewed on The Taxi, an online radio station (www.thetaxi.co.za), by Eric Alan. What made it even more special was that I was interviewed along with my mom, May Abrahamse, a retired opera singer. We were in the studio for two hours, and beforehand we wondered what on earth we’d talk about for that length of time. Well, not only did we get through it, but it was a lot of fun! Eric Alan, a well-known jazz presenter, showed exactly what makes him the radio legend that he is. He has a style that is understated, laid-back and disarmingly casual, yet when you watch him at work, experience being interviewed by him, and observe how he brings a whole lot of different things together while doing so, you realize what an amazing person he is, thoroughly professional, but also clearly enjoying what he does. He played quite a bit of music during the two-hour show, and I was chuffed that he allowed me to select a couple of tracks by some of my favourite artists, including Jamie Cullum and Rock Art (Hilton Schilder and Alex Van Heerden). One of the ways he keeps the energy flowing is by chatting to his guests during the playing of the tracks – this is, in my opinion, the secret to making the time pass easily and quickly. He obviously enjoys what he does, and I think that, if there’s anything I can take from that experience on Wednesday, it’s exactly that: as the cliché goes, “when you do what you love, you need never work a day in your life”. I’m starting to fully appreciate that, in every field of life, when you do what you do with passion, you can only succeed.

Which brings me to my own journey: my quest to make a living by being true to myself and doing ONLY what I love. As the months have passed (since my retrenchment in September 2010), the definition of “what I love” has undergone its own journey, changing and developing as I grew to understand the range of possibilities. This, in itself, is a fascinating part of this phase of my life, which feels like one of the most significant transitions I’ve lived through.

On Saturday 2 July, I’m taking part in an event organized by Inez Woods, the life coach I’ve had the privilege of working with since February this year. It’s a Women’s Wellness Breakfast, taking place at the picturesque Eden on the Bay, in Bloubergstrand. Starting time is 09:30 for 10:00, and tickets are R150. This includes a yummy breakfast, a morning of feeding your soul on the inputs of the three speakers, and a goody bag filled with one surprise after the other. The venue alone, right next to the ocean, is pure soul food. “Early Bird” and group bookings were R120. At this stage, I believe the event is sold out, but Inez is busy exploring the possibility of adding a few more seats. I will be reviewing the event in this blog, and all I can do at this stage is recommend that you e-mail Inez right away at woods.inez@gmail.com to be part of this event, or to secure your place at the next one, which is already in the planning stages. Make sure you catch the Early Bird or group discount, next time round. On the 2nd of July, I’ll be doing some performing, but am also one of the guest speakers. I’m enjoying working on my presentation, which will deal with some of the lessons I’ve learnt, from personal experience, about living one’s authentic life.

I’m very excited about this event – I’ve always believed that collective positive energy makes a lot possible, and I’m really looking forward to being part of this gathering of about 60 women who believe that life is indeed filled with possibilities. If you’re willing to attend an event with the theme “Women Against the Grain”, then I can only assume you’re an open-minded person, either defining yourself as part of that group, or, at the very least, curious about what it means. It’s exciting to think that I’ll have the opportunity to make some kind of input into the lives of some of those women. I’m also looking forward to the presentations of the other speakers, one of whom is Inez, herself.

Two powerful women from the USA are currently visiting South Africa – First Lady, Michelle Obama, and talk show mogul, Oprah Winfrey. Obama seems to be blazing a trail in the fight against HIV/AIDS and also pricking the consciences of young South Africans, urging them to value and rise to the challenges of the freedom they enjoy, a freedom fought for by their forefathers. Winfrey’s receiving an Honorary Doctorate in Education from the Free State University, for her role in educating young South Africans.

I’ve been without the use of my laptop for about two weeks, owing to my cable having given up the ghost. Last night, a friend lent me a spare, and I’m delighted to be sitting at my favourite writing spot in the house, once again happily typing away. It made me think about how we often only gain a true appreciation of what we have in our lives when we’re suddenly forced to be without it.

The fortnight away from my laptop coincided with some other unfortunate matters, and my energy has been really low, lately. In an emotional slump, new awareness dawns on me, and all I can do to get through the depression is believe that it will pass and that I will emerge on the other side with fresh insight, new coping skills and a readiness to tackle head-on whatever lies ahead.

Yesterday I made my way to my life coaching session reluctantly, wondering if I shouldn’t just have spent the cold, rainy day in bed, recharging my personal batteries, sleeping off the fuzziness. However, by the end of the day, I knew without a doubt that I had entered a new phase – for the first time in almost 9 months, I received a positive response to a job application, and I’m over the moon about the part-time, temporary appointment. It’s in the Education Faculty of the University of the Western Cape (where I studied BA and English Honours, many years ago), and it runs from mid-July to October. What a cool thing to be able to look forward to! “Pregnant with possibility” is the phrase that comes to mind.

So, yesterday was a day that made me feel like the universe was smiling at me again: I got the job, my daughter received her first high school acceptance letter, I was given the laptop cable, I had coffee with my best friend, I taught a guitar lesson to a cool friend who doesn’t seem to know just how musical she is, and a special friend cooked me a very special supper.

And life goes on.

A good place to start

Picture: A sunrise that took my breath away, on my way home after dropping my daughter at school, one day last week.

Tuesday 7 June 2011

People often ask me, alluding to my being out of formal employment, “So what do you do all day?” Well, it’s 9am and I’ve already had a cup of coffee, read part of a newspaper and put two loads of laundry on the line. Oh, and I’ve swept up the post-storm leaves in the yard. Next, I’m typing five documents, including two cover letters; I have to burn a few more copies of my promotional (demo) CD, and then I’m getting up to hang more laundry on the line, shower, get dressed, have breakfast and leave for about two hours of e-mailing job applications and marketing myself by personally walking into restaurants (minimum for today is three) with my publicity pack. At 2:30, I’m fetching my daughter at school and taking her to a medical appointment. Afterwards, I’ll practise my music for two to three hours; later this evening I’m connecting with my best friend.

Any other questions?

I live a varied and interesting life – in fact, I always have. The main difference now is that I’m flexing myself as a self-managing musician and entrepreneur, with all the inevitable highs and unavoidable lows that go with that kind of lifestyle choice. Yes, I REALLY miss the security of a predictable salary at the end of each month and the kind of planning and structure that that enables, and yes I do indeed fret about my finances and what I’m not able to afford anymore, and yes, I do aspire to increasing my earning capacity to equal or better what I earned in my last job. Yes, yes, yes. But that’s just one side of the equation; ask anyone who’s taken this step and they’ll tell you, despite the occasional anxiety and the sacrifices, it’s a journey well worth taking. I’ve always been a practical person, and I think I have a good take on when enough is enough. In some ways, I’ve reached that point, which is why I’m sending off job applications again, but what I do know for sure, is that, even if I do end up taking a “normal” job again, my hunger for music will always be there, and I will never stop that side of my life. Ask anyone who’s passionate about anything – whether you do it in a full-time or part-time capacity is nowhere near as important as the fact that you’re doing it at all!

What have I learnt, in the past eight months since my retrenchment? I have learnt to listen to people’s ideas and suggestions, because I may be able to play the guitar and sing, but I could always benefit from other people’s ideas about marketing and promoting myself. I’ve learnt that my shyness and modesty, while encouraged as virtues in my formative years, are obstacles in my current quest, and I constantly have to deal with them, like little ghosts from my childhood that come back to haunt me when I least need them to. I’ve learnt that I actually do have great ideas, myself, and that my real problem is second-guessing those ideas and opting instead for a more assertive person’s idea. I’ve also learnt that, when I do forge ahead with my ideas, not only do I achieve success and satisfaction, but my ideas are so obviously right for me. No-on can do Trudy like Trudy. No-one knows the full range of issues, regrets, fears, thoughts, feelings, actions, concerns, joys, memories, goals, dreams and desires that make me who I am. The person you see stepping up on stage, sitting down and picking up her guitar to play and sing has such a long list of things leading up to that moment alone, that the average person would say, “How the hell do you fit it all in?”

But I do, and I’d do it again and again and again, just to feed my soul with those minutes and hours of performing live music to an audience, something indescribably wonderful and satisfying, something that’s as natural as breathing, yet as complicated as life itself.

A lesson I’ve learnt in bits, over time, and am coming to terms with in all its complexity right now, is that I should be promoting myself – not hiding in a duo, not elevating other musicians while I do all the marketing, publicity, admin, etc. involved in getting music work. I am a brand that needs to be promoted. And if I’m calling myself a “self-managing musician and entrepreneur”, then I have to believe in my brand, be completely comfortable promoting that brand, and lose all the shackles of my earlier socialisation that keep me from maximising my communication, marketing and public relations skills to advantage that brand.

This is going to be a very interesting part of my journey. I have to do it in a way that feels right for me. How do I know that, in my case, self-promotion won’t be synonymous with arrogance? Because I know myself.

I think that’s a good place to start.

Thirsty (Written 06/05/11)

Picture: Colourful hanging glass bottles(?), taken in the grounds of the tranquil Montebello, in Newlands, Cape Town, in March this year.

00:45

Do you know what I feel the most, after a gig? Thirsty! In fact, having just downed a glass of water with a liberal dash each of orange and berry juice - it can never just be simple and straight up – I am about to drink my customary cup of green tea, as well as a tall glass of ice water!

But that’s not all I feel after a gig. I feel a huge adrenalin rush, which keeps me up way after I should get to sleep! I know that, later this morning, I’m going to want to scream, when that alarm goes off at 05:20!

My Thursday nights at Don Pedro, where I’ve had a solo gig since the end of February, have become very interesting indeed, and what I particularly love is that everything’s deliciously unpredictable. For me to be okay with that, and find it a good thing, shows just how much I’ve changed. Let me put it this way: according to my astrological birth chart, my Sun, Moon and Ascendant are all in Virgo, which makes me three times a Virgo. If you know anything about typical Virgo characteristics, imagine being 300% endowed with those traits! Well, that’s me. That probably explains a couple of things! :-)

Two weeks ago, I decided to depart from my usual repertoire of covers with a few originals thrown in, and do a whole night of my own compositions. It actually went very well, and people enjoyed my songs. I derived a lot of encouragement from the comments and feedback. Last week, I did quite a lot of originals, with just a few covers thrown in. But last week had a magic of its own: I did my second set with ERROL DYERS, a guitarist I’ve admired for years! I thought he’d play while I sang, but he insisted I play my guitar, and what an experience that was! I played and sang my own songs and he played around my playing. It was really a dream come true, and I felt like the luckiest, most blessed person on the planet. I enjoyed it more than anyone present could ever realize, although I think my Cheshire-cat grin and my air punching may have given them an idea! Some of my friends were there, and they took photos – I’d really like to get copies. Long before I met him, I liked Errol. He has a style of playing that constantly takes one by surprise. I watched him play at Theatre in the District, about two years ago, and I had goosebumps for his entire performance. I think that besides his incredible playing, he has a heart-warming smile and he’s so laid-back and ‘chilled’, that I can’t help but be fascinated by him. And there I was, on stage with him, playing my own compositions. Hard to describe, but let’s just say it was one of those memories I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Definitely worth a blog post!

Tonight was yet another special Thursday night – firstly, my cousin (and best friend) Tracy went with me, and that in itself meant I’d have a fabulous time. During my break, a friend and his wife walked in, and that was a lovely surprise – Mark Kleinschmidt, who’d played Demetrius to my Helena, decades ago. I mean it: decades! Nice to see him, all these years later.

But the undeniable highlight of the evening was connecting with musician HILTON SCHILDER after a long time, and then having the pleasure of doing my second set with him! Hilton and I had done a bit of work together in the past, and in fact we’d recorded 16 of my originals in 2006. That recording project was never completed, and the tracks are still being kept for me. One day,……..

So, Hilton sat next to me on stage and played along with me on his melodica, which is basically a small hand-held piano that you blow into through a mouthpiece to produce a sound. Interesting sound. Particular, peculiar, needs a cultured ear. Once again, I did originals, with a few covers thrown in. Later, he accompanied me on djembe drums. SO COOL doing my material with Hilton, a prolific giant of a composer and someone who’s recorded quite a few CDs.

And now, with my patience running out for this tumble dryer (kids’ school uniforms, needed for tomorrow!), I think I’ll call it a night - have a speed-shower and get to bed, to SLEEEEEEEEEEP! If I can get to bed by 2, I’d have just about 3 and a half hours’ sleep. I should grab it. Tomorrow’s my mother’s 81st birthday, so another late night ahead.

How do I feel? Incredibly tired, sleepy, eyelids droopy, shoulders slouchy, can’t stop yawning. But you know what the overwhelming feeling is? Happiness!

It’s time, Trudy.