I’ve become involved in so many artistic pursuits over the past few years, but now it seems that I’ve come full circle.
I design jewelry and accessories, but before that – long ago, I played piano. First by following my sister’s lead, then by learning to read music. I played classical music until I became a pre-teen bored with it, frustrated by dreams of becoming a jazz pianist overnight. Discipline was far off, and I pushed all of it aside to become an anxious teenager.
Gospel music became an outlet in college and I joined my school’s choir in my sophomore year. I always loved to sing and this was a way for me to do so without the pressure of standing out anywhere. I also joined my church’s choir in when I lived in Georgia, but as I moved away, so did my involvement in performing.
I sent a friend of mine recently a recording of me singing. She’s a singer, and I told her how much I admired performers. Getting up in front of an audience and letting them hear you sing is no small feat in my opinion. She listened to me sing and told me literally to drop everything and let them hear me sing. She told me to get out and be heard.
Well, you know, talk about a deer in headlights. I’m such a hermit these days. Coupled with the idea of the sheer hassle of navigating L.A. traffic for the sole purpose of exposing my voice to strangers was enough to make me want to board up the windows and doors.
But a good thing happened. I had been wanting/planning a YouTube channel for my designs for some time, but coming up with a good theme seemed impossible. I didn’t want to become another talking head, my mind just isn’t ready for how-to videos, and the thought of just showing pictures of my jewelry and accessories just didn’t seem to be enough. I decided to combine my recordings with images of my work. I got off to a bit of a rough start, but I don’t even care. Putting myself out there as a singer, a solo singer, was one of my biggest accomplishments.
My first major concerns had to do with my voice cracking from time to time, or worries about singing loud enough. Most of those issues had to do with confidence and control which I’m learning about each and every time I make a recording. Songs that seemed difficult to sing at first have become worthwhile challenges and I’ve learned to be patient with myself when I didn’t think I could do what I wanted to achieve. I’m still a long ways off from wanting to be in the spotlight on a live stage, but I’m making steps toward it, and that’s more than enough for me now.
Here’s my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmuVhVGqXETp-WgHdHP5tLg
cdyanndesigns 