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(Today's blog...)Let’s face it, it takes a lot of courage to dig deep and find out who you are, underneath all the programming and external forces that we integrate over our lifetimes. It’s easier to play the roles the world has prescribed for us, and be the meek girl who works overtime or the easy-going guy who helps everyone move cause he owns a truck or the cool chick who’s always the life of the party, or the fab guy who’ll make his first million soon.Our society seems to worship the external and the instant. All around us there exists a profound lack of appreciation for the process of becoming. All around us there is emphasis on how we look, what we do, what we are seen to be, what we where, what we say in our glib way… but little is said about the internal life of dealing with our own consciousness, the spirit within each of us, our creative voice, our individual and unique inspiration.It took me years and years of work and healing to be able to hear my own voice. I still struggle sometimes to find it in the cacophony of sound around me, in the harsh morphings of the negative thinkers who permeate the world with their bad vibes. But even though I’ve found my voice and released it and hopefully support it in its blossoming, I am still aware that I have much to learn about refining it.Therefore I see no contradiction if I, on the one hand, aspire to be fully authentic and organic and real while, on the other hand, also wish to be more skilled, more refined, do things better than I have before. In fact I consider it a challenge to be myself to also rise above myself at the same time, lol. Otherwise I will think I have arrived. Otherwise I will stagnate. Otherwise, life would be boring.If one says, ‘I cannot be creative if given specific guidelines to follow, and following those guidelines is a selling out of personal creativity,’ then one is really saying that we must ignore craft and embrace organic inspiration at all cost. In that case, let us cease teaching our children to read & write, all music lessons should stop, all universities should close, and all apprentices should leave their masters.If one has that point of view, then one should believe that teaching Leonardo di Vinci how to mix colours was a crime against his individual creativity and the fact that he learned how to mix colours, to sketch perspective, to choose media & effective tools was a ‘selling out’ on his part, and therefore his work became as homogenized as all the other work done with the same skills and tools. Bland.Michelangelo was asked to paint the Sistine Chapel. Well!!!!! What a limit to his ability to create a work that expresses his artistry, right?Really? If someone asks me to write a song ‘a la’ someone… how does that limit me as an artist? It’s simply providing the canvas. I still choose the colours, the shapes, the shadows, the light, the brushes, the expression; the instruments, the melody, the words, the arrangement.I prefer to get excited by the idea that I can paint my own masterpiece within the frame provided. I know my creativity is up to the task. In fact, I think the fact that I can express myself within the ‘confines’ of an ‘a la’ makes the ‘me’ in me stronger and more resilient ~ Hummin'bird

Well said, Vikki. There is no "complete freedom" after all in any artistic direction...they all follow some restriction or other. Every "ala" is an opportunity to write your masterpiece.

Great post, Vikki. There is beauty in the journey if we allow ourselves to see it.

Great post Vikki. But the emphasis on the external is nothing new to our world, it's just becoming more and more the popular thing. I agree with your points all of them. I think most times we confuse schooling with education. Schooling only gives us the tools and language to communicate with the rest of the world particularly those in our field of expertise. Education never stops (unless we choose to stop learning) we were made to expand and grow in all our faculties. I used to struggle with writing within in a box getting out of it though.

Hummingbird: Let's go with Mr. di Vinci. Nice end result, to be sure. But did anyone ever come up to him and say his brushes weren't up to par? The reason I ask this is because all my submissions have been professionally demoed. The vocalist has appeared on the "Grand OLe Opry", the demo firm is from Nashville, very reputable, and not at all inexpensive. (And from a personal ego point of view, worth every penny). Yet, when I get reviews back from Taxi screeners, the evaluation of the singers's voice comes back as an average of 7.5. The demo firm's production score comes back as a 7.0, on aaverage. My lyrics come across around 6.9.sort of embarassing. My point is -- if I hire competent professionals to showcase my songs, and their ratings are barely above my own, what is going on? If a singer I think is a "10", gets only "7.5's", and a reputable demo firm gets only "7's, how do I trust the judgement of these people? I'm going to the convention to find out.OttLukk,

Oct 1, 2008, 6:06pm, ottlukk wrote:Hummingbird: Let's go with Mr. di Vinci. Nice end result, to be sure. But did anyone ever come up to him and say his brushes weren't up to par? The reason I ask this is because all my submissions have been professionally demoed. The vocalist has appeared on the "Grand OLe Opry", the demo firm is from Nashville, very reputable, and not at all inexpensive. (And from a personal ego point of view, worth every penny). Yet, when I get reviews back from Taxi screeners, the evaluation of the singers's voice comes back as an average of 7.5. The demo firm's production score comes back as a 7.0, on aaverage. My lyrics come across around 6.9.sort of embarassing. My point is -- if I hire competent professionals to showcase my songs, and their ratings are barely above my own, what is going on? If a singer I think is a "10", gets only "7.5's", and a reputable demo firm gets only "7's, how do I trust the judgement of these people? I'm going to the convention to find out.OttLukk,That's actually a very good plan. Being there, talking directly to screeners, etc is the way to go. Not every screener will be there because they're all independent of Taxi but I know that several of the country screeners are always there.Either wear a dot of look for the rest of us with dots.

Make sure you get a ticket to at least one Mentor Lunch (hopefully they'll be available soon), as you will meet people who screen for Taxi there too. Go to the panels and listen to music getting played, and listen to the feedback given by the panel... you will hear condratictory opinions there too... some would listen more & give the song a chance, others would move on since they didn't hear something interesting enough to make them play it longer. It helps you understand the POV of the industry & the human beings who screen for it.

Wonderful post on so many levels, Vikki! I think one of the most courageous acts in life is to take a stand to be one's authentic self. It takes paying attention to one's actions and being willing to see outside of one's paradigms and constructs to begin this journey. Your insights said it so well, which is one of the things I love about being a part of this Taxi community!Glad to know you, and glad to be a part of sharing our respective unfolding journeys.SuzWhat happens to us isn't as important asthe stories we tell ourselves about what happens to us. - Vicki Hannah LeinAs soon as youtrust yourself,you will knowhow to live. - GoetheDon't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. - Howard Thurman

Let me see if I've got this right, Da Vinci did the walls and Michaelangelo did the ceiling?

Then who the heck painted the restrooms??!!Suz