The Business of Vocal Jazz: the book & the class

   Danielle LaPorte is my business guru. Her digital course “The Spark Kit” (formerly known as “The Fire Starter Sessions”) is easily the most inspirational and helpful guide for any entrepreneur looking to fire up and build an authentic, satisfying and successful business. (If you’re not yet hip to Danielle, I strongly urge you to visit her website: www.whitehottruth.com. Pure gold.) Danielle has changed the way I think about my life and my work and has empowered me in more ways than I can articulate…

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Our Creative Lives: Fear

Fear appears to be an ongoing theme in the lives of many creative people, or so it would seem judging from what I see out on the blogosphere. On any given day, I come across multiple posts on this topic. I’ve certainly written about it myself a time or two. (Here and here.) For as much as we go on and on about it, fear remains a curious challenge for most of us. We are perpetually trembling. SO, WHAT ARE WE SO AFRAID OF ANYWAY?…

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Jazz Canvas- “A Fusion of Arts”

The premise for Jazz Canvas is simple: A swingin’ jazz trio, a guest performer and a visual artist share the stage for a two-hour performance. Throughout the course of the show, the band does its thing and the artist creates a painting in response to the music being played. Both the music and the painting are immediate in nature. It is the ultimate improvisational interplay of mediums. Jazz Canvas is the brainchild of drummer Terry Marsh and artist Leigh Knowles Metteer. After presenting a few…

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10 Ideas for Feeding the Muse

I recently sat down and wrote a letter to my muse, kindly asking her to please return. At some point in the spring, she wandered off. It seems I wasn’t paying enough attention to her. My mind was so engrossed in just trying to survive the last few months of my teaching gig that I didn’t notice she was gone right away. That is, until I needed her. It took a little work to coax her back. She rightly wanted to know, “What’s in it…

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Our Creative Lives: Inspiration

"Our Creative Lives" is a new blog series dedicated to the examination of the creative experience. Throughout my own evolution as a writer and a vocalist, I’ve often been curious about how other artists think and feel about what they do. I am interested in everything from the inner workings of the creative psyche to the day-to-day challenges of working our craft, whatever it may be. Each month, I’ll throw out a topic, put in my two cents to get the ball rolling and then…

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