03.24.06
browsing
I was browsing other blogs last night and came across one called Diapers and Music. It was wonderful for me to read about another woman’s perspective on trying to be a musician and raising a family. I’ve been actively parenting for 30 years now and trying to be a full time musician for some of that time. My oldest child is 30, my youngest is 15 and my grandaughter, who is being raised by me, is 2. This creates quite a challenge to songwriting and performing. The blog I mentioned raises some great questions about what makes someone a “real” musician and balancing your work and life, all things that are often part of my own struggle. I am truly a “real” musician doing laundry, changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, and still squeezing in time to write, though not everyday. I sing at home to my family about going potty, doing chores, and whatever we’re doing at the time - a “real” songwriter. I went to a songwriting workshop given by Janis Ian who spoke of the importance of writing about everyday things and writing every day to hone your skills and train yourself to write on command. What great advice! I also browsed through some of my old journals and found quite a few entries, including poetry, that address those issues. I will post one of them here later today.
Susanne said,
March 25, 2006 at 4:40 am
Hi,
how nice to come across another “mommy musician”. I have been looking for musicians’ blogs and could find only very few. And none were addressing the everyday struggle of balancing parenting, music and household chores …
Probably most people think you can do only one or the other.
Deb said,
March 25, 2006 at 9:06 am
Unfortunately, there are too many musicians who put their music first at the expense of their children’s well-being. Then, there are those who give up their music because of their children and feel resentful. It’s tricky but possible to do both - like a complicated dance.