Those of you who have perused my website in addition to reading my blog may have noticed the conspicuous absence of any sound samples (I do claim to be a singer, right?). I designed and launched my website over the summer (when I had time), but have only just now been able to begin the process of adding demos. It has taken me a while to build and polish a package of entry-level dramatic arias for audition purposes. Now that my upper extensions are getting more consistent, I have started the recording phase of Operation 5 Arias and a C. This past month my brilliant coach and I knocked out some audio tracks to give me something to use while we prepare to make video demos later this fall. For a
This week is not my week. I can't seem to do anything right. And the things that I do manage to accomplish are taking a lot more time an energy than usual. Sigh. The proud part of me wants to push through and just force things work, but the wise part of me knows that won't help right now (because forcing myself to try then crying when I fail is not particularly productive). The wise part of me knows that this is a time for G.R.A.P.E.S. I first learned about the G.R.A.P.E.S. acronym from my social-worker aunt when I was going through a particularly rough patch in my mid-20s. Each letter stands for a different aspect of self care: G is for GENTLENESS - when things are rough, it's important th
Thank you, again, to everyone who shared their stories and contributed to this graphic. So . . . I had an idea to make a word cloud from body shaming quotes my colleagues and I have received in our careers as a graphic for a completely different blog post. I requested input on my Facebook wall and from the ladies of Opera Diva Dress Collection. The response was overwhelming. I had over 200 replies in less than 24 hours. By the time I finished transcribing them, I had closer to 300, and comments are still being added. While was I was thrilled at how many of my colleagues responded, I was not prepared for how intense and emotional the thread would be. Instead of using the graphic for it's o
