
08 Jan Because Why Not?
When I was in my twenties, I used to sing . . . in public . . . for money! You know those lobby and lounge singers that no one really takes any notice of on the way to the bar? The thought of it is absolutely terrifying now and whilst Madison Square Gardens was never in any danger of of us gracing it with our presence, I was with my cousin and my friend, we were young, enthusiastic and, we had a good time doing it.
I look back now with affection for the sparkly outfits, platform shoes, hair pieces and extra pocket money, but what I am most proud of is the courage it took to do it in the first place. Now I have all of these amazing memories of being on stage, looking cute, meeting famous people not to mention the free drinks. When people ask me now, “were you any good?” my most common response is, “well, people continued to pay us so we couldn’t have been total crap”. And when people commented or complimented me on my singing voice, I would always say “everyone can sing”. I still believe that to be true . . .whether you can do it well or not, or whether you are brave enough to put yourself out there for public scrutiny, feel the fear and do it anyway is another story!
That’s how I feel about art and creativity. Everyone can do it in some way or another, the outcome is determined by your own intentions and personal taste. At the moment, I spend every waking hour and some of the ones I should be sleeping, scouring the socials for artists and art related videos so that I can learn things but human nature ensures that there is always an ego driven need to measure oneself up against established artists. Danger Will Robinson! That can put a major dent in one’s self esteem. Let’s face it, there are millions of people in the world that can do this better than me but when I start to think about it like that, I go back to my stage career . . . did we set the world on fire? Nup. Did anyone get hurt in the process? I hope not. Did I shame myself so badly that I would never recover or be able to show my face in public again? Not in the least. If we had compared ourselves to a say, Destiny’s Child (or Janet Jackson as it were at the time), I wouldn’t have bothered getting out of bed in the morning and I wouldn’t have these great stories to tell or most importantly, the sense of accomplishment. I know for certain that I could never and probably would never attempt it again. . . I find my OWN car singing and traffic light concerts offensive these days.
So that’s what this website is about . . . it’s the manifestation of overcoming the last few years of trauma and exploring creativity beyond fear because it makes me happy, gives me a sense of peace, it may have a positive effect on another person or people but most of all . . . . . why the hell not!
Happy New Year everyone. Let me know what your “why the hell not” intentions are for 2021.
Natasha Lavai xo
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