Dear Madelleine, you are in my ears as I write this. To hear of the immense work behind your practice is fascinating and beautifully penned, with a lot of generosity and self-awarness. The flute on Did You Not Know and They Were Once Children is ethereal, as is your voice, and neither carries the weight of what it took to record them. Your upper register is delicious; that must take a toll on your diaphragm as well. Where Cold Hearts Go to Pray is devastating in the best way. I am enchanted and impressed, and I must say again, I’m so happy to have come across you. Also, your brother has chops! Your lines about "inspiration porn” and the deep well you draw from remind me of Audre Lorde’s piece Poetry is not a Luxury (which seems to me to apply to all creativity, not just the poetic lyrics, but the entire compositions you are offering) in which she opines, "For each of us as women, there is a dark place within where hidden and growing our true spirit rises, "Beautiful and tough as chestnut/stanchions against our nightmare of weakness" and of impotence.
These places of possibility within ourselves are dark because they are ancient and hidden; they
have survived and grown strong through darkness. Within these deep places, each one of us
holds an incredible reserve of creativity and power, of unexamined and unrecorded emotion
and feeling. The woman's place of power within each of us is neither white nor surface; it is
dark, it is ancient, and it is deep.” Thank you for gifting us your pratice.
Aw Lisa thank you sooo much for your kind and reflective words! This means so much to me. And thank you so much for your compliments on my flute and voice, that really made my day! As I created this under such abysmal circumstances I often feel like the final product is not up to standards, but I am learning that my art is just as good and valid as able bodied people’s art. I looove the Audre Lorde quote!
This is very interesting, Im in a similar position suffering / recovering from Guillain-Barre syndrome. Fortunately Im out of bed but still trying different things with wheelchair, the most difficult is playing guitar because the armrests get in the way and if I take them off I can fall out the chair! Anyhow we will overcome. Find a way or make one….
This is a beautiful piece. I’m so glad that I got to read it today!
As a musician who has also been bedbound for a long periods of time, I not only feel your angst, I commend your determination. I’m so glad you’re able to keep making music when your body lets you…
Madelleine, I always love and appreciate the personal stories you share. This one resonates especially strongly because my latest article is about not letting dreams die. "My message is that creativity is vital for many of us and should be prioritised if at all possible." YES YES 1000 TIMES YES! 🤘🏼 And the song is absolutely beautiful. I look forward to listening to more.
Dear Madelleine, you are in my ears as I write this. To hear of the immense work behind your practice is fascinating and beautifully penned, with a lot of generosity and self-awarness. The flute on Did You Not Know and They Were Once Children is ethereal, as is your voice, and neither carries the weight of what it took to record them. Your upper register is delicious; that must take a toll on your diaphragm as well. Where Cold Hearts Go to Pray is devastating in the best way. I am enchanted and impressed, and I must say again, I’m so happy to have come across you. Also, your brother has chops! Your lines about "inspiration porn” and the deep well you draw from remind me of Audre Lorde’s piece Poetry is not a Luxury (which seems to me to apply to all creativity, not just the poetic lyrics, but the entire compositions you are offering) in which she opines, "For each of us as women, there is a dark place within where hidden and growing our true spirit rises, "Beautiful and tough as chestnut/stanchions against our nightmare of weakness" and of impotence.
These places of possibility within ourselves are dark because they are ancient and hidden; they
have survived and grown strong through darkness. Within these deep places, each one of us
holds an incredible reserve of creativity and power, of unexamined and unrecorded emotion
and feeling. The woman's place of power within each of us is neither white nor surface; it is
dark, it is ancient, and it is deep.” Thank you for gifting us your pratice.
Aw Lisa thank you sooo much for your kind and reflective words! This means so much to me. And thank you so much for your compliments on my flute and voice, that really made my day! As I created this under such abysmal circumstances I often feel like the final product is not up to standards, but I am learning that my art is just as good and valid as able bodied people’s art. I looove the Audre Lorde quote!
This is very interesting, Im in a similar position suffering / recovering from Guillain-Barre syndrome. Fortunately Im out of bed but still trying different things with wheelchair, the most difficult is playing guitar because the armrests get in the way and if I take them off I can fall out the chair! Anyhow we will overcome. Find a way or make one….
We WILL overcome… some way or other!
This is a beautiful piece. I’m so glad that I got to read it today!
As a musician who has also been bedbound for a long periods of time, I not only feel your angst, I commend your determination. I’m so glad you’re able to keep making music when your body lets you…
Hugs,
Rebecca
Thank you so much, Rebecca 🌸
Madelleine, I always love and appreciate the personal stories you share. This one resonates especially strongly because my latest article is about not letting dreams die. "My message is that creativity is vital for many of us and should be prioritised if at all possible." YES YES 1000 TIMES YES! 🤘🏼 And the song is absolutely beautiful. I look forward to listening to more.