Photo by Paulette Wooten on Unsplash
Creating space for a new interest/passion/desire can feel challenging and sometimes impossible.
We live in a busy world, and with work, study, daily errands, chores, making time for our loved ones, how does one carve out new routines and practices?
I often come face to face with this illusion of there being 'no room.' And in the past, I seemed always to forget that things would just work out.
When my desire is strong, time and space do present themselves. It always comes by happenstance. Something will inevitably drop away for this something new to enter.
For instance, early last year, I made the intention that I wanted more room to be creative – to write songs, perform more, create online singing resources for our Fearless Singer Community. And within weeks of declaring this to the Universe, my Airbnb business fell away, making room for more time and energy to do these things I craved.
I'm not going to lie; at the time, it felt scary. I was relying on this income to pay my rent. But the extra money came too via all of my creative pursuits.
How can you make this work for you and your singing?
Make a date to perform
If you have a strong desire to show up for your voice, time will appear for you too. Perhaps you could see this as a creative project with an end goal – a house concert for friends, karaoke, a paid gig, or a recording. Giving yourself something tangible to work towards does stoke the fire.
Set up a dedicated practice space
I've said it before, and I will repeat it, setting up a dedicated practice space makes you feel more inclined to sing. I understand I am very privileged to have a studio attached to my unit with all my musical equipment. HOWEVER, when I was at Uni, I just had a crappy keyboard in the corner of my room. What made the difference to my motivation levels to practice is that this corner was aesthetically pleasing. I loved looking at it. I had inspirational quotes on the wall, a record of Julie London on my music stand. (I still have it sitting on my music stand!) I would roll out of bed and want to practice.
But I can't practice where I live
I get that we don't all live alone. For whatever reason, you may feel uncomfortable singing in your home. Don't let this stop you in your tracks! Sing in the car! Preferably not while you are driving. Yes, it's best to be standing, but sometimes to get started, we need to go to where we are comfortable. You can work up the courage to sing in your room and not care about the listening ears. I have a student who used to sing in her cupboard but now she proudly practices for everyone to hear.
Book a practice room
If you prefer to practice out of the house and singing in your car isn't an option, you could hire a space to practice. The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) has a piano room that you can hire. It's not operating now due to old-mate Covid restrictions, but maybe it will open again after these current ones lift. If you are not in Brisbane, check to see if your library offers a practice room. I guarantee you that if you ask for a practice space, it will come! Here's the website booking link for SLQ.
Make a small 'time commitment.'
If you read last week's email, you will understand I'm a huge advocate for keeping your practice schedule simple. Honestly, 10min a day to keep your voice in shape is an excellent starting point. To make this routine stick, tack it onto a routine you already do, like yoga, meditation, or even having a shower. While we joke about it, there are heaps of benefits to singing in the shower! Steam is one of them.
If you haven't already, get your daily singing routine. It's five exercises that you can do in under 10min. And it's free. To make these more accessible, save the page as a bookmark on your phone's home screen. Then it's exactly like one of your apps. Access it here.
Anyway, I hope this inspires you to get singing. If your heart really wants to sing on a regular basis, declare to the Universe now to create the space for it. I tell you, it will happen, and it will happen fast.
