ronically, in the midst of the release of Being Totally Aiive, in my over-eagerness to produce results in record time, I got slammed with massive tendonites and was practically unable to play the piano for several months.
"Healer, heal thyself." isn't that what they say? Well, that's certainly easier said than done. I tried to heal myself, by seeing chiropractors and massage therapists and physical therapists and doing all the stuff they told me to do. Unfortunately, I neglected to listen to the most important message given to me, which was to stop trying to be Super Woman, take a real break from work and let myself recover.
After realizing that I was only making matters worse by trying to plow through on will power alone, I stopped. Yeah, I just stopped. At first, it was absolutely terrifying. I didn't know what to do with myself unless I was being productive in some way or another. But then, as I let myself surrender to the unknown and to the idea that it might be nice to let other people take over some of the marketing aspects of my career, things began to happen.
An increasing number of people began to call and email, requesting my music for use in radio shows, film- and TV shows, and offering to be of service in any way they could. It was quite amazing. Here, I had done nothing but rest up for several months. i had made absolutely no effort to do anything, and people were calling me out of the blue... or so it seemed.
I also received several requests to sing, which presented somewhat of a challenge. Since the piano was out of the question for the time being,
I picked up my guitar, which allowed me to play with greater ease. And as I sang the songs that were the most soothing to me, songs that have helped me come through some of the hardest times of my life, I got the idea to record my next album.
The Exposed CD is a tribute to some of my greatest heroes and heroines in music. It is a bare naked performance (just me on guitar and vocals) of some of my favorite tunes by Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Suzanne Vega, Jennifer Warnes, George and Ira Gershwin, Mary Taylor and myself. Of course, the joy and ease of this new adventure has completely restored my arms and fingers to their vibrant and playful selves again. Pretty cool, huh?
The moral of this story: Receive the Good!