I went for a run/walk along Boulder Creek yesterday. First springlike day I’ve seen around here this year. People were out playing chess in the grass, feeding ducks, tossing sticks into the creek for their Retrievers to… retrieve. Up just past the kayak course on the west end of town, I saw something strange: cairn-like […]
A few years ago, I founded a band with another singer. As our first gig approached, we wanted to make a huge splash with a great show. We planned stage decor, learned far more songs than we needed, got matching outfits including knee-high boots with very high heels, and even worked up choreography for several […]
You know how animals can smell fear? Well, we humans may not have canine noses, but we have very sharp eyes and excellent mental capacity for reading faces. Especially eyes! So, having the right kind of eye contact can make you seem more confident on stage. And even better than that, it can make you […]
I wish but one thing for you for 2010: That you know without a doubt what you most deeply desire out of life. It’s easy to know what we should want. It’s easy to set achievement-oriented goals that look good on paper. It’s easy to set goals for “shoulds” because we feel like we […]
You’d think a studio microphone was a live grenade, for the amount of fear it strikes in some singers. Especially in the recording studio. You’re thinking about the wasted time and money of multiple takes. You’re focused on the fact that the recording HAS to be your best, because it’ll be captured forever. You’re worried […]
Do you ever feel like you’re never going to be a great singer? Do you find yourself wondering, “Who would ever pay to listen to that?” Do you ever feel like your voice… well… it sucks? Yep. So do I, sometimes. It’s totally normal. Here’s what to do. Think of a spiral, like a Slinky […]
The first time I played drums at a live gig, I was so nervous that I dropped beats several times throughout the song, and forgot where the transitions between sections were. The first time for anything can be scary. Your first time singing in public? Your first audition? Your first time as lead singer? Your […]
You know left brain vs. right brain, right? Left brain: organized, analytical, judgemental, ego-driven, individual, critical, mathematic, language center, logical, aware of time, tends to rush, tends to live in the past and future, tends to get caught in cycles of thought, likes to classify, sense of personal identity, aware of details, multitasker, tells stories […]
I went on a mountain bike ride yesterday with a friend. It’s been a long time, and I was rusty and out of shape. I knew it was going to be sketchy. I knew I couldn’t ride the hard stuff. I ended up walking some rocky sections, even going off the trail a couple of […]
The ability to reset your mental state using an anchor is a great way to handle performance anxiety… if you’ve learned to anchor. But sometimes you just need a quick fix! Maybe you’re tired. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep. Maybe you are dealing with some strong emotions. Maybe you feel unprepared. Maybe you simply […]
