6 tips for improving your songwriting

6 tips for improving your songwriting

I’ve been writing songs since I could write. That being said, I’ve learned a lot of different ways to song write. I sometimes create a guitar piece and than sing, or sometimes I have the vocal melody first and then add the guitar.  It’s different every time.  The thing I love most is how it touches people and when I tell a story it can bring so much meaning to someone. Here are my top 6  songwriting-tips. Practice every day Collaborate with other people Focus on themes that are meaningful to you or a concept/story that you like When writing, edit it down so it’s consistent with the melody and syllable pattern.  For example how many syllables are in a line? When you have a melody is it consistent with the syllable pattern? Doe sections of the song rhyme? When you sing you can actually emphasize different words and enunciate things to the melody so that it can have more than one meaning. This is super fun to do in song writing and a bit more complicated. I recommend doing that once you have practiced getting lyrics and your story telling concise Look at the songs that move you that are your favourite.  Break down the songs, so you can see the patterns and try to emulate those patterns. Here are my lyrics for song Seasons: Verse: You shared your secrets, underneath the oak tree whispered names of old lovers, times forgotten, forgiven Pre-Chorus: Shadows overcast, sadness that does not last, Time will pass, Time will pass, Seasons will fade into years, and you will forget about all your tears Time will pass, Time will pass Chorus:...
6 things I learned when shooting a music video

6 things I learned when shooting a music video

This post is for people that are doing their music video on their own. In my recent music video shoot for the Diplo Revolution cover, there were few mistakes that I did when making the music video. Here is what I learned. You need to plan the shots and make sure that everyone involved in the shoot has a say or at least is on board.  For this video shoot I did it on the fly with not as much planning as I usually do.  That being said, the shoot was rushed and I didn’t make time to tell those ideas to everyone involved.  There were a few ideas that I had that I ended up doing myself. I was happy in the end. Weather can affect what you can do if the shots are outside.  The previous video shoot we did was outside but since the weather was getting much colder, we couldn’t do the cello shots outside that I was hoping. It was really cold and we weren’t dressed appropriately because of the outfits we had. Bring snacks. When you are hungry you can’t always focus, bring snacks to keep the energy up.  When you shoot video if you are not into the shot, it can show.  You need to be 100% present and into it, it shows. Make more time to do the shots.  We needed at least 2-3 more hours, but we were able to get all the shots within the time frame allotted. It was a rushed shoot, but I was able to do some self-video shots the next day to add to what we had. Make sure...
New years resolutions and lessons learned from an introvert…

New years resolutions and lessons learned from an introvert…

  This year a tried a lot of new things like Ariel silks, rock climbing, airBnb-ing, salsa dancing, created a 21 day photo challenge that had attendees from all corners of the world and djing.  I’ve been thinking about what I loved and didn’t love, what worked and didn’t work, and of course what is it I actually want to invest my time into…     Photo challenge   One thing I realize is that it’s been fun trying all these new things, but what I really would like to do is narrow down my focus.  I’ve been thinking a lot about how painting, drawing, singing and crafting makes me very happy.  So I’m challenging myself to be as creative as I can through out my week. I identify with being an introvert.  This doesn’t mean I’m shy, it means  to me that I need to be alone to restore my energy.  When I’m with people all the time I get tired.  Last year I did a lot of new things and was very very busy meeting new people in lots of group activities.  I realized that this wasn’t sustainable for myself because I need to be alone and be creative alone. So when reflecting on your new year. Here are some questions to ask yourself: What was awesome? What didn’t go so well? What do I want to improve upon? What environments and situations brought out the best in me this past year? Can I put myself in more of those situations? Can I have one focus for the year instead of 3-5? Good luck with your resolutions,...
Listen now! May-Jun live off the floor

Listen now! May-Jun live off the floor

So I recorded these tracks at Kevin Komoranski’s home studio. We recorded these tracks live with no edits. This was a test for doing audio recording at Algonquin College. Kevin is a teacher at Algonquin and we ended up recording the song Truth Serum at Algonquin with his students. The funny part about the recording session at Algonquin was I had a photo shoot to go after so I had to be dressed up all glamorous for 9am all the way till almost midnight. It was a long day, but it was amazing! The track wil possibly be shared in the next few months or so. For now, this is what you get. Free downloads! Live off the floor by May-Jun...
Behind the scenes for “Hibernate”

Behind the scenes for “Hibernate”

So I’ve been currently in a home studio laying some rough tracks to record in studio. I will be posting them quite soon. Mailyne from Dream Love Grow surprised me with this behind the scenes edit from the music video “Hibernate”. Thank you Mailyne for this wonderful surprise, you did a great job!...
Ottawa Fashion Week 2011 amazingness

Ottawa Fashion Week 2011 amazingness

So Mailyne from Dreamlovegrow.com was unable to do live painting as expected. She just announced she is having a baby! I am so excited and happy for her. She may be moving to the same city as me.This will mean more creative collabs. For Ottawa Fashion Week I had Becky Mearns perform with me both nights. It was such a delight to have her with me up on stage. Ottawa Fashion Week keeps getting better and better! The fashion shows are amazing, they have pro lighting on the run way and a lot of amazing designers and artists that come by. The pictures below are from bookthebooth.ca and Ming Wu a local photographer/events blogger! Thank you for the pictures! Hanging out with my friends! We tried jumping!...