music, therapy, and me

I am going to go to one of my favorite things tonight and tomorrow - a scrapbooking crop which morphs into doing whatever crafting thing you want to do in the company of other people who craft. A local craft store offers these every so often, and I am finding them to be pretty inspirational and well worth the $25 they charge. So, I am going to be spending some of today preparing for this event. I have no idea what I want to make tonight, but I know that I don't want to make more books. I already have five books that need to be finished and decorated, so I do not need to make more. I might focus on making the things to go into the books instead of the books themselves - clusters, hidden paperclips, pockets, envelopes, belly bands, and that sort of stuff. The largest problem with this type of thing is not knowing what I will be in the mood to make when I get there. I have to pack up my resources, so I also need to think about what I want to do. In the last crop that I attended, I spe...

I am at the place where I do not want to work for anyone. I want to work for myself but I do not have a dependable income coming in and significant health issues so I have to have some sort of money to pay for my insurance. I don't want to leave my house to work, but I also don't want to be at home all the time. I put in a job application last week. I have not heard back from HR yet about the position. I am a bit concerned about that fact, but I also have to remember that I have not been in the job market for many, many years and things have changed a bit. I am watching job announcements and am trying to figure out whether I want to apply for other jobs. This is a strange place to be in - having to find something to do that will generate consistent income and not wanting to stay in this place for very long. Okay, after a talk with my sister, I have submitted two more applications to some jobs outside of the music therapy realm but that I could do...I think. The imposter syndrom...

(Sorry for the title - I really enjoy alliteration...)  I wrote TWO brand new songs while at the library yesterday. TWO NEW SONGS!! I think this going to the library thing might be a good thing for my focus and my task accomplishment! I am going to try it again tomorrow to see if I can replicate the process... we'll see if I am successful. Anyway, that means that my next sing about songs  edition is almost finished. Once I arrived back home, I puttered around a bit and then designed a new board game (related to the upcoming edition). I am going to print that and then make the game to use with someone in the future. After that, all I have to do is write up the TME format for the new songs, copy TMEs for the other offerings, and design one more set of cards/titles for one more original TME. Then I can release the edition!! In fact, let's get started with the game board design. I think I am going to do a folder version and a binder version this time around which means getting out...

I have so many half-written songs in my ideas book that need to be formalized and released, but I have had little to no interest in doing that recently. It is time to get that project going, and I have a new system to help me accomplish this particular task!! (See yesterday's post if this statement is confusing.) Many of the half-written songs that are waiting to be completed are done in every aspect except setting the songs into professional looking notation. All I need to do is use my notation software to finish these tasks. Perhaps that will be my focus for this morning. I am interested in leaving my house, and I am thinking that I might want to try working somewhere else. The library seems to be a good fit for what I want to try, but I am hesitant to go. I don't know why I am hesitant, but I am. Fear of the unknown, I guess. All I know is that I am feeling antsy while at home. There are too many things that need to be done in order for me to concentrate the way I could some...

I have a dilemma. There are too many things on my to-do and want to-do lists to actually accomplish. I try to work on things, but I get overwhelmed very easily these days by the amount of things that I want to do. I end up doing nothing. The overwhelm keeps getting into my way. I have a crop at the local craft store this upcoming weekend. At the last crop, I spent most of the time brainstorming plans for my business, and I felt like it was good for me and my attitude towards my role in this profession. I will try to do the same thing during this crop - brainstorm in between making things. What does a crop have to do with the many things that I want to try? Well, having time outside of my home in the company of creatives seems to spark my interest in getting things done inside my home. For some reason, I do better working on these things around other people than I do alone. So, I will be heading to the crop with my idea book and my plan book and the good pen for writing notes. I will al...

This title has two meanings for me right now. First of all, the phrase comes from The Muppet Show Theme , and the Muppets are one of my favorite groups of things in all the world (second only to Star Wars , I think). Secondly, this is something I need to be doing. There has been a severe lack of music making in my life recently, and I am itching to be back in some capacity where I can make music with others. The song itself, The Muppet Show Theme , is a good one for thinking about friends and about being together with some sort of common goal. It brings back good memories for me as I was around during the first run of the show back in the late 1970's, and we watched it almost religiously. It was one of the few television shows that we were allowed to watch - this and anything put out by Disney - so it made an impression. I have all the episodes on DVD now, and it is amazing how many of the clips and skits could be used in music therapy sessions. I was being groomed to be a music th...