Do You BELEEVE??

BELIEVE:  to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.

What do YOU believe? Since the title of my new campaign is "Do You BELEEVE?", you can imagine I've been asked this question a lot lately.  My response?  I believe that in order to accomplish anything great, one has to first believe that it can be accomplished.  I believe in love.  I believe in God.  I believe that hard work and giving yields prosperity.  I believe that learning should be a life long process.  I believe that we are all somehow connected.  I believe that I'm the happiest I've ever been.  I believe that we are each given a gift to be used for the greater good.  I believe in vision and the power to speak things into existence. I believe there really is a season for everything.
My new project out soon is titled "Beleeve".  This titled seems fitting and appropriate, because for me, at this point in my life, it's about believing.....what I can accomplish, what is my truth.  I believe the records on this project are me in my truest form, or atleast closer than I've ever been to it.  I believe the songs have a common thread capable of weaving people together. I believe I've grown a lot artistically and am only getting better. I believe this project will shed new light on what it means to be a rapper of the female gender.  I believe I still have so much to learn and look forward to the adventure.  I believe you're gonna like it ;)
                                                                             

                                                               
All of this allows us to revisit the thought; with soo much to believe in....what do you believe?

History Repeats Itself

Funny how history repeats itself.  You remember being a little kid and your parents say something like "That 'new' dance ya'll younguns doin aint new! We did that back in the day.  What ya'll call steppin is what we called the charleston.  What ya'll call the kid n play we called mashed potatoes!"?? Ok, so maybe the conversation you remember didn't go quite like that, but you catch my drift, right?
Anyway, as I sit here sippin my cocoa cappucino, listening to Pat Benatar and
 writing to ya'll, I realize that lately I've been learning and relearning things at a lightening speed. It's like everything I've been through over the past few years is just now starting to make sense and things are connecting in my mind, making the circle complete. For instance, all the teenagers are break dancing hyping it like it's a new thing. Well, to them it is, but to me I'm reminded of Ozone and Turbo lol. Even now, listening to Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" is like I'm hearing it for the first time...really hearing it.  As a kid, I just remember rockin out to the song cause it was bad ass and having no idea whatsoever what she was talking about. Now I understand and feel every word. I feel like I'm seeing everything for the second time around. This time with a totally different perspective.  As I've witnessed it before in another time, another place, another world as a bystander. Now, finally, I'm a participant. Like once watching a play from the audience and then next being the actress in that same play. Oh the difference a few hundred days makes!!
Funny thing is, the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know shit; except for those things that were already told to me as a child.  I just happen to understand them now.
http://youtu.be/CjY_uSSncQw

Doing It All?? : A SimpleTool to Make the Grind Make Sense

Sometimes, I feel like I'm standing at the bottom of a mountain I want to climb...walking around it, circling the perimeter, figuring out how to climb.  If you stare at the top for too long, it can seem daunting and insurmountable. So, why not look at the foot? Looking at the base of this mountain and sizing it up step by step will help you wrap your mind on how to just BEGIN.  Besides, every great journey starts with just a small step, right? Right.

So, for me, the mountain is figuring out HOW the heck am I gonna get all this work I have to do done efficiently and effectively as possible? How am I going to manage traveling, and promoting, and recording new music, and performing, and consistent contact with my fans all at the same time??  Hopefully, you have a team in place that can split up all these responsibilities.  More than likely, in the beginning you won't...but no worries, where there is a will, there is a way. I know you're asking, well what's your formula Ms. Elee since you seem to have it all figured out? Lol...I wish!! I do, however, have some ideas to share on how I do manage to get a lot of things done.

My biggest suggestion: MANAGE YOUR TIME!! I cannot stress this enough. Time is your most valuable asset, and learning how to use it to your advantage is half the battle!! For starters, get yourself a good calendar.  One that you like...you like the way it looks, it feels, the way it's laid out.  You may prefer a paper or digital calendar.  You may even choose one that has daily inspirational quotes (I do) because believe me, you're gonna be spending a lot of moments looking at, going over, revising your calendar.  Now that you have a way to keep up with your tasks, ask yourself what you need to be doing to get to the top of that mountain....well, eventually anyway.  Write down specific steps such as, how much do I need to perform per week, per month? How often do I need to record?  How often do I need to send music out?  How often do I need to blog and keep in touch with my fans? Etc... You get the idea right? Ok, now fill in your calendar with those steps.  Make sure you stay consistent and repeat those steps over and over.  A simple tool like a calendar can keep you from feeling "lost" when you're in the midst of the grind.  Be prepared to invest a lot of time, be prepared to PACE yourself, and be patient.  We are climbing a mountain afterall!!

You Need To.... Yeah, But How???

Artists, do you continuosly hear about what you NEED to be doing, but no one actually tells you how?? Yeah, me too. Talk about frustration! Thank goodness we are resourceful and know how to get the information we need right?  Actually, I always think it's better to know a little something about what you're seeking before you go and ask anyone...especially in this business.  Some people will try to tell you anything! lol.  Besides the more of a DIYer (do it yourself) you are, the more results you will see.  There are plenty of books and websites on whatever topic you may come across.  Need to know how to license music? Go to the bookstore or library.  You'll find plenty of books on the technicalities.  Once the rules and steps are understood, then comes the WHO?  That's the thing about the music business.  It really is relationship driven. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but knowing WHO to go to in order to get the job done is a beast of another nature.
The approach I take in getting to the WHO is to network as much as possible.  Go to music pools, conferences, release parties, showcases, open mics, wherever music folks gather.  Get to know people there.  If you're not a big talker, like me, then LISTEN.  You'd be amazed at what you learn just by paying attention.  Of course you can always make the "dry call" to a company you may have seen on the internet or found through your own research or heard of through various conversations.  If you are polite and present your questions in a non-threatening, to the point manner, who can be mad at you?  Afterall, this is business here, and businesses receive calls all the time. 
On another note, I've been keen to learn all I can about music licensing, and as I learn about it, I will share that knowledge with you.  Because this business is very competitive, most people will not be willing to share information with you for fear that you'll become competition or take their spot, or become a better artist or something. Who knows!  Afterall, knowledge IS power.  People play their hands very close because of conflicts of interests or caution of letting unscrupulous individuals within their circles or various other reasons.  So, when you do find someone who is willing to give you that much sought after inside info, value them!  Meaning pay for their services, or if you don't currently have the money, try trading services.  Whatever be the case, maintaining relationships with knowledgeable people who are willing to help/share is key!
Stay tuned as in the next post I will discuss music licensing basics...

My Fat Tuesday Shindig

Ok, so I didn't ACTUALLY have the party on Fat Tuesday. It was the next day, but oh well, close enough! LOL. You know you're getting to a place of contentment in your life when you start hosting dinner parties for your nearest and dearest.  So, yesterday I hosted a party at home with the Mardi Gras theme. It was just a small intimate occasion, not a big deal, but it gave me soo much pleasure to cook for my friends. And boy did I cook! I was really pleased with the way my shrimp n grits came out! (and so were my guests lol) It was slammin!! The menu consisted of shrimp n grits, shrimp po boys, pan seared cod, mashed red potatoes with sour cream n chives, apsaragus and cheesecake variety. I tell ya, sometimes it's the simple things in life that can bring you the most joy, and for me, it came wrapped in a warm cozy evening at home with a few close friends and a slammin cajun, comfort food cuisine! Oh, and I mixed up some great refreshing cocktails. Among them, the sweet tea vodka with lemonade and fresh lemon slices was the hit of the party, and the remy with sweet tea was the close runner up! Check out the pics below, and hope they inspire you to invite some loved ones over and serve them with some good southern hospitality!! Enjoy:)

The Key To Greatness

"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love" -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. !!!!

Change Is Never Optional

So, things happen right? Right. Either they happen to you, or you happen to it. The whole conclusion of this post is to encourage you; to share with you what I think about change. 
Change can be refreshing. Change can be painful.  Change can be frightening.  Change can be wonderful.  Change can be terrible.  If you are experiencing any of these feelings, you are probably in the midst of change.  Buddhists say that you know something is real if it changes. Like the idea in the movie Inception, that if the top stops spinning you're in reality.  If it doesn't, it was all just a dream.
On a good day, we can view change as an opportunity or a chance to start something new.  On a bad day, we may view change as the end of the world.  But unless it actually is the end of the world, even days change. There comes tomorrow, and with tomorrow comes a chance to have a better day.
Oh, and one more thing...deep and profound change tends to take a lot of time. It can take years for a heart to heal.  Believe me, I know! All I can say is hang in there!

I believe change sometimes occurs to bring us to a better knowledge of ourselves; to bring us closer to our true potential, or force us to tip the scales of our personal evolution.  With the conclusion in mind, I'm just now learning to embrace change, the good, the not so good and the oh so beautiful!