The Next Chapter I Haven't Sung Yet
Adele and I, Vicki, write as a team for our newsletter focusing on Next Chapters and unfulfilled creative dreams. When Adele suggested she interview me about my unfulfilled creativity longings, I’m pretty sure she thought I was going to say “write a rom-com.” But I did not.
I paused, looked up for inspiration, and began. “I write songs. I have done this my whole life.” Usually it’s a quick ditty about taking out the trash, “Wrap it up. Toss is away. Away! Away!!”
But Adele was after the whole story, so before she could interrupt, I responded, “I wrote my first one when I was 10. It was actually a hymn. And in my house now, I have music on all the time, and I’m usually singing. If I’m feeling something, if I’m really bothered about something, I put it on paper, or I hum it into my voice memo app. I just hear it, I have the words; they’re like a poem, and I make up a tune, a medley to go with it.”
“Can you hum one for us?”
I could not because the song bits leave me once I record them on my phone. Adele did get me to hum the hymn from childhood. “I knew about your love of music. Your insane ability to name any song. But I had no idea! Yet, I can soooo see this for you.”
My thoughts kicked into action. I explained, “I’m asking myself how do I take this…” and Adele interrupted me, which she does, even though she tries not to, “And make it like the TEDx you did? I feel like you are such a badass right now! Talk to me.”
“For the TEDx, I just laid the bricks in order, step-by-step, and eventually it did happen. So it has to be the same method, right? If I just do enough research, enough work. I’m not talking about, you know, selling something big. It could be just getting something out there, something that would be a milestone met for me.”
“I will definitely be your first groupie.” Adele is always my number one fan.
“I don’t sing my own stuff.”
“Oh, well that’s really, really sad for me ‘cause I’m already imagining rocking in my seat to you singing up there.”
“I don’t really wanna do that.”
“You don’t have to, though, but that would be my dream for you. We have to be careful of that, right? Other people will put their dreams on us. I was a teacher and my father would say, “Why aren’t you the head of school? Why don’t you apply?” But I really liked being in the classroom. I was offered things in administration and declined them. So we have to be careful.”
“For me, writing a song is easier than outlining a chapter for something.”
“But, I don’t feel like you’re choosing it because it’s easier?”
“That hymn is probably the first song I should write down and find someone who’ll play the music.”
“What I love about your “package” is that you’re creative and damn pragmatic. What would you say to people who aren’t as naturally pragmatic? You’re a good bricklayer.”
“I would say it doesn’t happen just sitting in your house wishing for it to happen. You’ve got to join the communities. You’ve got to have somebody who believes in you. Like you believe in me. You’ve got to have that. You’ve got to do the homework and the research.”
“I would add that you do put yourself in the path of meeting people, not for the sake that they’ll connect you, but the relationships you make and build. I applaud you. I think you’re a great model for us all. Do you want to share anything else?”
“The only thing is that whatever goal you are working on doesn’t have to be done every day. I’m a big believer of spending 10 minutes doing something, and you’ve done a little bit, and then that 10 minutes can become 20 minutes the next time.”
“I want to end with this, as we talk about Jane Ain’t Done Yet. Jane is every woman. She’s us. She’s also one of our favorite authors, Jane Austen.
On the fly, what does J stand for, A, N, and E?
J is Join
A is Attitude
N is Now
E is Effort
“Wow, okay. Do you wanna sing us a farewell?
“No, I do not.”