Writer's Block. It's a B*tch. Make it YOUR B*tch.

"I'm at a loss for words 'cause y'all already said it all

I think I'm runnin' out of clichesI'm gettin' writer's block" - Eminem, Writer's Block

This is going to be a long and slightly more serious one, not boring though! Would I ever bore you ;) I just hope people can take something away from this.

So I just wrote a blog post for www.GNothingness.com about motivation, as I write for them now, but I don’t get as personal on there as I would on here, so I thought I’d do one on here too. 

Writer’s block, lack of motivation, self esteem is all very familiar for a lot people unfortunately, for a musician/artist, it is one of the most crushing and frustrating things.

So many people have written about this in the past, but I am really hoping that what I write could help at least one person who happens to stumble on my blog instead of the countless others.

Let me start by telling you a little bit about me. I have ALWAYS wanted to be a singer, as far back as I remember, I used to lie in bed dreaming about being on stage, recording in a studio and writing music that people connected to. No matter how you say your ‘dream is to be a singer’, it sounds a bit childish, naive and I feel like people will probably laugh and say ‘and now you’ve grown up, what do you want to do?’ as if singing is just a fantasy and not a real career. Obviously, no one ever has, but I’d understand why if they did. It really is one in a million, and I’m not even talking about selling out stadiums, just making a living off writing and singing!

Technology these days makes it so easy to get your music out there, but at the same time even harder, because that also makes the competition greater with the amount of people who can easily upload music. I am still undecided whether I think the internet has hindered or helped people’s chances.

So I find personally, knowing how hard it all is makes it so much harder to push myself to go for it. I am going to put that down to self belief. For me it’s because of years of bullying, I can never get back. I never knew the extent of how much this effected me until recently (That is a subject for a whole new post) For others it might be different. But whatever it is, you CAN turn it round.

As soon as I say ‘self belief’ I feel like this is going to turn into one of those emotional psychological therapy blog posts, so I won’t say it again haha.. BUT, it is true, if you don’t have high confidence levels, it is SO much harder to push yourself to keep going or even know where to start.

Here’s a few things I have found definitely help:

• Surround yourself with like minded people, people who inspire you, people who will push you and be blunt with you when you’re being a miserable b*tch for no reason. My best friend is my hero for this.

• Don’t stay in and watch Netflix all day on your days off, as tempting as it is. Maybe every now and then, but trust me,  it’s an unhealthy addiction!

• If people are holding you back, cut chords (literally… aren’t I clever). If they're taking too long to send a track back, if they're flaky and seem to disappear every now and then, move on. It’s too easy to blame it on other people, so work with people who push you to keep going.

• Do something different. See something new. Break your routine, it's obviously not inspiring. When has the same thing day in and day out EVER been where incredible things come from?!

• Connect to how you’re feeling, use it to write something that could actually speak to people, a song that has personal meaning is always better written because you care more

• You don’t have to do it on your own. Song writing doesn’t have to be something you stay up all night on your own trying to create a masterpiece. When you write with other people, bring styles and ideas together, THAT is when you create something incredible

• Now, here is the most important one. It’s uncomfortable, it’s not pleasant at first, but I have been told it gets a hell of a lot easier, you have to put yourself out there. Hold your breath and just go, say yes to someone who wants to work with you, sing your idea to someone. There is no easy way around this, you just have to do it. If you do, tell me how it goes and I will tell you also.

• Here is the final one, someone commented this on my GNothingness post and I love it; Remember why you started. That is ALWAYS your strongest reason to carry on, ALWAYS. You wouldn’t throw all your passion, time and heart into something you didn’t truly love, live and breath.

That’s it, possibly my longest post to date. I really hope you get something out of this, and I hope you read it all the way through. Being able to make music is a beautiful thing, a true talent, you ARE special if you can do it. So KEEP GOING!

Much Love,

Chloë XO

How to know which path to choose

The question everyone, ever wants to know the answer to.

And here it is...

You don't.

Yup, there you go, there's my gem of advice. It sounds like a pretty crappy one right? But honestly, when I embraced that, things changed. 
I am a perfectionist, and I give it a whole new meaning, I am brutal to myself if I don't meet my own standards and always doing the best thing, choosing the perfect words to say at the exact right time, singing every note perfectly with no pitchyness, never making a silly mistake in a relationship. Wouldn't we all love it if things just fell into place like that?
Well they don't and you can't mould and shape everything around you, and that's what makes it so fun to be human.

Four years ago, I would have laughed at you if you told me I was going to be in an incredible relationship that, 3 and a half years in was as strong as Jay-Z and Beyonce. I would have laughed even harder if you'd told me he would be away for 6 months at a time playing drums in random countries whilst I stayed in the UK. Yet here I am, sat in Bahrain, taking 10 days out of my crazy (Boss Bitch) work life back in London, to see my amazing drummer boy 3 months into his 6 month stint.
Yeah, I've made some bad choices, some very very bad choices, that landed me in hospital for long periods of time (A story I may or may never tell on here, we'll see) but no matter how bad things get, there is always a path to take to rectify it. I also believe that any bad path can be turned into a good one. You learn from everything.
Somethings may seem like the worst at the time, yeah maybe you did something really bad or someone did something really bad to you, but thats the beauty. Great things can come from tiny screw ups, there is always a next day and there is always a chance for something awesome to happen.

I feel like this is turning into a full on hippy, peace and love post, so I'm going to shut up now. The point, however, still stands.
Sometimes just shut your eyes and walk down a path. Who knows what will happen, who knows who you might meet...you just need to put yourself out there for these things to happen...

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO

Open your eyes, let yourself be inspired!

Where do I start with last week? Well, it has been a roller coaster for sure, but an inspiring one.
Firstly, I am lucky enough to be going to a very good music school in West London, BIMM. Honestly, it hasn't always been good (sorry), but this year it has definitely stepped it's game up and I will now finally say that I recommend it to any musician looking to study in London.
Now, being in my final year is really starting to sink in.   I need to get things moving with my music and getting past a lot of the personal things that have been holding me back. It is easy to let time pass you by, work within your comfort zone, but not actually do anything to make a difference to getting to the next level. I believe what is said a lot, but few people really take in, 'Hurdles are all in your mind'. Yes, they may physically be there, like something new you need to learn, passing exams or not having enough money to support what you want to do (these are my current hurdles). I say it is all in your mind because all it takes to get passed these is changing your mindset. Okay, I need to learn something new... so stop looking at things you can't afford and go learn! I need to pass exams, that is obvious, REVISE. I don't have money...cut back on certain costs or things I don't need and work with what you've currently got, prioritise!
Of course, some things really are an issue and for some people, it might be very different. But if you switch your mindset to be more positive, as I said before, everything just comes that little bit more manageable.

I've gone off on a bit of a tangent. So, inspiring moment of the week, number one.
BIMM organised a couple of incredible masterclasses this week, the first one with Ella Eyre and her management, Charlie Arme and James Merritt. I'm going to have to say it, but my God is that girl beautiful! Not just in the way she looks but her personality, how clearly she sees the world for what it is, she is so down to earth! It just goes to show, if you are successful at a young age, you don't automatically turn into a spoilt diva.
Her and her management had so many insightful, inspiring things to say, I would be here all day if I tried to share it all, but I will give you a few of the main things.
Ella definitely seemed to understand that you have to work for everything you want in life, there aren't any shortcuts or cheats, especially as a singer, you really have to sacrifice some things. In many people's cases, your social life is going to take a huge hit. But in the long run, missing a few nights out (no one is saying all of them) for success in a career that takes you all over the world, that you love, it is worth it. Working, university and personal projects are a lot for anyone to handle! Just don't be afraid to say you can't, if your friends are true friends, they will support you and stick with you.
Another point raised was how much this generation uses social media, it is all well and good having your head stuck in the sand, but the rest of the world will be flying pass you. Social media presence is so so important to get your name and image out there. Don't just put any old garbage out there though, be clever, think about what you want your image to be and how you want people to see you. Sometimes it isn't necessarily garbage, it can be a good image or track, but it still won't be how you want to be seen, think about EVERYTHING that goes out to the public before you post it.
Carrying on from that, when you are thinking about your image you have to bare in mind, you can't be something that someone has done before. You have to be different, unique, you have to have something that stands out as YOU.
The main thing that was obvious though, was how well Ella and her management got on, and the respect they had for each other. Neither of them was on top or in charge, they listened to each other and worked well as a team. In this industry, it is so easy to be dragged in by the promises and dazzling offers that you find yourself signed up to a deal with someone who tells you what to do and doesn't care at all about what you want...and then you're stuck.
Key piece of information: If you have the right management, positivity, understanding and respect for the people around you, you will be able to create the music you want.
I LOVE this quote that someone said to Ella once, 'You are the CEO of yourself, your own brand'. You have to look after yourself, what you stand for and make decisions with great thought. Your life literally depends on it. Be picky and forceful with what you want, it shows you care.

Number two, is another masterclass BIMM organised, they were on a roll last week!
MNEK! Seriously, the most genuine, intelligent, funny guy ever and he said he loved my ink and anyone who says that is cool by me.
So much of what he said backed up exactly what Ella Eyre was saying, you really have to be in the right place at the right time, or rather, PUT YOURSELF IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT ALL TIMES. Then eventually, you will find yourself there. Also, you have to put in so many hours, the hours you put in, you will get back. In a year’s time when you look back, you will see how far you have come.
MNEK was talking to us all about song writing, giving us a few little tips and ways to change our process of writing electronic based tracks.
There is something about listening to someone basically my age, who is successful, talking about how they do something I have been trying to teach myself for the past two years. It just makes so much more sense, and more understandable. It gave me the courage I needed to push myself and motivate myself to get off my ass and go for what I want, in a way that I hadn't in so long! It kind of helps that the guy is a genius, some people can tell you for days their ways of doing things, but it just takes one inspiring person to suggest their way, you try it and it all clicks into place. Since that masterclass I have been messing about on Logic, on my iMac, constantly trying to find new sounds and write new tracks.

If I had one piece of advice from last week it would be to listen to people. And I mean REALLY LISTEN. Take notes, record them, contact them again later if you need to, but when people are talking about something you could benefit from, take in everything they say. Definitely don't pass up an opportunity to speak to and hear from these people!! If you are in a position to talk to people and learn from people and all you have to do is put yourself out there and ask, then do it! I did that last week with a tutor who isn't my normal tutor, and I learnt SO much in just a 45 minute, or so, chat with him in a coffee shop.

LET YOURSELF BE INSPIRED. Don't hide away if you feel inspiration seeping, that is the worst thing you can do.

Anyway. Rant/Essay/Hopefully helpful words OVER.
Now, go and do stuff...

Much Love,

Chloë

XO