What does painting have to do with singing? You might wonder. I might have an idea or two about it. Singers or Musicians Who Paint: Tony Bennett did David Bowie did Bob Dylan Paul McCartney Stevie Nicks Paul Stanley Janis Joplin did What's the deal? is it frustration? Is it expression of an artistic bent? Is it to sell to make money, leveraging the already established fame? Maybe art comes from the same place as music. Maybe one enhances the other. Maybe pencil drawing is less messy than paint and might be a good place to start art. I know I have drawn literally millions of lines, curves, letters, shapes, etc. I did a few thousand digital art things at times I had severe pain from an arthritic issue, now mostly under control. I've only done 70 acrylic paintings. They are NOT for sale, except as prints, but not yet. You can see some of my stuff here: Stewzart,com , if you're curious.

Grasping for straws. Holding on for dear life. The common phrases of hopeless desperation ring out from the world of uncertainty. How can we be certain about anything? The next minute? The next breath? The next day? The past doesn't predict the future, but it may assume there will be one. Do we hold on to the angst, or let go and enter our own flow? Letting go of self-judgment and self-criticism are great activities to free the creative flow, the creative mind. When I did that, I wrote over 4,000 pieces of music since 2014. Before that, I had only written about 500. The thinking goes away and is replaced with the doing of creation. Do you have to believe that? No. Many of us may be standing in our own way, or stuck as if in concrete. I've been there. It's not force that frees us. Letting go, because we are the legs AND the concrete. Serenity and freedom are waiting. Let go of judgment and self-criticism and create your one voice, your unique sound and find the sounds you enjoy to hear. Hear them come out of you and if they are not, there are keys to some of the unlocked doors, to find freedom, hope, and expression. I believed that I was good enough to be on stage in a show in Las Vegas and only had to share a recording that got me in. My audition was for the cast. The producer already accepted my being good enough. I did prepare extensively, honing my sound three hours a day for a year, I paid my dues, one could say. Letting go of the self-criticism and building on the good helped me let go of the frustration from self-judgment. Let go and go!

A drop of water in an ocean isn't a drop anymore. It's making up a synergism. It's singularity is temporarily extinguished, until and if it is extracted from the whole. Imperceptible as an entity, yet in existence, nevertheless. Are we drops or oceans? Do we fit in and disappear, or break free of the bonds of the strong force and/or of gravity? How can we stand out if we are going to just fit in and merge into the whole. If the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, it looks like fitting in is the best option, but is it? One drop plus one drop equals but one drop, which is a larger drop. Still, it's one. It seems like we must stand out to be noticed or even seen. You cannot see single drops of water in a body of water. Singers must fit in, to be accepted. They must fit in to the parameters of music and follow some things like tempo, rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, chords, chord progressions and not vary too much or clash too much to the point of breaking the reality of the listeners. At the same time, singers should stand out, to be heard and seen. One foot in the ocean and one on the sand. If you're on the beach in The Netherlands, be sure you fit in and stand out with orange polish. Red is for those who don't love the royalty, I've heard. Ik ben bang! Stand out by being great. Be great by learning and doing. Let's fit in and stand out, then we don't have to choose. OK. Gather up your courage and press onward.

Practice does not make perfect. Perfection may be a delusion or a confusion or simply a concept that cannot really be defined. Why do we practice, then? To get good. To get better. What is good and what is better or even best? It's subjective to a large degree. Some things are quantifiable, nevertheless. Rhythm, pitch, timing, dynamics, tone, and timbre can be mathematically analyzed or programmed. Midi and digital audio recording, with all the plugins have proven this to be alterable using mathematics and computers. If we practice from the viewpoint of having an idea of what we wish to hear in ourselves and compare and contrast our ideals with our performance, we may approach the state of practicing with a purpose. What is the purpose? It comes down to the endeavor of an exact duplication of matching the physical performance with the mental concept. In your mind, you can sing flawlessly. Getting your body to duplicate that is not always easy. It can be frustrating. Maybe we practice in pursuit of the pleasure of perfect art versus imperfect art. Will it ever happen? The compromise is made by understanding what professional artistry sounds like. Also, there are levels of artistry in singing. Each can be a bar to reach and to then be consistent and stable, as one advances. Not recognizing improvement or "taking a win" at the new echelon one has reached is a mistake of a perfectionist. It's not good or bad any more than thermometers which only measure freezing or boiling of water with nothing in between. The near infinite gray area must never be ignored as the gradients within it are vital to seeing your progress. Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice doesn't make permanent. Practice makes observation and duplication of concept potentially possible.

Use the one voice to express, rather than to impress. Authenticity and honesty are alive and well in minds of artists. When we express, we are likely to be ourselves. Seeking to impress may leave an impression of inauthenticity. Seek truth. Speak truth. Reality beats banality. Okay, make something fun.