and the research continues from an inside source (myself)

my senior year i participated in the mentor program and wrote a 14 page paper after lots and lots of research on how artists can genuinely be themselves in this commercial marketing lifestyle and still be successful.... or what makes people successful without sacraficing that voice of theirs?

so i studied ani difranco and joni mitchell.. two amazing women... different but ultimately in control of what they were creating in the studio and in performances. both with incredible messages in their music.

i'm going into the studio tomorrow without my dad or nuc... because they are out of town. now this was freaking me out for a little while... like who's gonna tell me what sounds best, who's going to request that the EQ gets shifted a certain particular way.. who's going to listen to these harmonies and see whether or not they add to the songs?

well to answer the question literally... rachael is going to be there, my life friend (okay i've only known rach for 4 years, but my LIFE would be so different without her). and i'm very very thankful for this.

so, who's going to make all those decisions?

I AM. because i've come so far this whole year trying to figure out how an artist can BE and BECOME and come into their own and not be controlled, yet I almost forgot about all that and wanted the comfort of someone elses higher understanding to come explain to me "what works" and what doesn't... for fear that i'd put a CD out with "mistakes" on it that people would noticed.

granted... i've worked my BUTT off to have all my songs in time, and sang my heart out at the last session... but this is the end the time when i have to conclude this part of the journey of making a CD. so today is my day to prepare for the last 2 days of recording... to know in my heart that i CAN do this and that i do know harmonies to sing with my music because the second i listen to what i have now i'm hearing all these other parts in my head to go along. and i know i want a raw dynamic sound that has some depth to it on the vocals. so its time to step up to the plate and take control and own this CD.

and i mean.. really.. any one who stands up and takes a leadership role or a place that draws attention is going to draw the opinions in of many many other people. but i can't let that scare me! sure i'm open to hearing how to make my music better, but it's hard when you're trying to make something that's not going to change. if anything i need to be proud of myself but instead i'm starting to get ahead of myself. i don't need to apologize for anything on this CD because it's amazing how far i've come. and i need to hear more things like this (i'm drawing much off of the conversation i had with rach last night).

so if you've got encouraging words for the seriously... last 3 days of making what goes into this CD, to help me push through with my utmost genuine portrayal of self and all the greatness and difficulty that that entails (making myself open for criticism that may come) please click the comment button and type away or send me an email:

settle4more@gmail.com

or i mean... if you haven't already, go buy the CD to be a part of my whole process and take from it what you can, because that's really what this CD is for, to share with people what i've learned/experienced/thought about the past 4 years. you can buy it at www.jodimclaren.com or whenever you see me.

july 30th- best CD release party ever at Jen's house in silver spring. featuring daniel lee and the making (and me of course). and to continue on with that idea of sharing... we could make this a sort of pot-luck, so we can all share food and come together. i'll update on this for sure. now to start the day with confidence!



Jodi