Happy New Year, 25 Days Later!

It is so awesome to be back to blogging again. I recognize I have to take baby-steps with it, and everything else on my plate, but i have missed it over the last month and a half. With the holiday season, and the new year, came a new move toa new home, a 15 pound weight loss (yeah, can you believe that, during the holiday season?!!!). So there has been a ton of stuff onmy plate, but that seems to be the usual for me. After i get fully set up in the new home, I will get to vlogging, which seems to be more engaging than blogging sometimes, so that you can see the real me. Thank you so much for following me on my website and supporting me in my musical and life endeavors. Check back soon to see more of what is going on with me, Nichole Ayanna, singer, songwriter, mommy, motivator!

Its Halloween and no Tinkle Bell costume tonight!

I was so excited to dress up my little girl for Halloween.  Earlier today I sang at a home going celebration for my friend’s mom.  My friend had come to me at the beginning of the week and asked me to sing “If I Could”, a new song for me, but I wanted to sing that song for her.  So I did that earlier today and had planned to get home, get the baby dressed and take her trick or treating.  Whoooaaaa! She was not haven’ it.  I dressed her in her costume, and needed to pin up the shoulders so it would hang so low.  I tried to pick er up and flapped down like a mermaid out of water.  Every time I tried to pick her up she did the same thing.  Then she ran to ther room crying, and grabbed one of her blankets.   She brought her blanket to me and she looked at me like “sleep”.

Ok.  So my hubby and I stayed home with the baby, which is what she really wanted.  I think she thought I was getting her dressed to drop her off with her grandparents.  She just wanted to be with her mommy and daddy.  So, tonight was still wonderful.

Back To The Grind

Sometimes I feel like I totally go off course and that I’ve been off course for a long time.  Thank God I am writing these blogs because it just proves to me that my little detours have only been for short periods as opposed to lifetimes.  I have so many things that I want to accomplish that I am not finding the time for and also getting held up in road blocks.  A couple of days ago I talked about not being able to actually upload my video content and not really knowing how to insert video from other sites…videos that I really liked and would recommend seeing.  So I need to give myself a little pat on the back for actually getting that help that I needed to be able to move forward. 

I have got to admit that that road block also transferred to my exercise time and my practice.  Its been about a week and half since I have a really good workout, a really good singing practice, and a guitar practice.  I wonder if the crazy weather attributed to it.   I know that the traffic to the city has been wearing me out, so I have made  a point to try and take the train a couple of time per week.  It is so much better for me stress wise.  I am not freaking out in traffic for and hour and half to go a distance that would regularly take me 20 minutes if there was no traffic at all.  AAAArrrggg!  It is so frustrating.

For a moment, my mind veared away from my singing and thoughts of another passion of mine, helping and motivating other women to live their dreams too, creeped in and took over for while.  I am formulating my plans to share with other women business owners how to utitlize the internet to take their dream business to the next level, especially mom’s, who feel like there is not enough time in the day for themselves nor their dreams.  I am going to keep developing on that plan but stay the course as far as my plans for my music career.

My Life – Memories of Michael Jackson

Today I decided that I was going to blog about my experiences trying to lose weight over the next 6 weeks before I go on a fun filled vacation to the tropics. But it has become such a memorable day other than my life in my weight loss journey. I actually did a full life reflection and I am overcome with a realm of emotion. I had a quick brief argument with my youngest sister last night, we are very close and never ever fight, but whatever she said to me last night just allowed me to let out some things that she had done that had really bothered my heart. It is also the day that we remembered the life of Michael Jackson. I am an entertainer in my whole spirit and was totally influenced by Michael Jackson and I can remember just pivotal moments in my life growing up and how my just straight love crush on Michael just moved through parts of my life.

I remember that he was doing the Thriller tour and I had gotten in trouble calling some boy making toll calls running up my parent’s phone bill ’cause he lived so far away AND he was way too old for me. I was on punishment BUT my Mom refused to not let me go see Michael Jackson in concert. I remember we stood the whole time in the stadium. We had floor seats kinda to the left side of the row. I remember dancing and smiling the whole time that I joked that my cheeks hurt after the concert.

This man, this phenmenon, moved people throughout the world for decades. and in his death I don’t why, but he has moved people to live, and be kind to others, and look at themselves first, and love one another.. He brought the whole world together. He’s made me rethink what I can achieve and my expectations of just me. To be fearless but with integrity, and kindness, and to reach for the stars because life is really too short. I don’t know why a lot of us though he would live forever. I understand he’ll live forever thorugh his music, but really live forever, because he was the real Peter Pan, never growing old. It was such a shock to this system to hear that he ahd died. No way, no way!
About 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to see him upclose just walking by with a group of kids at Universal Studios during one of their Halloween Haunt nights. I went crazy…”That’s Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson!!!” The rest of my crew looked at me like I was a fool to be going crazy over seeing Michael Jackson just walk right by me. He only had about 9-10 people, mostly children, around him. It was crazy and it really was him as we confirmed later with some or the workers at Universal. It was during a time when his popularity wasn’t at it’s height in the states and I guess he didn’t need much of an eunterage or security.. I wished I had had the courage back then to get his autograph or just say hello and shake his hand.

I had his posters on my wall in my room when I was elementary and junior high. I had that one with him in yellow and white, which was my favorite, and the one where he is doing Billie Jean and the sidewalk lit up. He was still chocolate brown back then with the whitest teeth and and awesome smile….awwww my Micheal Jackosn crush. I remember crushing on this boy at school who looked like him at this time and who could break dance, his nikname was “Captain.” LOL. So funny the things you remember with certain music. I conjuers up the time period in your life when you used to listen to that song over and over again.

Oh and the Thriller video. It seemed lik every kid in our neighbor hood was at my house during the premier of Thriller and even after seeing it 16 times you still wanted it to come back on so that you caould do the whole dance routine to it. Could you imagine that today you could go on a thing called YouTube and watch Korean prisoners doing the Thriller video dance for exercise in the prison yard? Crazy isn’t it!!! I can go on and on and this would just not stop about all the memories I have of Micheal Jackson’s music, being intertwined into my life.
So, in his memory he has inspired me to achieve anything to which I put my mind and focus…to keep on singing, my passion, and even losing weight to look and feel my best, and be healthy.

Music Mama – How to Be A Successful Indie Artist and a Mom

There are so many of my friends now, who are singers, songwriters, and musicians who are also mothers of young children. We all talk about continuing to make our livelihood with our passions for music, but how do we juggle the working in the music business without the long days, months, or even years on the road, away from our kids?

Many of us are turning to our local markets for tour dates, and performing on the weekends, taping our shows, then airing the performances via YouTube. We also connect the video to our individual websites. So, our fans that we have developed around the globe can still get a taste of our live performances. Here are some of the steps these Music Mamas are taking to keep their dreams alive and still be great moms.

1. Scheduling productive tasks and Every Day iInclude some “me” time in there mommies.
2. Write your 30-60-90 day, 1-3-5 year goals.
3. Perform at least once a month.
4. Build a website to showcase your music. If you can do it yourself use www.homestead.com or www.vistaprint.com on top of your myspace page.
5. Start a blog about you and your music. Sign up for www.thenicheblogger.com to learn how.
6. Video tape your performances or your recording in the studio and post on YouTube and your website.
7. Sell your music online using www.Tunecore.com and www.CdBaby.com
8. Read and sing to your children almost every night.
9. Include a date night each week with your significant other.
10. Always be your authentic self and don’t overwhelm yourself. You can still take baby steps to reach that milestone.
Tags: Authentic Self, Baby Steps, Dreams, Globe, Homestead, Indie Artist, Live Performances, Livelihood, Local Markets, Mama, Milestone, Mom, Music Business, Musicians, Passions, Productive Tasks, Showcase, Singers, Singers Songwriters, Songwriters, Tour Dates, Video Tape, Youtube
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