REDI Lab has made me realize that singing is only a hobby for me. Writing music is just another way for me to journal and I don’t feel the want to try and become famous or build a platform to share my music. I love singing and I love stories but they aren’t things I want to define my future. Sure I want them to be a part of my life tomorrow and beyond, but there are so many other things that I’d rather put time towards. The future I see for myself and singing is for the kids I hope I’ll have. My father used to tell me stories to get me to sleep and for my kids I’d like to do the same, except maybe with a song or two.
When I was little I loved stories and I loved sharing them, especially with my brother. I shared with him a specific story that my family named “Crazy Baby.” The main characters were a family of four, 2 parents and their kids, one of which was a baby that was crazy. I would tell outlandish stories that involved this baby getting into a bunch of trouble with its older brother. I loved these stories because they made my older brother laugh, and as a kid I would do just about anything to be his friend as well as his sister.
I’d also play make-believe stories with my friends during recess, or my neighbors kids in their tree house, or even by myself in our yard or on hikes. I just always wanted a story to keep me entertained, and an imagination makes for great company. As I grew older and into middle school we started learning the art of writing essays, and through that I learned I loved writing and joined a program where you try and write a book. I loved sharing the stories I’d come up with with my friends who were also in the program. I also started writing poetry about art I liked or based on characters I’d either create or discovered through books and movies.
Eventually I combined this love of stories and creating with my love of singing, and wrote a few songs. When I joined REDI Lab I decided to make songwriting my project, and when it was time to present I sang on stage to a bunch of parents. It was a lot of fun and I was proud of myself for doing it. However, I noticed that after this experience I had no further interest in pursuing music. I had always somewhat felt that way, where I’d rather not be a singer so I also don’t want to try and pursue that career but the reinforcement of that sentiment was nice and clarifying.
