My Voice of a Woman Journey

 

Recently I asked for a social media audit from the fabulous Joey Clarkson and Laura Jenkins of your forte and they were asking me where the idea came from for Voice of a Woman. Voice of a Woman is born from the idea of supporting women in music to give them a supportive platform to show who they are through their music, their songs and their stories. I have always loved women in music and when I have loved a song the songwriter and or singer has always been female. 

Females in the industry I love are Lucie Silvas, Sara Barielles, Harriet Rose, Diane Warren, Natalie Hemby, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, Hilliary Lindsay, Laura Veltz , Cerian, Daisy Chute, Jenny Colquitt and Kara Dioguardi. This list is by no means exhaustive and I could add to it on a daily basis as there are so many female singer songwriters whose lyrical talent and melodies are just stunning and I just fall in love with them every single song. Country music and the music I tend to gravitate towards are women writing about what means something to them, heartbreak, loss, dreams, fears, inadequacies and really inspiring upbeat songs to just say I am ok and you know what I can do this!

Voice of a Woman to me is also a very personal thing, a journey for me in terms of my own voice and what it is I want to say and who I want to be. Too often in life  through being bullied, being laughed at, being humiliated, being misunderstood, being excluded from groups, losing my mother at a young age, not feeling like you fit in in the world, it has felt like my own voice in a way has been silenced and when I speak sometimes it does not seem to be heard by some of the most important people in my life. 

Losing a mother at a young age is something that has always been hard for me as from an early age I slipped into the mothering role and not the young girl role which made my life a bit different growing up. I did not have those fun experiences other kids had growing up and just being a kid. I was caring for the family and sacrifices were made unknowingly by me. I asked myself "why do I not fit in" "Why Am I being bullied". I did not understand grief and the loss of a mother so young and all that went with that. I wasn't able to talk about it so was alone in all of that. I don't think it is something that can be understood come to think of it, loss is something you may learn to live with however it is hard at times and to understand why would be important for someone so young and at any age. 

Some have mentioned in passing to me "you are too quiet" You are a Loner" which I have to say is so off the mark I do not even know where to begin to answer them. Writing my own story and truth I am a carer and have been in that role for so many years. Firstly with the loss of my mother and then to take care of a family member also took seriously ill. I nearly lost them, they needed me and I was there for them. Caring is a role that people make sacrifices in and lose parts of themselves through that process. In this process though "where was my voice, where is my voice, where am I in all of this" I found myself very alone in it all and not sure where to turn, trying to speak and not being heard or if my words did get heard I was "sensitive", "what was I talking about" and other such disrespectful remarks came my way. 

Music to me is my safest place to be and go through all of this, Harriet Rose was such a gem to have written Imagine Paradise about her story of losing a mother at a young age. When I heard this song healing was taking place. Harriet was telling my story and all the things I wanted and needed. This moment to me was so special and will forever remain so. 

Voice of this woman was born out of all this, a path for me to become who I am, to love what I love, to do what it is that is important to me, to have something that is mine that I just am so passionate about and love.  

This is just the tip of the iceberg in what voice of a woman really means to me and the true place it came from. Voice of a Woman means more to me than anyone could ever know. Maybe now you can have some insight into what it truly means for me and not something to exclude anyone. Part two coming soon.