There's only ONE Rule.....

After today's recording session, I've come to the conclusion that there is only ONE rule in life....and that is that there are absolutely  NO rules!!

This new album is absolutely pushing me way 'outside the box' creatively, not to mention way outside of my comfort zone personally. It's challenging me to think BIG and be open to brand new possibilities that I never would have considered before.  I'm being given to the opportunity to work with world-class musicians who have a heart and spirit for music (and life in general) that inspires me each and every session. I'm surrounded by some of the most humble, down-to-earth, people who unconditionally support both me and my music. I couldn't be more blessed - or grateful.

All of this is giving me a safe environment in which I find myself taking all kinds of 'risks' - which, as it turns out, aren't really risks at all. If I've learned one thing throughout all my years of writing and recording thus far, it's this - there really are no rules when it comes to making 'good' music. Everyone has a different opinion as to what 'good' music is anyway - so, really, how can there be rules to follow when it comes to something so subjective?

Sure, I can take all kinds of classes on songwriting and music composition, I can take lessons on any instrument and learn to play 'better', I can keep my voice healthy and strong by studying with a great teacher and learning how to sing 'properly' in a healthy way, etc, etc. I can do ALL of this and become the 'best' singer/musician possible.....I can spent countless house practicing and perfecting my playing or singing technique and the bottom line is this....

If I don't play, sing or write, with my entire heart and soul, there is little to no chance that the music I'm creating is going to impact or uplift anyone. And that's not why I, personally, got into music and songwriting in the first place. I started writing and singing because I've always had something to say. Thankfully, music and songwriting have always given me a safe place to go to express whatever it is I've needed to say.

Each album that I've written and released (and there have been 4 thus far - please go to http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JenStackpole to listen to and/or buy/download them all), has been a snapshot of my life at that time. All the songs I write are autobiographical and capture where I've been and how I've been feeling at any one given time. This new album is no different - and, in many ways, it's challenging me to dig deeper and open my mind and heart more than I ever have before.

All that being said, my entire point to this blog is this - just like in music, there are no rules in life. Please don't ever try to fit yourself neatly into someone else's definition of who he/she thinks you are, or should be. Just be YOU. This world needs you to be your own wonderful, glorious self!

So, don't worry that you're going to be breaking any rules by living your life the way you're guided to live it...there are no rules, so you're off the hook.

Much love always,
~Jen

the Beginning

     So, here I am at the end of another long and involved studio day. Frank (my producer) and I were incredibly productive, not to mention wonderfully blessed, by the fruits of our labor today. For as great as the day was, I sit here at the end of it, feeling drained. It's been a rough week so far - and it's only Wednesday. I'm not saying this to elicit sympathy and I'm certainly not complaining. Life is life and life is good. I am simply....expressing.

     I am finding that's what I 'do' - I express. ALL.THE.TIME. I can't help it. It's in my very nature and it seems as if there's really nothing I can do about it. I've spent most of my life trying to change that - trying to NOT express what I'm thinking/feeling, in an effort to make sure I don't 'rock the boat' or upset anyone else. However, the older I get, the more this type of behavior feels inauthentic to me. If there's one thing I really struggle with in this life, it's feeling as if I can't be authentic.

     It really bothers me when I feel as if I don't have a safe place to go to express something that I might be thinking/feeling/experiencing/attempting to process. This is one of the reasons I enjoy writing so much. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, a blank piece of paper ALWAYS gives me a safe place to go to express myself. There's no judgment there, no hurt feelings, no misunderstanding, and a blank piece of paper will never try to 'fix' me. It will never tell me that what I'm feeling is 'wrong' and it will never say to me 'Well, you know Jen, you really shouldn't feel that way.' No, that blank piece of paper simply holds a space for me to dump my garbage, share my joys, talk about my fears, express my excitement or shower it with my tears. It's like a big, warm hug when I need it the most - and I'm finding that I'm needing a lot of big, warm hugs these days.

     So, tonight is a new beginning for me. I've decided that I am finished apologizing (to myself and others) for how I may be feeling at any given time. Human emotions can be tricky; they can be downright ugly sometimes and mine are no different - but that's just it - they're mine and they're human. Part of my journey as a songwriter and artist is to feel things as deeply as possible - and then to channel all that emotion into different songs. Not every song is going to be a happy one. So, why would I expect (or even want) every emotion to be a 'good feeling' one?

     In all honesty, some of my strongest and most powerful writing has come from some of my most painful experiences. I am finding that to be true of the songs for this new album as well. The song Frank and I were working on today deals with the loss of a close friend - and the guilt/shame of feeling as if I could/should have done more to help him while he was alive. Another song that we've been working on recently deals with a situation I struggle with on a daily basis. Some days I'm fine with it, some days I'm not. Such is life. One day it feels as if the sun is shining brightly and everything is in perfect Divine order, and the next it feels as if the sky is falling and the bottom's dropped out.

     This is where my new beginning is - finding a way to be okay with myself on the days that I struggle. I'm not going to lie -  I feel as if I've had just about all I can take so far this year - and it's only June. That being said, I absolutely KNOW that the Divine is at work, ordering every step and situation perfectly. I will never let life's ups and downs shake me from knowing that there is always a higher truth and purpose being served.

     All that being said, I will continue to express myself each and every step of the way.

     I pray that you will do the same on your journey.

Love Always,
~Jen