Verity's Blog

I believe...

I believe that teaching our children to pursue their passions is the most important gift we can give them and that their courage to set out on the unchartered path of dream catching will define the future of this planet. I believe the world needs fearless dreamers, innovators and explorers of light who will dare to think big, act on ideas and create the world they dream of living in. I believe. Do you?

From 'Here' to 'There'...

I had a beautiful sunrise drive today out to do a talk at the Stellenbosch Business Network and was struck by this stunning city I live in. It got me thinking about how easily we can take things forgranted. I decided to make the focus of my presentation the importance of gratitude in our life journey - as people and as business owners. I have certainly chosen a hugely challenging road - filled with amazing ups and heartbreaking downs. But, it strikes me that the 'pain' of it only really comes from focussing on what isn't here, what's missing and forgetting to look around and say thank you for what is here and what is working.

It seems to be the human condition to always have 'here' where we are, and 'there' where we want to be - and the bigger the distance between the two, the unhappier and more frustrated we are. This industry means that 'there' is invariably always a long way off - not enough airplay, shows having poor attendance, not getting booked on the big festivals, not selling millions of albums etc etc etc.

BUT - as I discovered during the lucky packet project, when I decided to get grateful for what was 'here', things really started looking up. When I started noticing the support that I did have, the albums that I had sold, the fans who did come to shows, the radio stations that do play us - all of a sudden 'there' wasn't so far off. Yes we have miles to travel as a band and a huge vision to fulfill and most likely many frustrating twists of turns of 'when is it going to happen???'.  But, we do have over 2000 amazing people who have supported us thus far, we do have one great album and a second one ready to be recorded, we do have people who pull their friends together and come to support our shows, we do get booked for fantastic corporate shows etc etc etc.

So my point... the only difference between 'here' and 'there' is one letter. And that letter is 'T'. And, when you let 'T' stand for THANKFULNESS for everything you have right here, suddenly there doesn't feel that far off anymore - because you are present with what is and not stuck in the gap of what's missing. Yip - it all comes down to gratitude & being present!

 

 

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I believe...

I believe if life were easy then there would be no cars, planes, pacemakers, high speed internet, incubators, multi vitamins or deep freezers. I believe that winters, storms, droughts, famines and hardship are the backbone of innovation. I also believe that while nations may be forced to grow through adversity, that as individuals we can be a lot slower at taking up the baton.

I believe that if we could see the blessing in our fears and find the gift in our disappointments that we would carve new paths effortlessly and our courage would light others forward.. I believe that the ability to think out the box is one of the first things we should teach our children and that we should encourage their questions and never answer them with 'because'. I believe that there is always a better & new way things could be done and all we need do is approach life with an open mind and the question “what is the lesson here and what solution could I find for it?”

Looking ahead...

Yesterday saw me sharing the stage at the Sanlam Innovation Day with some pretty hard hitters in the corporate and social media world! Andy Gilder from the gocashless project, Hannes Van Rensburg the CEO of Fundamo and Justin Spratt from Internet Solutions were my fellow speakers amongst others!

It was quite something to sit on a truly mind expanding conference and get some insight into the speed with which the world is changing and how companies like Sanlam are looking ahead and innovating.

As always I felt incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to share the story of how we funded 'Journey' by pre-selling it and giving 10% to women empowerment and artist upliftment along the way. The lessons the project taught me, mean that I now get to stand on stages like the one yesterday and talk about how innovating and following a crazy idea has transformed my life. It is incredible to consider that I am doing it all over again and that we already have over 100 Future Owners of our next album 'From Africa With Love' from 6 countries around the world!

As I always say in my talks - "it's what you don't know that following a dream holds in store for you, that will really shape and create the experience into what it needs to be. So above all else - just start - just say "I CAN" and trust that life will deliver you all the lessons and support you need to get where you are going!"

I'm looking ahead... are you?

I believe...

I believe that if life was easy then nothing new would ever happen. I believe that without adversity we would never grow, learn, innovate, create, evolve. I believe that if we never faced challenges we would never be forced to find solutions. I believe that extraordinary problems force us to start asking extraordinary questions about our lives and find extraordinary solutions to the obstacles we face. I believe that the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of the questions we ask about the world around us.

KTV Talent Search Auditions...

Just back from an amazing morning of judging the auditions for the KTV Market Day Talent Search. The finals will take place on Saturday 4th September on the main stage at Canal Walk where I will be MC'ing. It was wonderful to watch act after act get up on stage and have the courage to audition - from 6 years olds to teenagers - I was blown away! Even with the little ones who still have along way to go and didn't make it through, what impressed me was that they showed up and said YES to at least trying! It is not an easy thing to do and to find that kind of chutzpa before you are 16 is impressive!

My fellow judges and I had quite a time deciding on the 22 acts to go through to the finals but by the end of the day I think the best acts made it through. From very promising young singers, to blow your hair back tiny Michael Jackson impersonators, to rock the house hip hop groups - there is some serious talent going through.

Looking forward to MC'ing the big day and seeing who makes it through to the national finals and hopefully even wins the R20,000 prize!

I will be running a workshop with all the young singers next weekend and hope to help them find even more confidence in their voices & performances. Live Your DREAMS Kids!

I believe...

I believe that living your dreams is easier said that done. I believe that most dreams are tucked under pillows and never see the light of day. I believe that dreams and courage go hand in hand, and the without courage & action dreams don't come true. I believe that dreams can either define or confine us. I believe that holding back on a dream till 'oneday' will ultimately breed frustration and dissillusionment.

I believe that living a dream will exhilirate you but also exhaust you. I believe that dreams are never quite what they seem and the lesson they hold for us only becomes apparent long after we are on the road. I believe that our dreams hold the key to our healing, but to find it we must pass through the fire of our egos and let go of attachment to outcome and discover the freedom of doing for doing's sake.

Maybe I'm Crazy???

I took the plunge and put it out there! Yip, I am selling an "album that doesn't exist".. AGAIN!

I would be lying if I said I am not a little daunted and nervous now that it is out there. The first newsletter is sent, the intention laid out and now the void of 'what happens now...?' I have been yo-yo'ing since pressing send, asking myself if maybe I'm crazy to do it all over again. But the truth be told, we have another album to share with the world and why not invite family, friends and fans to help us to do it? As terrified as I may be of failing, I would hate far more to be left with the question of 'what if?'.

So, crazy or not, the request is out there yet again - "Will you join us and buy our next album BEFORE we record it? Will you help us get our music & message out the world and also give back to causes we believe in? Will you say YES to us again?"

Now to wait and see how it all turns out... At least we have taken a step in the direction that will take us closer to studio, closer to the next album, closer to seeing what can be done when you just get down and do it! 

Humbled...

I was humbled the other day by a phone call with a young man pursuing his music.  With a full time job that doesn't pay him very well he still made a plan to record two songs and submit them to some record labels. When they took too long to get back to him he dug deep and saved up and borrowed the money to finish recording a full album - playing everything in studio and producing it himself! After paying for artwork he only had enough money to print 50 copies and therefore has no way of getting proper distribution.

But, chatting to him really blew me away. He has off his own bat made a plan to go into various local township radio stations with his songs and is driving the whole process himself. It humbled me. Here he is asking me for advice, without realising that he is so on track when it comes to getting out there and just making it happen.

I have been too poep scared to approach stations myself and then have felt frustrated that third parties haven't had much luck getting us playlisted. Even though I talk about getting out there and making it happen for yourself, when it comes to radio stations, the truth is I have held back. I kept getting stuck on 'its so hard to get airplay in SA' instead of 'how can I get airplay?'  And here I find myself chatting to a young man asking for my help and then hearing what he is doing with less than no resources, working knowledge of the industry or internet access and realising that he is far braver than I have ever been!

That conversation woke two things up in me. Firstly, it is time to play this game far more proactively. If I want things to happen I have to make them happen! Secondly, I want to keep helping musicians like Joe who are helping themselves. I am committed to my Live Your Dreams Foundation creating the space where resources like studio time, web development & pr will be available to young musicians who are committed to their dream and need a small hand up. Thank you Joe for inspiring me with your courage - I look forward to helping you however I can!