Writing Pages
If you're here reading this blog, then you probably already know my single "Pages" was just released! This is the first song off of my EP, Gravity, and a project that has been on my heart for over a year now. I'm so excited to finally share it with you, and if you haven't already listened to it, go ahead and click this link to stream it. Now that I've gotten my little promo out of the way, let's talk about what inspired Pages!
As many of you know 2020 was a crazy year. For me that entailed a lot of ups and downs, as it did for so many. I auditioned for Season 19 of The Voice in January of 2020 and that began a very long process of what would finally air in early November. The process of filming for The Voice is something that's really difficult for me to put into words. I grew a lot as a person and musician while I was in LA, but growth doesn't come without it's share of difficulties. Filming in the midst of Covid-19 meant isolation like I've never experienced before. I was away from my family and friends for several months, interaction with other contestants was very limited, and I spent most of my time alone in a hotel room. It was like my whole world stopped, but everything back home was getting back to normal. So, of course I put my imagination to use almost immediately.
I had a lot of time to think, so I began thinking about all the things I would be doing if I weren't trapped in this hotel room in California. Anyone who knows me will agree that I'm a romantic to my very core. I dove deep into my most ideal world, revisiting carefree memories from past summers. Painting cotton candy skies, driving on an empty tank without a care, every picture taken at golden hour, dancing through empty movie theater rows while "Dancing Queen" is blasting, moments that pictures can't quite capture, but are so vivid in our minds. These are seemingly insignificant things to the world around us, but all of those moments are exactly what make up a lifetime.
I spend most of my days writing songs, singing, and planning what comes next. I can get so caught up in the hustle I forget the life that's happening around me. The truth is, even if all my dreams came true, if I spent a lifetime striving and seeking after success to finally achieve my goals, I don't think I'd be any happier than I am right now. Setting goals, growing, and moving forward are all good things, but if those are what consume our lives we will find ourselves ultimately empty. It's not our achievements that make life worthwhile. It's the people who are there beside us, the moments we share with them, and being thankful for what we have right now. Prioritizing those things is a daily choice and one I lose sight of more often than not, but I know they're important to hold on to and cherish.
When I flip back through my journal pages, I don't want to just read that I recorded another demo, wrote another song, signed a deal, or played a bigger show. I want to read that I went on a long walk with my grandparents while they told me stories of their families, I want to read that I had a good cry with my best friend, that we laughed until we couldn't breathe, that my family and I listened to records and talked after a long week of work, that we prayed together and saw the evidence in our lives. I want all these things and more. I want to fill the pages of my life with more than accolades and accomplishments and that's what this song is all about.
Thank you for giving this a read and if you've made it this far, let me know in the comments what you want to fill pages with. I think your stories are just as worthy of sharing as mine are.