Better than ChocolateThis movie is extremely cheesy, but I love it. For its time, it does a great job of portraying
Personal
Gender, sex, relationships, trauma, mental health, intimate struggles and celebrations. Some of this writing is 18+ only, some will have content warnings.
Coming out was not about finally realizing who I was; it was about realizing that there were other people that did not feel the way that I did, that there was language to name how I felt, and that I was not alone.
Itâs easy to confuse someone occupying space in the world with them asking you to be in that space. What I ...
When I am referred to as "she," I still feel excluded, invisible, misunderstood. This is a feeling that I do my best to transform into energy to educate would-be allies.
I have learned that there is a difference between my physical voice, and my voice in the broader sense. I have mastered my physical voice - all the nuances, the breaking points; learned the ways my voice likes to move and blossom. There is freedom and joy in the practise of using my voice in that way on stage. But I needed something more.
Inspired by a little silver plastic chip in my pocket that said âWomen in Recoveryâ on one side and the serenity prayer on the other (and my phone full of new numbers), I found a desire within me that I hadnât even known I wanted until I stepped into that meeting. I wanted myself back.
Our bodies contain blueprints for the structures we dream of. We will not make our way out of capitalism and other oppressive structures by desensitizing ourselves to the effects of oppression. We will not undo oppression by applying the attitudes of colonizers to the lands of our own bodies and intuitions.
Itâs time for us to recognize the truthfulness of our bodies responses to oppression and let these visceral truths lead us toward alternatives.
In order for you to believe us,You are going to have to learn to forgive yourself.And that is the hardest thing youâll ever do.
Let yourself rage against all the reasons you stopped using your voice. Rage against money, capitalism, the lie of meritocracy, the optimism of youth, the institutions that lulled you into passivity, the warnings you did not heed, misogyny. Shame, emotional abuse, trauma, microagressions. Sore throats, lies. Shed your tears for all those moments of connection you lost because you did not sing.
I know I am not the first person to speak, and that the reason I am able to find the courage to do so is because I am adding my voice to the chorus of many who have come before me. I honour those who said the first word, then the second and third.
How do I embody a character fully, fall in love with the character, learn its idiosyncrasies, when that character must undergo torture daily on stage, sometimes multiple times, with increasing detail, depth, and dramatic timing? How do I rehearse trauma?
You want to.Thatâs how art gets made - when it is made today. No art ever gets made tomorrow.It will make your day ...
The space between things we are sure of, is fertile soil for the seeds of our creative work.
I think many artists feel like they are getting better when they experience more flow in their work, when they can feel as though they are transcending the craft and technique of their medium and expressing something from an internal impulse. It is from this place of flowing energy (as opposed to a block), that the most authentic expression can happen, and a greater volume of work can be created.
Tomorrow afternoon, Iâm off to Orford Arts Centre Academy. I will be a student of Denise MassĂ©, who is one of
Where did all the time go? This summer seemed so immense only a month ago, and all of a sudden we only really
âOpportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.â -Thomas ...
I donât want a summer job.
All year, I was supported by my Teaching Assistantship, my scholarship, grants, and ...
So â that was that. My masterâs degree. Was I dreaming?
I have been recently hit with the common ...
I have been feeling very keenly lately the urgent need for variety in life. All year, as my posts have ...
This reading week, I am trying to complete all the coursework I have left for the semester, so I can focus on ...
As I draw closer to graduation, I find myself turning down opportunities.
I use all kinds of excuses â I ...
After my angst-ey previous post, I bet you are wondering, dear reader, how things went in Berlin!
Things went ...
If there was one word to describe Berlin, it would be 'angst'. The tumultuous history of the city still feels very
I am going to try something new to blog about this trip. I will publish a series of posts focussing on my ...
How much control do we really have over our future? Â In my life so far, and especially in the past few years, I ...
So here we are - a new year, a new semester, a new decade, and I just turned 25. I don't really feel like anything
I woke up at 4:45am to catch the public transit to the airport. The goal: arrive in Manhattan in time to sing my ...
I want to share with you something that re-awoke in me the very essence of singing and what it means to be a good ...
CBC Radio is the reason why I love classical music, and why I initially came to love Canada, my country. Our ...
Do they come together? They did this week!
Snow: For weeks, we endured the dry-ish, rainy cold. No ...
This is a very funny video about a typical conversation between a singer and your average person, from the point of
There is so much suffering, poverty, and injustice in this world. Some of us see it more often than others. I ...
I am not a patient person. For those of you that know me, this might even seem like an understatement. Even ...
What I would want if I had absolutely no limitations, followed by the percent chance of it happening within 2 ...
A colleague of mine recently initiated a wonderful peer-evaluating performance group. We meet every week and sing ...
A colleague of mine recently initiated a wonderful peer-evaluating performance group. We meet every week and ...
I am trying to stay focussed on the reason why I decided to make music for a living. Beyond all of the judgement of
I am one of those crazy people.
You know, those people who decide that they would like to transport themselves ...
I am convinced: the best way to travel is by train. It is the greenest, safest, most scenic and most relaxing mode
Balancing school and a slowly growing singing career is very difficult. Â There is external pressure to invest in ...
Something special happened today.Mid-afternoon, I had my voice lesson. While singing the Presentation of the Rose ...
Wherever I am in fall, it always makes me nostalgic â either nostalgic in advance of the time when I will actually ...
I was five years old when I started Kindergarten. I remember my main goal in kindergarten was to be allowed to go ...
By Elia Kazan I will take my rightful place on the stage And I will be myself. I am not a cosmic orphan, I have no ...
What a summer this has been! Of course, I started the summer with the intention of learning Figaro, as well as all
Wordsworth hits the nail on the head when he writes about the effect of modern society on the natural beauty of the
As you may or may not know, the ability to travel to sing for various conductors and directors is essential in the ...
It is hard to live a balanced life when you are a singer, and even more so as a student. First of all, you have to
People want to work with people who are interesting and who stroke their own egos. People don't want to work with ...
ENFJExtraverted 67% Intuitive 38% Feeling 62%Judging 22%ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They ...
I have alot of different interests. Someday, I would love to open a restaurant, a café, a bookstore. I always ...
I have quite a few people coming to visit Montreal this summer.... this is so great!I have formulated and tested ...
Love yourself.MAKE PEACE with who you areand where you at this moment in time.Listen to your heart.If you canât ...
I recently posted a list of questions from Wolf Trap Opera's blog about pursuing a career in the performing arts. ...
The question always is:What is that intangible thing that distinguishes a good performer from a great one?Audiences
Today I started following the blog of someone I don't know, but which was recommended to me by a friend. It is ...
After making my recording last week, I needed a few epiphanies to help me start to really love my voice again, and ...
Making a recording is always interesting. In fact, I believe I began a blog post with that exact sentence about a ...
Firstly, all the voices without exception show remarkable flexibility, the tone is made to come and go in the form ...
...or am in the process of learning.-Even though embellishments and ornamentation are sometimes expected, the music
Kay, Elster. Bel Canto and the Sixth Sense: A discursive and technical essay on the traditional Italian physical ...
My day spent in New York was, for the most part, one of those days where nothing goes wrong. We woke up to a ...
I haven't been to New York since two years ago when I was here with my mom. At that time, I was about to make the ...
It is 2 am and I am not supposed to blog, but that is when these things come to me. Inopportune times. In fact, ...
The past few days I have been sick. This is normally a bad thing, but this time it has enabled me to finish alot ...
Things have been clicking and clicking and clicking into place in the past few weeks. Finally, I am beginning to ...
For the Mozartian singer must use his voice with the same strength and agility as the ballet dancer uses his body.
I think most people know me as a fairly hard worker. I hate to admit it, but whenever someone has said that to me,
-Going into the practise rooms at 9:00pm on a Saturday night and having to WAIT for a practise room. It is so ...
Ever since before I began my undergrad, I wanted to attend McGill. Montreal seemed so far away and culturally ...
I have basically lost track of time here, as we spend all of our time in the theater mirroring and running Cosi fan
Coming to Germany felt like a completely new experience. Although I have studied German at CMU, I don't feel like ...
Italy has been as frustrating as it is thrilling and wonderful. I love this beautiful country almost as much as I ...
July 18thLast weekend was spent in the South of France, near Avignon (in Joucas). A friend of ours has a family ...
Leaving Winnipeg was pretty hard, but I think I was ready. Early in the morning I woke up and walked around ...
Yesterday at noon I saw the movie, The Audition, at Silvercity Polo Park. I thought it would be interesting, but I
Once I thought I'd never growTall as this fenceTime dragged heavy and slow.But April came and August wentbefore I ...
When I was in it, it seemed at times neverending and even useless; and sometimes I would not want to be anywhere ...
I just got back from the Isabel Bayrakdarian concert at Westminster United Church. It was stunning, imperfect, ...
I'm imagining myself in a big, comfortable armchair that my family has always owned. It has always been MY ...
I won the Encouragement Award in the Met Regional competition last weekend. This was the most appropriate award ...
It's such a great feeling to walk onto a stage, look around only to see no one you know, and have them love you ...
I've been doing alot of recording lately. This is a good exercise in some ways, and I love putting what I'm doing ...
Willow Song - Ballad of Baby Doe (Moore)[youtube ...
As the time comes to start making decisions on where to audition and deadlines are arriving at breakneck speed, I ...
I was given a voice. That's what people said about me. I cultivated my voice, because it would be a shame to ...
I am listening to CBC broadcast the Operalia competition run by Placido Domingo. There are 42 world-class singers,
I will no longer be posting on this blog... my adventures will be charted on the new one, called 'Making it ...
It seems strange that I am nearly done this very long chapter of my life. As I go through each day, I am keenly ...
You are looking outside, and that is what you should most avoid right now. No one can advise or help you - no one.
Two months ago, Iannis' friends started planning his birthday surprise - to bring me to France! đ One of his ...
It's the last day in Paris. I don't really realize it, as I feel like I'm here to stay. It's a wierd feeling, ...
above minneapolisjardin des tuileries - it was downright balmy at 8 degrees today!mesopotamian ...
After a crazy trip, I have arrived in Paris! I feel right at home, and I don't feel afraid to speak French. It is
I am pleased to announce my next trip - this one is hardly even a bite! 5 days I will spend in Paris, from the ...
A few pictures of Iannis' apartment at Pigalle...Us in the metro on our way to the New Years' Eve Party...And at ...
DAY ONEreading in Roissy (Paris)the alps from the planeWe arrived from Paris and checked into Hotel Alexander, in ...
rebeccawoodmass@mts.net is now up and running!I'm going to wait until I'm back in Canada to write my summary of ...
au louvre!louvre la nuitthomy et moi au studio harmonic
the story continues....this beautiful stranger I gave my heart to came to visit for 10 days at the end of August. ...
I am coming home.I have confirmed my flight.And aside from a random job offer from Campbell's that fell through, I ...
thought i should share with you some of my work. sorry so many pictures today!a picture i drew today. i was ...
these pictures are not in order but hopefully you can figure it out :)parc guell designed by gaudia sign in view of
Hi everyone!I am back from Barcelona and I am glad to be back. It was a good trip mais il faisait froid la plupart
FRIDAYI got up in the morning, had breakfast at the hostel, and set out to see museu de la musica, barcelona ...
ola!or hola! i cant remember how to spell ithere i am in barcelona.Barcelona is gorgeous and free and inspiring. ...
Here are some pictures I could not upload this morning.CatacombsRodin Garden Look what I found! Anyone recognize ...
Before I begin, I would like to mention that my Mom told me my English is deteriorating, which I anticipated would ...
Last night, I went to the nearest bar for supper. I had Atlantic chowder (which comes with a shot of guinness), ...
We are to choose a theme to tie together the rest of our paintings for this year.Some people are choosing Paris, ...
well, the second session of french has started. that means much smaller class size with people who actually care ...
Friday morning: Went to pick Meribeth up from CDG airport. Yay! I brought pains au chocolat from my bakery by my ...
i was absolutely smitten with my man that i am painting, but now i am not so sure. he is very high maintenance. i
There was almost no one in french class yesterday morning because we were all exhausted from Normandy. I seriously ...
First train ride! I enjoyed the feeling of the rails and the view... And it is pretty cool that the conductor ...
Friday was the day to be alone. I didnât see anyone I knew all day, except David when I went to eat lunch at the ...
when i went to wait in line at the Opéra Bastille last night, it turned out that there was no opera on. tant pis!
my louvre afternoon flew by, and i was nearly late for my class. i spent it in the puget court, which has a glass ...
This is the emulsion layer of my copying painting... the one that i said looks like a paint-by-number. Cleopatra ...
if anyone is wondering where the rest of the weekend went, it is at the end of yesterdays post. sorry for any ...
On friday i started laying out my copy of the flandrin painting i am doing. it was very scary to start it because ...
Yesterday I explored the St. Michel area, which is basically the latin quarter. Lots of students, lots of ...
okay now for the real post... it will be a short one. yesterday in raw materials we made paint for our master ...
Pictures!!! this is one of the drawings that came from saturday's shindig in montmartre::: i like it because of the
hi all!i have a ton of pictures to post but the internet is not in my favor at this current moment. oh well.
st.
i finally got to go to the orangerie exhibit on friday evening.
you dont realize what you are used to until it ...
i have to admit:..... i was a bit disappointed with musĂše d'orsay. it is not very well organized, alot of works are
i forgot to tell you a story from a couple of days ago.i had a coffee on my desk in the classroom when i went to ...
interesting linguistic point: in french, the word for smell and the word for feeling emotion is the same... sentir.
I want to comment on a few more things from Sunday.
the meal::: one thing that stuck out at me was the ...
I miss you all... it struck me yesterday that I don't really have a safe zone, and it is exhausting.
on saturday
Aujourd'ui j'ai fait la grasse matinale! (That means I slept in...I don'tthink it is in the dictionary) đ
I met
My language school, PERL.
Yesterday, I took a walk in Pere Lachaise cemetery and stumbled on the grave ...
okay, what to talk about today......
yesterday was official culture shock/ language barrier for me. i went ...
paris tip: never try to do a louvre marathon friends, i spent five hours straight in the louvre yesterday. i
last night, we visited the dance studio as well. it is on place de la roquette::::: studio harmonic. the whole ...
the french class is not too hard:::: i am amazed that i seem to be at the same level as everyone else in my class! ...
allo tout le monde!
my french test went well... i was placed in the 2ieme etage. i dont know how hard that is ...
Well, my time in New York and NA has almost come to a close... I leave for Paris in 10 hours!I will summarize the ...
Really? Is this happening? I am leaving today but I still feel like I did in May.
I started and finished packing
my last day of work was today... ( or i guess yesterday ).
it is such an odd sadness. i am so exhausted that i ...
My unexpected trip to Toronto was perhaps the most surreal experience of my life. I have never flown into a city ...
IGOTMYVISA!!!I'm going to PARIS!!!!!! COUNTDOWN TO LANDING: 16 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes
Losing too is still ours; and even forgetting
still has a shape in the kingdom of transformation.
When something's ...
Just when I thought my plans were secure...Just when I could start to think about packing...Just when prayers of ...
Friends, the full implications of this trip have started to set in... really. REALLY. I have finally started to ...
This is the blurb I had to write to be accepted into the program... lots of people ask me why I am going. This is ...
Alright, folks - here is the course list!French (Advanced) - 7 cr. hrs.Art History - Introduction to the Louvre - 3
I am itching to have some pictures of Paris to post, but alas! I am still in Canada. So I decided to post a ...
Quick poll:Is it tacky to wear your beret in Paris while studying art?Aside from finances, this is my greatest ...
I hate worrying about money, and that is all this trip has been for me so far. I got an email today saying that my
Only 119 days until I take off for Paris! This site will be dedicated to Parisian life and the time leading up to ...