Shut Up and Stress Out

Hi there,

Husband and I were complaining to each other last weekend about having way too much on our plates. We catalogued our stresses to each other. 

Husband: I've been playing guitar for 18 days straight - not one day off - and for at least 7 hours today. Now tonight I have a rehearsal so I still don't get a break.

Stress out...or else!

Me: I've got to learn the lyrics for 6 songs by tomorrow morning and I've got to do the artwork and replication of my new EP-oh and actually record the thing, rehearse the band, promote the launch, keep my crowdfunding campaign on the boil...

Then we looked at each and laughed. Our lives really aren't too bad are they?

Thinking back 10 years to what Corporate Me, slaving long days over a hot computer keyboard at Microsoft, would have said. She would look at Today's Me and say:

'Oh boohoo. So the very career you've always dreamt of is thoroughly filling up your life now is it? So you're oh so busy singing and performing for a living and creating new songs and recordings. Sounds dreadful.' Then she'd look at me with a snarl and snort sarcastically.

We all need to vent sometimes but we also need perspective. A famous experiment on rats shows that those placed under stress, as long as they had the tools to manage it, were far healthier than those who didn't have any stress at all. Many believe humans are the same.

So, advice from old Corporate Self to Today's Me: 'Stress out, it's good for you!'

Cheers,

Amanda

PS The Crowdfunding worked - thank you!

The Name Game - Hairy!

Hi there,

What's in an album name? I mean what was Adam Ant thinking when he released 'Dirk Wears White Sox'? Oh that's right, it was 1983. A decade for great album names, like Jermaine Jackson's 'Let Me Tickle Your Fancy'. I can see how the 70s could sire REO Speedwagon's 'You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish'. But what was Paul McCartney's excuse with his 2012 offering of 'Kisses on the Bottom'?

So, I'm trying to come up with the name of my new EP. My first album was called 'Amanda Easton'. Well I'd run out of creative energy after writing all those songs! The second was 'Chanteuse' suggested by an audience member. I like that one but the pronunciation caused consternation among radio DJs everywhere who ended up calling it 'Chantoozie'.

I have been stewing on the name for the new EP for quite a while. Mentioned my dilemma to husband, as he was hanging out the washing this morning. He said, quite out of the blue, how about 'Out of the Blue'? It's the name of one of the songs on the EP and it has double meaning...

Around 10 years ago, during an annus truly horribilis, I felt that my head was on fire so I dyed my hair flaming red. Fast forward to two years ago and life delivered me another corker to send me running for the dye bottle. (At least it wasn't a tequila bottle - we all have our particular coping mechanisms!). 
'Blue Velvet' I now am and 'Out of the Blue' is the name of the new EP.

If you'd like to be involved in it, please check out my crowdfunding link: www.pozible.com/amandaeaston and check out this little vid:

Cheers,
Amanda