Artist Profile …
You may be somewhat curious about my music, and to answer some of your questions, I have included this short profile. As you have already guessed, I am not a professional, but I simply do what I do because I love doing it; and, I feel it is what God has called me to do. I have had no prior musical training, but have always wanted to learn to play the piano.
I am retired and have been doing my music for only about 8 years. I began writing a short time after the death of my mother; and, I attribute my writing to the positive Christian influence she had on me. When she became ill and was confined to the hospital, I began recording songs acapella from the church hymnal and taking them for her to listen hoping they would cheer her up a bit. I sang all the songs that I knew from 3 or 4 song books and soon ran out of material to sing. After she passed away, I felt that I couldn’t stop what I was doing; but, I wanted some different material to sing. I did not know where I could obtain new material and could really not afford to purchase it. I really don’t know how to read music that well, so I came up with the idea of creating my own. Almost eight years later, and I have written approximately 700 songs.
After writing the lyric, I wanted to take it the next step and attempt a melody. I do not have a singing ability, but I decided that I should attempt to do the best that I could and sing what I had just written. I have always been told, “You don’t know what you can do until you try it.” Many of the songs that I have written were for my lovely daughter to sing; but, I had no sheet music for her, and she gently declined to sing them. I have no ability as far as writing, singing, playing an instrument, so why would I want to continue to create something that I know so little about? First, I felt that I was being led of God to do so. After sharing some of my music with friends, I received a positive response as to God’s working in my life as well as the life of the ones that I had shared my music with. I could not deny that God can and will take whatever He so chooses to accomplish His will. I have asked God this question. If He has chosen to use my feeble attempts of praising Him, why did He not give me the voice and the training to do so? His answer, He was not concerned about how well I accomplished it, but was only concerned that I was ready and willing to do it. If what I have written were to only be seen by my eyes alone, it would for sure need to be done, because I felt in my heart it was what He wanted me to do. What He (God) chooses to do with it is entirely up to Him. Even though my passion was for it to be used to comfort and bless those who see and hear it, it must be up to God to see that His will is accomplished. The sweetness of praise to God must come from the heart and lips of the individual, not from a group or assembly. God sees the heart of the one that adores and worships Him and accepts them into His holy family. God owns it all but the most significant number to Him is one. My job is to honor and to praise the One who has given everything for me. I don’t know what will happen with what I have accomplished but I do know that I am at peace knowing that I have a God that loves me and is only concerned about what is best for me as His child. It is in this thought that I have given it totally to Him, thanking Him for an opportunity to serve.
About the songs: Most of what I have written took me thirty minutes to an hour to compose, although some of them took me several days to complete. Looking back on what I have written, knowing myself, I wonder how it was accomplished. Many of them were written with little thought, just writing down what I felt in my heart I was to write. I, in my mind, had intended to go back and improve or correct what I had already written, but my passion to write more kept me from doing so. Most of the songs I have sang only once or twice, so I really don’t know how, or couldn’t sing them again without the CD. I have serious problems with allergies and in many cases found it difficult to sing them even the first time. I have an extensive education in the arts, having obtained a BFA and an MS degree in fine arts, and I am somewhat of a stickler for quality. I take pride in my work. In feeling this way, I am sometimes prone to discomfort when doing inferior or incomplete work, and strive not to do so. This has been a problem for me in my writing, not only for my own assurance, but because I in no way wish to tarnish or disgrace the One I have written about. Having little knowledge about music, but wanting to do what I feel I am led to do; I have found comfort in taking my efforts as far as my knowledge and talent will allow me to, and then giving it to God and letting Him do whatever He wills. I pray that you will enjoy my efforts and that you will let Him speak to you as you listen. As I wrote each word my prayer was that God would bless my humble efforts and that comfort and guidance would follow all who hear.