How Do You Do it?!
Tamara Wellons
Authentic and Lovingly Open
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
A Personal Note
To all of you who made a difference in my life this year, I say thank you.
It has been an amazing year of transition and stability in my life. I had so many great experiences and have gained a new level of friendship for so many.
The old saying of keeping your personal business out of your work life is a difficult one for me to swallow because it is my business to get personal. Every song that I have written, every time I step into the studio for a session, and every time I sing is me getting personal and leaving my imprint. And I have learned how to do this by not taking myself so seriously in some areas and just really ‘getting grown’ in other areas of my life.
Inspired by Derek Sivers’ post today, I would like to name a few names of the people who touched me in ways that they will never know.
Daniel Julia and Trinity Washington
Tonia Wellons
Tia Wellons
Ronald Jackson
Uncle Bill
Ronnie Harper
Landmark Education and the Wisdom Course friends
The children of Joe’s Movement Emporium
Bill and Norma Freeborne
Gwendolyn Humphries
Charley Yancey
Susanne Miller
Nico Laget
Cyrus Ralston
Lakika Lewis Marshall
Marlene McCallum and the Most Powerful Life
Dana Smith and Spiritual Essence Yoga
Risikat and Lilsoso Productions
Kareema Kockrell
Seshat Walker
Elle Nicole (Tasha)
Reid Temple AME
Carol and Rendell Wellons
Thank you for contribution to my life and to this world.
With love, Tamara
What is news?:Overdue Entry #2
My family says I need to watch CNN more. The news I got about the race riots in London came directly from a friend there. I hadn’t seen it on the news, so I guess it didn’t qualify as news for them. Apparently my UK trip was timed perfectly for me with all that occurred just weeks afterwards. I wandered so many streets during my stay there, unafraid. Many powerful and urgent lyrics came to me. “No one knows the how or when, just live your life in love”…… Those lyrics came urgently just like the news…
Ironically, I would have had to watch the news to know there was an earthquake Tuesday, had not my neighbor called.
Overdue London blog entry 1:
I left July 2 for London to sing at the Jazz Café. It was one of the many amazingly divine trips of my life. I traveled with a few extra days in my itinerary to allow time for writing and visiting Paris. I was scheduled for interviews, a show, and a recording session. Many thanks to Derek Sivers for introducing me to AirBnB, which is where I met an awesome new fan and my roomy even came to support me in Camden.
Before I left, I had been trying to contact Adele and Amy to let them know I’d be there. I wanted Amy to be my fan. I had recently been playing her Frank album for the last four months after I wore out Back to Black which became an inspiration for “Ah God”, a song on my new album. I was in London during the ITunes festival, and I just knew we’d cross paths. I will miss her so much. She was like an old friend. I cannot tell you how that album spoke for me many times.
It is hard to begin my blogging here and now after the trip happened a month ago, but I took notes. Please stay tuned for a blessed log of my adventure.
Here is a picture of me and my airbnb roomy in Camden’s Jazz Cafe. She represents my day 1.
"A Night in Camden"
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Tamara Wellons Music Video
Purpose
Watching the Oprah’s master class made me thing about my purpose. People often ask when I started singing. What made you want to sing? How many years? I give a similar answer to many singers, “I started singing as a young girl.” Usually, we start in church….and so on.
My life changed four years ago. I went through an awful shake up in a relatonship in which I was able to forgive and made it through that trench. For some reason, that made me feel like I had a new reason to sing. It felt like my first year singing. It was then I renewed my voice and began to take my life experience and not only add them to my song, but bring my new self to each song. Each month of singing since that time, felt brand new. I love it. There is never a dull moment in song I write and sing because my life is that song.
My purpose on this earth is to use my voice to inspire, touch and bring people peace and joy. I feel most comfortable opening my mouth and singing! It can be in the studio, in a club, before a congregation, with a band, acapella, in a circle, with a group, on a plane, in a car, for my children, ANY where. I feel comfortable speaking in front of people (mostly youth), teaching them new knowledge, and telling a story that I know very well. I am a teacher at heart. That’s why I decided to change my blog to The Classroom. The school building’s classroom was a little too square for me, so I had expanded it four years ago as well.
I am a firm believer that our lives are not meant to live alone, but your life is all your own (to live.) I put that in one of my songs, “Broken Wings.” For the last few years, I wrote a series of songs that happen to turn be pages of my life. “Out of this World” I wrote in hopes of… “Nobody Told Me”, I wrote a year and a half before my divorce. I recently learned how to take a moment of excitement and create music from it during the time it happened.
This year is the year for not holding back. I think this is the year for loving back. I think this is the year for easily opening arms to receive all the good for you. It is a year of courage and faith again and again.
It is the year for Songs for Janie, my new song that has yet to be written.
