The Cracking Chrysalis

When I started singing, I figured I’d be practicing in private for a while.

I imagined I’d be cozied up inside The Chrysalis for many months, at minimum.

So I spent 7 weeks cocooned all alone, testing, to see if the spark would catch.

Then the spark turned into a fire, and I invited in a vocal coach.

That’s when cracks began appearing.

First, the swelling practice: 2-3 hours every day, enough to coax skill into bloom.

Second, the realization that, for me, singing is less about learning a new skill, more about remembering something I was drawn towards as a kid. This understanding made The Wellspring of Devotion flow with ease.

Third, honing The Way of the Braid allowed practice to bubble up all day long.

Finally, suffusing myself with Rhythm helped me embody the songs I’m learning, rather than getting lost in the weeds of technical ability. I learn fast this way.

And so I’m ready, way ahead of any schedule I could have ever conceived.

I’m ready to share my first cover song.

I’m ready to shift from singing for cats and plants, to singing for you. 

I’m ready to throw my song into the world, and see what echoes back.

There’s much to learn and plenty yet to improve, but there’s no sense singing behind closed doors forever. Not if I truly want to find my way onto the stage one day.

So tomorrow, my first song drops.

The cocoon will fall away.

The myth I’m writing will bleed deeper into reality.

And my song will pounce into the world.

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander