Podcasts & Stories
What's Next?
In 8th grade, I was assigned a project on sustainability. While most chose the environment, I chose to work on sustaining "hope" within our homeless population. When the assignment was completed, I received a high mark, but the project didn't end for me. I went on to found Hope2Believe and in the last four years, we have raised money for and distributed over 180 "Believer Kits" - care packages for the homeless in our city.
In 8th grade, I was assigned a project on sustainability. While most chose the environment, I chose to work on sustaining "hope" within our homeless population. When the assignment was completed, I received a high mark, but the project didn't end for me. I went on to found Hope2Believe and in the last four years, we have raised money for and distributed over 180 "Believer Kits" - care packages for the homeless in our city.
That matters more to me than any grade ever could.
My "senior project" may be over, but my goal from here is to continue to learn more about how music can improve mental health and well being. To encourage as many as possible to invest in their own mental health and well being and encourage others to be more supportive and understanding. And to continue to engage the artist community to better understand how one's personal challenges and struggles impacts their creative process.
Maybe this becomes a series of stories, discussions, panels or podcasts?
Stay Tuned!
To say that Shaolinn is talented and just a really cool person would be an understatement. She answered my questions which I put together into an audio podcast, then she accepted my invitation to attend my presentation at the Kempsville Library. She answered questions, spoke to the audience and played a couple of her songs. She has an amazing voice and spirit and to hear her talk about her struggles to fit in and her insecurities reminds me that we all have challenges and with help and support, we can overcome them!
MUSICREATES
PODCAST SERIES
Shaolinn - Podcast E1.MP3SHAOLINN PODCAST RECORDED PRIOR TO FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION.
(click to play)
MUSICREATES: Shaolinn
Shaolinn is an emerging singer at the junctions of hip-hop, R&B, and alternative music and has just been signed by DEF JAM records.
I had the chance to interview her before she attended my event at Kempsville and we recorded this audio podcast. I didn't share it that day because she was live, but this is much of what we talked about:
“I think music has helped me personally when it comes to expressing my emotions and how I'm feeling mentally. I don't think that every song I write is personal. A lot of my music is very much based off of other people's experiences or things that I've seen. A lot of everything is written to some degree by how I feel. But personally, for me, it's helped me and most of the times, it's helped other people. And that's kind of like, what matters more to me than it really helping myself.
I’ve learned that I am very much hiding behind a mask to the world. I guess I don't really think people know me as well as they do. And I don't think that I'm truly myself like how I should be. I feel like in a way, I'm too scared to open up. Which is funny because I guess I'm opening up right now. I just feel like I'm just hiding behind a mask, showing myself through my music, but I'm not showing myself personally to people. And I feel like I'll lot of people don't really know me because sometimes I feel like I don't really know myself. That's what I've been learning about so far. That I need to really need to really find myself.”
