I miss this. Going back to age 5, I’ve decided.
(Source: nevver)
If you do one thing tonight, listen to this girl sing, trust me…
So I hummed something soft and sweet
The stars came out as we moved our feet
So won’t you take my hand
Take my heart
Promise to never stop dancing once we start
Cause this is our song
http://www.charlotteeriksson.com/supportme
We’re not so different you and I. We’re both just trying to find our way and get something out of this life we’ve been given. Some people find it, some people don’t. I’ve been through things, seen things and felt things that I wish I could erase, but still I consider myself lucky. Because I found a reason to breathe. A reason to believe. I found music.
The way it gives me heaven for some hours, the way it makes everything beautiful - even though it might not be. The way I can write my life in a better way, in the way that I want to remember it, and how I lose my fears and worries when I sing. And most of all, how I left everything I’d built for 19 years, and found my home in my art.
There wasn’t a lot of people who supported me when I found music and decided that I wanted to spend my life doing it. The fact that I live on my friends’ floors because I can’t afford my own place, that I some days can’t afford dinner, that it’s expensive to record, produce, print CDs, buy instruments and equipment and tour, is just another reason for family and friends to not support you in this. But - I don’t know if you’ve found that yet, that one thing that you were born to do. That one thing that makes everything else disappear. That one thing that makes you wanna go up every morning. I have, and I will never ever let anything or anyone take that away from me. The music industry today is the devil’s game. To afford touring and releasing high-standard albums you need money. I’ve told this story before but:
Before I decided to start my own record label, release my first EP and do everything on my own, I went to some meetings with “industry experts”, labels and managers. I didn’t know a lot about the business-part, or what it takes to get your music out. All I knew was that I had all those thoughts and unspoken words within me that I needed to tell. All those meetings, talks and dinners ended the same way - a bold guy in costume telling me to dress more sexy, act more mature and write more simple pop-songs. Basically change so that it fits into their little box.
He told me how I could be on all the covers and in all the big magazine, and when I asked how, he said ‘because we have the money and we can pay for your success’. I still remember that choking panic in my chest when I mumbled that that’s not me and that I believe in music and that if I write clear and loud enough about what I feel than maybe other people out there will hear me and understand and maybe even let me know that I’m not alone in feeling those things. I rambled the whole thing about being true to myself, doing things in my way and not compromising myself, and then the bold guy called me ‘honey’ and something about being immature and not knowing the business, and then I ran out with an ocean of choking tears in my throat, promising myself to never be in contact with those people again. Those people who don’t care about music anymore, who don’t know how music can change a life, and has saved mine.
This is how it works, but music means too much to me to ever give up my belief that it’s bigger than status, money or who’s got the contacts. And after a couple of those bold guys is suite, I decided that until the last breath of my life, I would live to prove them wrong. To prove to them that I can do this on my own without their money. That I will show the world that music can still connect and change lives, without a mainstream company that pays for it. That is what makes me keep pushing some days, when I doubt myself, that I will never let them win. I will never sit down and admit that they were right.
For those of you who’s gotten to know me through my blog, twitter, facebook or anywhere else, you know that I aim higher than what’s in my reach with everything I do, because the only way to realize your full potential is to reach beyond it, right? I have tons of goals and dreams this year, but the two main-goals are to produce, record and release my first full-length, and to go on my first tour. I’ve talked about these goals for a long time now and you’ve all been so supportive, writing beautiful motivational words and you’re the reason to why I’ve kept pushing for this, even though everyone else told me that getting a tour together, and producing&recording my album myself was just not achievable of me.
Since I started to connect with you on the internet, I don’t feel like I’m doing this myself anymore. I’ve said it before, but we’re in this together. I could never do what I’m doing today if it wasn’t for you. Both because of how you inspire me everyday to not give up, but also for you support by buying my music and spreading the word about our existence. It’s us against the world. And we have a message to tell.
I’m a firm believer that you can get everything you want with determination, but I really really need your help to make this possible. We’re all in this together, and I think we can achieve great things together, and show the world what real music and passion is all about.Now you might ask, why I don’t use sites like Kickstarted or PledgeMusic for this, since it’s exactly the same? Well, if you are so amazing that you want to support me, I want you to know exactly where your money will go, and with companies like these, 15% of your donation will go straight to them. That’s the ugly naked truth. This way the money will stay between us, with no middle hands. But just like it works on those sites, I will give you rewards for the amount you donate and the whole list is here below.
I still feel very uncomfortable about everything that has to do with money, but I hope you understand that to make this dream come true, I need your support. You’re the reason to why I can do this, and to why I WANT to do this.
So how this will work is basically: Be creative! You can donate any kind of amount you want, and every little bit matters! If you want something specific that’s not on the list below, send me a message and suggest it and I might add it! When you make your donation make sure to write which reward you want, if you choose to go after the reward-list, but you don’t have to. :)
http://www.charlotteeriksson.com/supportme
Here’s what the money will go to:
1. Tour-support for my first UK-tour this spring!
2. Equipment + studio-time for the recording of my full-length.
3. Printing of physical CDs of my full-length.
http://www.charlotteeriksson.com/supportme
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Here’s a little list of other things you can do to support and tell the world about our existence!:
- Tell all your friends, brother, sisters, family and enemies about my music.
- Share my youtube-videos/links/posts on facebook, twitter, tumblr and everywhere else.
- Buy my music and merch.
- Be who you are and dare to go after your dream with mehttp://www.charlotteeriksson.com/supportme
Reading the exact copy of “The Hobbit” that my Dad won at high school (*cough* years ago), the very same copy that he read to me as my first “real” book. I’m told I had to start reading it to him because I was asking him to turn the page before he’d finished reading it aloud…
I remember the smell of it, love the smell of an old book. And the feel of the absolute magic that only an author like Tolkien can even begin to induce. And even now, a good ten (probably more than that) years later - the magic is there still.
True love never dies, and that is what I and J.R.R Tolkien have.
(I love people I know too, honest)
Not all those who wander are lost.
Always worried I’m not quite doing the right thing.
And want to just relax.
Feel like I haven’t quite got started yet
in life.
Not quite on the right path.
Always choosing something random.
To mirror the uncertainty in most
of the things I do.
Want to travel.
Want to see
everything.
And definitely have to be
brave enough.
All the things I’ve already seen just makes
me so certain that I want to wander
and wander and wander.
Until I’ve seen everything.
Which is probably going to take a while.
But then I’ve never been someone that
will ever just break ties.
I would never leave everything behind
and just head off on my own.
Not because I’m scared,
just because it’s all too important.
They’re all too important.
So I think it’s a case of waiting
for the opportune moment.
And then sailing off into the sunset
and starting to live my dreams.
I always thought I would do something big or important.
But I think sometimes, we just fail to realise that
“Big” does not = important.
Getting noticed doesn’t matter to me any more.
I don’t want to do something that will mean a lot
to a lot of people,
and nothing, or even less,
to others.
I just want to do something
that means a great deal
to very few.
And in the process,
I would very much like to be happy.
Not without regrets,
but safe in the knowledge that
I took every opportunity.
That I enjoyed myself,
whether I was happy
because I was saving the world
or because
I had a really good cup of tea.
Just that I was happy.
This was just way too true/fitting not to reblog….
(Source: whitepaperquotes)