Sunday, February 26, 2023

Changes in My Music Mood Lead to Larger Career Advancements - Can Music Help You Grow a Small Biz Too?

Over the last few weeks, my mind has been in shambles. Between stress and sicknesses, it's been nearly impossible to focus. 

it's too much - stress
Image credit: Sarandipity's

Staying Consistent with Posting

Despite my flip-flopping anxiety levels, I've managed to do very well at adding regular content to each of my sites. Yeah, you know there's a few! And I've been coming up with different digital products to sell. Now if I can just figure out the process of uploading them. 

I'm still struggling to grow my email list. I offer several incentives, yet I only have one subscriber. Not sure what else I should do. You would think hearing that you get access to thousands of dollars of resources for FREE would be enough to encourage people to sign up. 

Last week, I made the proud career achievement of finishing a new book. I've ventured from my usual fiction prose to try my hand at recipe writing. And since I'm a dog mom obsessed with keeping my pups healthy, I decided to make my recipe topic homemade foods for dogs using human ingredients.

Image credit: Sarandipity's

 

And a recent email from a long-term client gave me the inspiration for this post and the songs I'm featuring. When I completed and returned her order in less than 24 hours, she made the impressed remark of my speed and quality. 

It's always great to hear a client appreciate your work. My comment back was that I don't feel like I'm doing work while I'm writing. Writing is more than my career. I'm truly addicted to it. 

Find What You Love and Do That

I hate taking time off. If I don't have something to write for a client, I find something to write for myself. And if I'm between posts on my sites, I am brainstorming new content to write. Or I'm writing a new book. 

My next topic is All Natural Homemade Cleaning Products. I plan to have this book written in the next two weeks. I've been trying to do better at planning, first with failed attempts using other people's planners and now by using customized planners that fit my life and needs.

The only thing I'm more obsessed with than my work is music. And with my changing moods lately, even my music preferences have been random and unpredictable.

 

Music Mood of the Week

I've gone from bumping Kevin Gates, "#IDGT (I don't get tired)" - my music mood song recommendation number one - to Luke Combs. While I don't typically do modern country, I make a few exceptions. Luke is one of those. I found him after his duet with Ryan Upchurch, "Can I get an Outlaw." That song came out years ago, before Nashville and all of country radio knew Combs existed.

Loving Some Luke Combs

Maybe it's the scruffy look and the raspy voice. Or it could be that I relate to his lyrics. "Doing This" is the second song inspiration for this post. And it's become a bit of a motto for me. 


"I'd still be doin' this if I wasn't doin' this

It ain't about the fame
It ain't about the fortune
It ain't about the name
It ain't about the glory
I guess I'm sayin' it's always been about"

Because while Luke would still be singing in smaller mediums rather than sold out shows, because he loves what he does, I write this blog and several of my other sites for free, without bringing in an income, because I can't NOT write. 

If I miss a day of writing, things don't feel right. I feel out of sorts. I struggle to focus and manage simple tasks because I have a million random thoughts bouncing in my mind and no outlet for any of them. It's rather overwhelming.

Sharing My Favorite Artist - Jelly Roll

Yesterday, we were on our way home from a baby shower, where I got to gift my niece-to-be with multiple custom designs from my collection of graphics for Sarandipity's. I finally got to play with my machines and crafts, giving me great material for a few different upcoming affiliate marketing pieces and how-to guides. 

Check out my social to see the baby girl projects I made! Comment and I'll send you the designs for free for the cost of an email.

I had Pandora set to a Jelly Roll station - topic switch - he just announced his new tour dates for 2023 and I've already got my tickets for two concerts near me. I'm so bummed rn that I won't be able to see the concert I really want to - Jelly Roll and Three 6 Mafia

But I don't have the opportunity to travel to Texas and I refuse to set foot in a backwards ass state like California. So, until they come home to Memphis, I'll stick to listening on the radio. We might surprise the oldest with a trip to Kentucky to see Jelly and Yelawolf for his 18th birthday. Yeah, we're cool parents like that. 

I'm more interested in Jelly and Struggle Jennings. That's the concert we'll be seeing! If you've never been to a Jelly Roll concert, I highly encourage you to check his tour and rectify that immediately! 

Rolling through Memphis Bumping Lil Wyte

Back to the story at hand and the third song inspiration of the week comes from Lil Wyte. Keep Going is about not giving up, even when you run into problems. 

I enjoy listening to songs that I can relate to, especially when it's from local artists. Wyte grew up in Frayser, which is a short distance from where I live. We pass through Frayser frequently on our way to Memphis. It's not a safe place, as Wyte sings about in Frayser Drive. But he also sings about the town I'm from and even a place and people I've partied at from time to time. 

"80 acres in Tipton County is where I be kicking."

While we ain't got 80 acres (yet), we still be kicking it in the county in the country. And our part of the country is starting to look gorgeous with trees in bloom and bright yellow Daffodils dotting the landscape. 

Spring Has Sprung My Business Bigger

Spring always makes me feel happier about life on a daily basis. It rejuvenates my soul and energizes my psyche. I'm more grateful during this part of the year because I'm at my happiest. 

And to really bring in the changing season, I'm trying to brighten my green thumb with early seed starting. Rn, I'm doing the research to pick which plants I want to use in my spring to summer outdoor landscaping. And trying to get an idea of the materials I'll need and when to start my seeds indoors. 

I might turn all of this information into another book! As I mentioned in my post at Sarandipity's, I often pull ideas for all of my content from my daily life. 

Are you a master green thumb with a great eye for plant layout? Tell me about your favorite outdoor flower to grow and the name of a song with a flower in it for a chance to win a free gift!

Music Musings of a Maddened WFH Mom

Music can be a powerful way to communicate thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to another person. It can even influence how you feel or how you think. You can even use music as a way to grow your small business. Letting people see the personal information that is your private music list implies an intimacy that you want to continue to nurture. It's not a one night stand that comes and goes without leaving a note or even a name.

 


Thursday, February 16, 2023

Enjoying the Classics of the 90s/2000s with Family Car Concerts

For the last two weeks, I've been in a different music mindset than my usual thuggin' gettin' shit done phase. It started when I turned on a random 90s playlist on Pandora while I was cleaning the house. You 80s' babies get it! The only way to clean is while jamming out. 


So, needless to say, my playlist has been consistently "vintage" ranging from the greatest hits of the 90s to the 2000s' soundtrack of my late teens to early momhood years.

Backroads Car Concerts Make a Perfect Marriage and Parenting Activity

It's been amusing - to say the least - watching my kids' reactions to the songs we've been jamming. The hubs and I have been rocking out, having major car concerts while we waste time cruising around with the canines, waiting on the minis to finish their random activities - basketball for the pre-teen boy last night and today and tumbling for the mini lady. 

On the way home last night, I had the joy of witnessing my boys singing along to some lesser known songs from two decades ago. While some of them have been due to my influence, there were several songs they knew that hadn't been my doing. 

 

 As we sang along to a family karaoke, throwback style, I made the joke - quite seriously - that we seemed to be some angry folks back in the day. It's no wonder most of us have mental problems and childhood traumas. The 90s were a rough time with a lot of horrendous firsts and the events of the 2ks have seemed to only get worse. 

The Days Are Speeding Past Lighting Fast

I don't think back in the old days that I really (or maybe most of us) really paid attention to the lyrics of our favorite songs. Then again, perhaps we did, since we still seem to know all the words two and three decades later. I think it's more likely that we didn't have the life experience to fully appreciate the meanings behind the words. 

Music has the power to make us feel different things through time as our perception of life changes. It can control your thoughts, your memories, and your emotions. There's a reason that music is now being used as a form of therapy, especially in Alzheimer's patients. It's said that music can help bring back memories.

While I wasn't transported back in time as we rode around yesterday, I think the simple pleasure of getting that    - which happens less and less as the kids get older - will be a memory that I treasure for years to come. Especially as our oldest son nears graduation in May and turning 18 in April. Soon, he'll move out and I'll have to start the process of letting go. 

Rocking Out with the Best of the 90s and 2k

And while the world is a terrifying place, I can only hope I've prepared them for the realities of the real world. But the one thing I can be sure of is that I've at least provided them with one important trait - fantastic music tastes! 

Check out our 90s/00s playlist of the week to witness first hand the fantastic parenting we've done in regards to the music we've passed along to our kids. 

  • Drowning Pool (Bodies is a family anthem on family road trips)
  • Skillet 
  • Panic at the Disco 
  • Green Day 
  • Evanescence
  • Papa Roach
  • Shinedown
  • Snoop Dogg
  • Linkin Park
  • Big Tymers
  • Leafly
  • Paramore
  • Nickelback
  • Three Days Grace
  • Creed
  • Seether
  • Ice Cube
  • Akon

Do any of these songs make an appearance on any of your playlists? How do your kids feel about your music? Is there a song or artist that y'all bond over? 

Drop me a comment and tell me your favorite musical memory with a loved one. I'll choose one commenter to win a a free prize.

Are you on my email list yet? It's full of thousands of dollars in free goodies, resources, events, and tools. I even offer a free undated 2023 planner as a way of saying Thanks for trusting me with your info! No spam, ever! 

What I've Been Following on Social

I'm not a big social media person. I get on there randomly to check in with out of state families, update my profile for special events, and sporadically add content to my business socials. Thankfully, my husband keeps me up to date on trends and adorable puppy videos. My favorite thing lately has been the Open Verse challenge on TikTok. I've been obsessed with watching the various posts people are adding to celebrate Jelly Roll's success. Do you have a favorite?