Speaking from the heart- a life update

Hello my amazing, beautiful, wonderful patrons.

It's been a REALLY long time since I've posted....anything super substantial xD.  And an even longer since sitting down and letting you all know what I'm up to.  You all deserve a good fireside chat, so here we are :).  I miss you all.

1) I've been working on a full length album of original music for over 2 years now, and I am DEEP in production.  It's like pushing a boulder up a hill.  ALBUMS TAKE SO MUCH TIME WHO KNEW!!  Also you throw SO MANY THINGS AWAY because they aren't right!!!  I'm having to learn new production techniques to take on more of the work myself.  The sound shifts and changes.  I'm trying to be playful, while hitting deadlines, while not putting time pressure on it.  It's so much.  But I love the story of this album, I love this music, and I cannot wait to play you the mixes first (probably in October).  It's folky, a little pop, a little Irish, a lot of heart.  I hope you'll love it.  We'll spend a lot of time with it next year.  I'll tell the world about it very soon.  And you will all have your names on the inside cover :D.  I could not be more grateful for your presence here on Patreon at this point in my career.  You are literally my label.  And you allow me to make the music I want to make with no strings attached.  Thank goodness for you.  Thank you.  xx

2) I am reprioritizing a lot of things in my life.  I have NEVER been more social.  I have such an amazing community.  I've also started doing something physical 6 days a week.  Which has been incredible.  However it means that I have less time to be alone in my apartment to work!  I'm weirdly grieving the unhealthiness of my former productivity.  Because it worked for a while!  But I'm having to tell myself that I now know it doesn't work anymore.  Being isolated and working inside forever is just not healthy for me.  And I have to accept that.

3) In the coming months I will be introducing my audience to this new era of MALINDA- a folk artist who loves blending the old traditions with the new.  Who believes that those oral traditions are a key to our humanity and our resistance to evil in the world.  And a JOYFUL queer woman.  Who maybe swears sometimes when it's necessary.  I am no longer the 19 year old who started YouTube.  I'm still a singer, an Irish musician, a creator and a communicator.  But those things haven't quite caught up with who I am yet.  And I'm going to start to let it.  I don't want to just sing by candlelight ;).  Or just sea shanties, God bless em.

4) I will be taking the month of November to go do a project in Iceland (will tell you so soooooon it's so cool) and then spend 2.5 weeks in Ireland in an area where I am considering one day buying a property to convert into an arts center.  I'll also be filming a lot of material for the album out there.  It's a super daunting prospect to be away from the US for a month, but I think I need to connect with the culture that has defined me in a deeper way.  So I'm super stoked for that :D.  And I'll make lots of content there, of course.  This will also be a time for me to try out some musical vlog styles of video again.  

5) I went to Buffer Festival in Toronto, and it was absolutely fascinating to be amongst creators again.  It made me remember where I came from!  And just how much my brain has moved on from that mindset to one that wants to perform live.  I want to make sure I keep both aspects of me around.  Because they're both really important to my identity and to my career.

Things feel like they are on the cusp of something truly fulfilling and exciting.  And it's all very scary.  I want the ideas I have in my head creatively to "work."  But I'm having to define what that is for me- what does success look like?  I've always been one who defines success by comparison.  I now see how much joy that has stolen from me over the years.  And breaking that down is so hard.  But so necessary.  I also feel really empowered in my personal life!  And I'm afraid of that power some days.  I'm like wow if I let this all out I'd burn down the world and build it back up again in a day.  But my life is at its best when it is balanced.  So I'm working on that.

I can't wait to have my creative ducks in a row to the point that I can share things with you.  And I hope you all are taking care of yourselves and enjoying the shift into the new season.  I personally LOVE the shift into fall as permission to turn inward.  It makes me feel validated somehow after the explosive energy of the summer.  So take the time to turn inward a little today, my friends.  Make sure you're tending your own fires first.  xx

xxMKR