Mercury is definitely in retrograde! The day finally arrived to say goodbye to husband and daughter, set off for the airport and begin the long journey across the Pacific to the States. En route to the Gold Coast airport, reports of the dust storm started airing on the radio. Typical, an ex-New York neurotic spends six months planning her trip to the T, only to be stymied by the first dust storm ever to shut down all but one run way at the Sydney Airport, rendering transit in and out of the hub either cancelled or severely delayed.

I did somehow manage to get myself on the first and last Virgin Blue flight out of Coolangatta into Sydney. In the end, I made my delayed connecting flight to San Francisco with 3 hours to spare.  The universe was conspiring against me, and then it wasn't.  A special thanks to my dear friend and fabulous astrologer Tricia Darroch, whose recent newsletter warning about the repercussions of a retrograding mercury on Virgo ascendants like myself helped keep the nervous breakdown at bay (the two valium and gin & tonic also did wonders). At least I was psychologically and pharmaceutically prepared, I don't know how the rest of the world is coping. Apparently mayhem on this magnitude will continue until the 29th of September.

At Sydney Airport I bought a copy of the September 23rd issue of The Australian and came across an editorial by Janet Albrechtsen titled, "Feminists Are Screwing It Up For Their Sisters." I was intrigued.  I decided to include an excerpt from the article in this blog, as it relates directly to the question, "Can Woman Have It All?" I hope you appreciate her astute reflection on the topic as much as I did...

"Contrary to the newest feminist mantra, the world of work and families is not some kind of utopia, where women (or men, for that matter) can have it all. Having children raises difficult, imperfect choices. You can do the full-time work, full-time childcare caper. Or you can work part time, allowing more time at home with children. Each person will make a personal decision, but whatever the choice, something has to give: whether it's losing precious time with young children or making difficult career sacrifices. That applies to men as much as it does to women."

Thank you Janet, I couldn't have said it better myself.

Tomorrow night is my first concert event.  It's great to be here in Seattle - so beautiful and lush.  I am looking forward to the event, and feeling that in spite of the immense effort and sacrifice it has taken to get me to this point, I am very grateful to be here.

Until next week, best wishes...

Last week I posted my interview with Mandy Nolan.  This week I've decided to switch things around and post her interview with me which appeared in last week's Echo.  I feel it's relevant to the topic because it speaks to my intention to balance family life with my own creative passions. I'm achieving this balance by stepping outside of the box and doing things in my own way.  My upcoming tour in the States is all about grassroots music, service and reaching out to new loyal audiences in ways and at a pace that is comfortable for me.  Hope you enjoy it!

CARMAN IS IN THE HOUSE

In a few weeks from now local singer songwriter Susanna Carman heads back to the U.S. for a series of house concerts. Carman has developed her own signature style, reflected in her debut release Holy some 12 months back. 

Returning to play her homeland is easy for Carman as she has a ready made fan base.

"I have family in the States and they have distributed my music to their communities and some of them are network hubs. This tour is like the last push to support the album before I go back into the studio to do the next one. I am concentrating on finding little niche markets in an effort to build a grassroots audience."

Carman's three week tour of the west coast takes in Seattle, Ashland and San Francisco in a series of low key house concerts.

"House concerts are the best way to connect with people - it hasn't really happened too much here, the album is so intimate and the way I perform the songs is so exposing - it doesn't work to do that at a pub.

Not everyone wants to drink alcohol and smoke cigarette - they might want to sit and have a cup of tea or a glass of wine. People want to be moved not just entertained. There is more opportunity to achieve that in an intimate setting, when people feel touched they end up buying more albums."

As an artist Carman see's herself as a storyteller.

"It's a big part of what I do - storytelling - and it takes me back to roots music which is storytelling."

Susanna is donating some of the proceeds of her house concerts to the communities where she performs.

"The house concerts to me are part of the grass roots movement to have organic and authentic music in a home and community building so I can support those communities that are coming to see me."

A mother of a two year old, her three week trip overseas is the first time she's been childless since the birth. 

"Going for three weeks without my baby and husband, is scary and exciting."

Carman credits the birth of her child as uncapping her creativity and allowing her to focus her energy on her talents.

"I had a very slow development, and then my husband died when I turned 30, that's when I dropped everything, I just threw in the towel, life stopped for four years. When my daughter was born, I had a surge of energy, I recorded and released the album, I suppose you could say I am a late bloomer."

Having a child changes everything about being a musician.

"When you have a child you can't be living out of your car and touring, it has to be about where the child is with the creative passion focused right along side that. I am selective about where I play."

Susanna Carman also plays the Mullumbimby Music Festival, 26-29th November as one of the many talented local acts gracing the bill this year. For more information and early bird ticket sales and local line up go to the web on www.mullumfestival.com

Mandy Nolan, The Byron Shire Echo, Volume 24 #14, pg. 19

I would like to add that Mandy Nolan will be appearing in a doco about women next Wednesday, Sep. 23rd on SBS. She will be talking about balancing motherhood with a career in the arts. Definitely check it out.

Until next week...

Cheers!

 

Some of you may have read Mandy Nolan's interview with me in this week's echo:

 

http://documents.scribd.com/docs/21udnf8y5ljfe0b1enu2.pdf

 

While I was filling in Mandy on my upcoming House Concert & Fundraiser Tour in America, Mandy was filling me in on how she manages to do it all: motherhood, writing, comedy, teaching, painting, etc.  Here is Mandy Nolan on Mandy Nolan...

 

So Mandy, mother of five, journalist, comedian, teacher ... how do you fit it all in?

 

The secret is to go with it, eventually it all gets done.  Children give me the imperative, I don't have the luxury of time.

 

What do you think about the question: Can women have it all?

 

I think to a certain degree, you can. It depends on expectations.  I think you can have a full life, as long as you aren't expecting a fairytale existence.  You may not be living in an enormous, brand new, perfectly clean house, and you may not be that brilliant high achiever always reaching every goal. But, you can, "have it all," if your expectations about your career, home-life and family relationships are realistic. It's enough for me to be part of a beautiful community, and to be able to perform and do my thing in a regional setting.

 

What gets sacrificed in your life?

 

What gets sacrificed is my health and my fitness. I have a pattern of going so hard that I don't pick up on the signs of fatigue.  Basically, I keep going until I drop. I have to learn to exercise and relax - picking up on those signals to know when to stop. Now I have to schedule my walk every day, and focus on what I'm eating. For me, It's not about weight, asthetic issues, or measuring up to those kinds of standards.  It's about wellness.

 

You have five children in your life now, how has that choice impacted on your career?

 

I've never seen my career and mothering as separate things. They are always connected. I use my mothering and my life as my inspiration for my creativity. It's all part of my journey. I see it like that because if I don't, I'll have a nervous breakdown. Also, it reflects the reality of what is. Why should women have to justify not having kids as a way to advance their career? I'm creating a life where I can be a mum and be 'out there,' and not only be defined as a mother.

 

Does motherhood get easier the more children you have?

 

In some ways it gets easier, but it's a lot more work: the house cleaning, the homework, the dishes the fights with the kids. Parts of it are easier because you become more selfless, you become capable of doing more. You're efficient, you don't procrastinate, there are no opportunities for endless stretches of time and the imperative to achieve is greater. Basically, you do what you have to do. 

 

What motivates you to manifest so much in life?

 

Productivity drives me.  It gives me a sense of achievement and fulfills my need for personal gratification. At the end of the day, I've achieved something. If I don't have something else to do, I get irritated. If I'm not channeling my energy doing creative things, I start focusing it in obsessive/compulsive ways, like hanging up the wash perfectly, everything straight, pegs matching.  

 

I also define myself through my work. I've always believed that I should have the same opportunities as a man. I've never felt that having children robbed me of those opportunities.

 

Thanks to Mandy for answering my questions.  I feel she spoke for so many of us who are driven to have full, rich and passionate lives as parents, and as much, much more...

 

Until next week, best wishes!

 

Susanna

 

I thought I'd take a moment in between interviews to let the growing WAM - BAD community know about an interesting grassroots music movement that is taking off in America, but has yet to penetrate the indie music culture here in Oz.  I am talking about House Concert touring circuits that can take an independent artist across the United States, one living room at a time.

There is an increasingly growing, organized community of artists, hosts, managers, booking agents, etc. who are coming together to spread independent music in an organic, intimate way.  Personal experience has taught me that house concerts can be both artistically rewarding and lucrative. As a result I've independently organized my own tour in cities along the west coast of the U.S. (see U.S. concerts on upper right of screen and select cities for event details). However, until recently, I wasn't aware of just how organized these networks have become in the States.  The way I see it, house concert touring is now a viable alternative for indie artists wishing to penetrate the U.S. market, and make some fun connections with a unique community of acoustic loving fans along the way.

Although I'm sure there are many, I've come across a website that acts as a networking resource for artists who wish to book their own U.S. tour. I discovered a host in the San Francisco Bay area through mutual friends. The host is called Fifth Street Farms House Concerts and is located in the Berkeley Hills. Fifth Street Farms advertises itself as a host at concertsinyourhome.com. For an annual membership fee of around $45, artists can find out the contact details of hosts in most cities across the States, plus other touring artists on the circuit and managers booking on behalf of their clients.  Their motto is, "Living rooms were made for live music!"

Next week I will return to posting more interviews.  It's been extremely affirming for me to hear how other artists/parents manage to maintain a healthy balance between family life and creative expression.  I've just had an interesting chat with writer, comedian, painter, mother and Byron Bay icon, Mandy Nolan.  I look forward to sharing her pearls of wisdom with you all next time.

Until then...