The one thing I must say that I have learned was my creativity and emotions (though the second can get out of control at times). I love being creative! Though I play the guitar to make blues music! Something that I love to do, I haven’t really started to write my own songs until I went to the Ottawa blues fest! That is a music festival for the city of Ottawa, Ontario Canada! I went twice with my friend Rickie, another woman. That being said why do I play the guitar is because obviously my brother John have me a wonderful Christmas present, I guitar, though I learned under the teachings of Amanda Jordan, yes the Amanda Jordan. I would not start to take the time to write my songs out until I went to blues fest! Though blues fest was one of the triggers! I found that I also broke my phone when I was angry a few short weeks later! Both different occasions but would define me!
My brother John, the good one as I like to call me gave me a guitar during the COVID lockdown, one of the unfortunate times in human history, as I experienced racism and discrimination for being half central Asian! So I needed something to take it out on society with getting into trouble. Enter my brother John, who helped me get my first guitar. I did not think of it much but it was going it mark my life in a good way. Since being taught by Amanda Jordan, the country singer while living at my group home…..I found that playing guitar was coming easy for me. Now I am autistic (neurodivergent) and I am able to quickly learn and pick up things I love doing, which happens to be guitar. I learned the Am, c, and g cords woth no problem. And soon after Amanda went to do other things in life, I would have a crappy experience with mental health, as my other brother Bryan, tried to hurt me. So I downed ultimate guitar and started to learn the different cords that I never got to learn. So I am semi self taught! Though I never thought I would go to blues fest and see Sean Paul and papa roach! It would be those artists/bands that planted the idea of song writing. Especially when Jacoby Shaddix said that song writing saved his life numerous times over his life time. Though I would not sing the actual punk but soon I would realize that I played the blues.
No my brother Bryan, he was not the first source of emotional trauma! I was adopted from Romania and then was bullied relentlessly in school called the r -slur and other dumb names that really did not apply to me. That being said I have had a lot of pain in my life. This pain caused me to sing and soon song write. Though I have tried conventional therapy and medication which somewhat work, I see that it is creative stuff that will get me though life’s issues and tissues! But the song writing would not ensue until I went to blues fest and then weeks later breaking my phone……. As I broke my phone, at first I was devastated, I would have to face my pain with writing on Wattpad or on Amazon! This being said I found that I remembered being at the blues fest. And so I started to write a song or too!
The first time I wrote a song I was doing cleaning at my job at Bates, there I clean for two hours and just let my brain veg out during those two hours! When I emerged from my job….. I started to think about song writing on the way hope. I never told anyone this but i wanted to write a song. This would be the only way I would keep my self sort of sane. So I had my dinner, shower and then set down and started to write the song lyrics for ‘metal detector,’ you know those annoying things you have to walk through in airports, I was writing this song out…., I felt a great relief off my shoulders! And I wrote another song and then another. I started to get addicted and obsessed in a good way with song writing. I felt soothed and that there was less pressure from singing and song writing. Then I hopped on the guitar and tried to see what it would sound (the song ‘metal detector’) and found that it was a huge success in my group home…..but I had nothing to record it with this would have to wait until I got an iPad. The same iPad that I use to write this personal essay. I found that because I broke my phone out of frustration that I was able to dip into what I wanted to pursue and accomplish.
Now I must clarify that I do sing though I sing the blues since Covid was in town and screwed up my vocal cords. That being said the severe cough that came with many bouts of Covid caused me to have this nice gritty voice that made me sing the blues since with no problem. Before Covid I had sang like a pop star with Amanda Jordan. I had a hell of a time with Covid, as I had it three times , I am told and I am still on this earthly plane. Though I wished at the time I did not make it as it was misery in an ina nut shell for me. And the Covid as altered my vocal cord in such a way that I could sing the blues. That being said my music has helped me and also helped me with my emotions and vice versa. For one, singing and song writing have helped stay out of most trouble though it does tend to find me. That is because I refuse to think before speaking or acting. The song writing that I do helps me think before I act or speak, which is better than going off half knowing what is going on. Though I still struggle to think before I speak and think before I act. Though I have problems with emotional regulation ( I am not afraid to say this) and I am able to do creative things because of this, it also has gotten me in trouble at times. I must clarify that I use creativity as a form of emotional regulation as well as the conventional mindfulness activities too.
What is emotional regulation? It is the freaky ability to real in and control your emotions when needed or not! This is something I struggled with all my life so I do art, music and writing to help real in my wild emotions. I also do a calming dance once a day or if I feel like I am go into loose it in public. The dance or jig as I call it, looks funny to other people,e but I see that it actually works. It helps regulate the emotions and nervous sister I am told. I do the dance in public and I also play the guitar when I am at home.
As I sing and song write, I even do my own music video so I don’t have to fork over the money to a professional! You can find me on YouTube @beautifullyfreaky000. (Though I am not trying to promote my self) That being said I fine that being able to go to the Ottawa blues fest was a resonance for me. Because I am able to do this free hobby with out hinderance, both physical and emotional! As I see that sing the blues is like taking an antidepressant or an emotional Tylenol….it helps with the emotional pain for so many reasons! Name one reason that people make and listen to music! I do this for the same reason.
The other things I play are the harmonica, also given to me, and a hand pan (also given to me). Though I use the hand pan for therapeutic purposes and to smooth my restless soul! I also sometimes play the harmonica that my friend Matt gave me. With these three instruments and my singing, song writing i find that I am able to see that the world is a safe place to express one’s self! Though I see this as emotional pain relief! This doesn’t always mean that I won’t have a bad day. I see that being human means being imperfect at times, and even flawed. I will tell you that I find that creativity was able to help me even when I was four years old, though I still had bad days from time to time.
I have found that song writing has helped me cope and will continue to do so for me! I never would have started this if my brother John did not give me a guitar, and I also did not go to blues fest. These things had helped me break out of my head and into what I call life and the world. Other things that I a find help are drawing and writing though they don’t work as well as song writing. That being I am told I am direct and on point with my lyrics! And that just today I was discovered by TikTok and was invited to be ‘creator.’
So why do I play the guitar and the blues! I play the guitar and sing the blues for the reason of the Covid pandemic and I also play the blues because I have had a lot of pain in my life that being said I found that creativity is great for emotional regulation and for fun! Also I started to talk about the fact that I started to song write because I have too much emotional pain and would rather not self-exit. That will be another essay for sure! I found that music, art and even writing have helped me overcome come crap that I should have not even over came but did! It is possible to reduce or even get rid of your PTSD through creativity! So with that rock on!!