Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've written here.
Lots has happened since I spoke to you last. I haven't been on any travel adventures, but for many months I decided to knuckle down and focus on making money. This meant cranking up the hours at the restaurant where I work, a funky Middle Eastern bistro called Tabule, on Queen Street East.
Getting into the working zone was almost all consuming, but I still managed to do some music related stuff along the way. I've performed a few fun gigs; One at the Musideum for my friend Asher Ettingers 'Paint, Play, Repeat' event - where he paints to live music...
Another at a great little art gallery in the east end called Gerrard Art Space...
And a lunch time show at the Princess Margaret hospital for the Atrium Music Program.
I also made an appearance as a busker on a crazy fun Film by Jude Klassen, called 'Love in the Sixth' . It was recently showcased at the Whistler film festival and is about to be featured at the Chigago Film Festival.
'Tuesdays with Tash' also continues to be a weekly event - this is a regular get together with my friend Asher Ettinger where we have been recording and producing a handful of my songs. Asher has been mentoring me with regards to recording and arranging, allowing me to learn and contribute every step of the way. You can listen to the tracks we've worked on so far by clicking on the following link to SoundCloud.
In the midst of all of this, I also had someone develop a little logo for me which was a fun process.
So, the big question is, what have I been working and saving money for, all this time? When I finally had a stash of cash in the bank, it was really tempting to book the next plane to Barcelona, and have another fun travelling adventure, especially since I've been studying spanish for more than 6 months now. But I decided to be responsible for a change and invest in my future. So...(drum roll)...Welcome to my Studio Nouveau!
I spent all of the money I saved on a home recording studio - computer, recording software, digital interface, headphones, speakers, microphone, mic stands, keyboard...everything I need to record and produce my own music. And I'm happy to report it's the best investment I've every made. It's going to be a massive learning curve, but I'm already having so much fun developing my first track. And I'm excited to see what I will come up with in the future.
So, for me this year, is about becoming the artist I've always wanted to be, one who can write and record and produce on their own, one who treats it like a job and shows up to the work station on a regular basis. It's going to be a year for writing and learning; a journey within to see what comes out.
As well as developing my craft, I am also determined to do things that will fill my well of inspiration. For me, success means having an interesting life; i feel most happy and most alive when I'm doing something new. In fact, changing my name to Natasha Nouveau was a deliberate decision to remind myself to always learn and grow and evolve into being the best version of myself.
So as well as being a hermit in my new studio, I plan to do out of the ordinary things on a weekly basis; go to places I've never been, do things that I've never done before, challenge myself to have new experiences, follow my curiosity and see where my imagination takes me. And to help myself stick to this plan, I hereby declare that I will report about my experiences on this blogsite! So if you want to join me on this journey of discovery, you are all welcome to follow me here.
As well as developing my craft, I am also determined to do things that will fill my well of inspiration. For me, success means having an interesting life; i feel most happy and most alive when I'm doing something new. In fact, changing my name to Natasha Nouveau was a deliberate decision to remind myself to always learn and grow and evolve into being the best version of myself.
Now, on top of everything else, I must tell you that I fell in love, then out of love and then back in love again... this is no insignificant thing, especially since my emotional journey and my musical journey are so intricately linked, and also because I personally believe learning how to love (ourselves and others) is the whole point of this mysterious adventure that we are all on. But it's a very long story, and I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait to hear my new songs to have and insight into that one :)
Hasta pronto mis amigos! xx
