IWD - Tay

Small, fragile, sensitive me

Livestream for March 8th: http://198.27.68.65:8112/stream

"Hope” is the thing with feathers – that perches in the soul…” - Emily Dickinson

We all come to music in different ways and for different reasons. We sit - as I did - beneath my mother’s baby grand as she played Beethoven. Some were given lessons, taken to concerts, or enrolled in choir. Others seem to have been born with an instrument in their hands and melodies running through their head. Ask them how they discovered or developed a love for music and they look incredulous or a little puzzled. “Music IS me,” they’ll say, as if that should be obvious.

Tay, a musician who hails from Slovenia (a small, mostly mountainous, and heavily forested country in central Europe), belongs to the latter category. “My love and passion for music were given to me in the cradle. I think I sang before I talked. My earliest memories are of singing all day, every day, everywhere I went.”

Dreaming of one day performing as a singer, Tay taught herself the guitar and began writing poetry she hoped to turn into lyrics. Then a good friend - an accomplished singer and guitarist - offered to help and they produced several songs. Sadly, he was diagnosed with heart disease and passed away not long after they began collaborating. “Working with him was one of the best times of my life, and I have beautiful memories of our time together,” says Tay, “but the songs we created just make me sad.”

Though the dream of becoming a singer lingered through her adult years, Tay had all but given up when she was introduced to the music community in Second Life. “I never had enough courage, and with no one to support and push me I ended up caught in my dreams.”

In Second Life, however, she met and was encouraged to try singing for live audiences. “Second Life gave me the opportunity to give my dream a chance, and I’m very grateful. I love each minute I spend on SL stages.”

The first time I heard Tay perform was at a fundraiser for “Feed a Smile,” which raises money to feed children in the “Live and Learn” program in Kenya. I was touched not only by her voice but the genuine love and concern she expressed for the children as well. Later, when we talked and I learned that she volunteers with an animal rescue organization, I began to understand what I was feeling. Tay is one of those special performers who sings from her soul. “I speak with music…through the only language that can embrace all that’s going on inside my mind and heart. The funny thing is, I often sing with tears in my eyes. I’m just so deeply touched again and again.”

I’ll leave you with the quote that both Tay and I have in our Second Life profiles. I read it regularly as a reminder that the adventure of being alive is all about discovering and expressing the unique inner spark that is your gift to the world. I can’t wait to hear you sing, Tay!

"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive. I want to know what sustains you from the inside, when all else falls away." - Oriah Mountain Dreamer

To Tay’s music, visit: https://soundcloud.com/sweety-sweety-310260927?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=social_sharing

P.S. If you would like to make a donation to cover the costs of hosting the event and paying these amazing musicians, you can do so here: https://paypal.me/BraidedLives?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

Braided Lives is my project and Joanne is my given name :-)

If you are interested in being a sponsor of the event, with your name mentioned and logo displayed, please email me at JenaBall@CritterKin.com

Thank you!

Jenaia