"Although part of me only ever wanted my bedroom walls to know about the songs I had written, a bigger part of me wanted to share them. I'll never forget looking in the mirror, moments before I walked on stage for the first time. With sweaty palms and loud thoughts, I took a deep breath and asked myself a question: why am I doing this? The answer was simple: because I have stories to tell."
- The Stories Inside Us, Artful Blogging Magazine Winter 2017
Although I may have discovered ways to make the anxiousness before I walk on stage more bearable, I am by no means an expert at overcoming fear. Performance anxiety continues to be something I have to work quite hard at to overcome. However, my hope is that this piece encourages you to pursue any passions you might have that seem too scary or overwhelming or out-of-reach to try.
I am a firm believer that if I can stand on a stage and tell stories, then you can do just about anything.
The winter issue of Artful Blogging is now available at Barnes and Noble and other locations that can be found here! You can also enter to win a copy by leaving a comment on this post. I would love to hear about a time when you were presented with an obstacle and how you overcame it.
Thank you for being lovely and taking the time to read my words - they always come straight from my heart ❤️
You make everyday better Hayley, thanks so much for having the courage to share your art with us all.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mark! You're too kind!
DeleteHello Dear Hayley.
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful and congratulations for your publication. Very happy for you. I understand you so much. Feel the same way about making presentations, organized events and theatre plays. My stomach spins around, but in the end, the love that I have for those things, make all nervous worth it.
With love,
Rachel 💕
Thank you so much for your kind words, Rachel! Knowing that others feel the same way is always such a wonderful feeling. Thank you for sharing ❤️
DeleteYou welcome, dear. This article sounds beautifully and I'm starting to believe that you have a fairy soul, because all you write seems stardust. 💕
DeleteThank you for sharing your heart, Haley. Pressing through can be so hard, but very rewarding.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Sharon! Thank you! ❤️
DeleteHayley! I was so excited to see your Instagram post about this new article, and now I can't wait to read the piece in its entirety. I'm constantly inspired by the amazing things you do, so thank you for allowing me to follow your journey online. Hope you're doing well!
ReplyDeleteA couple years back, I was also struggling with performance anxiety (singing and playing piano for an audience...) Although I was terrified, I decided to start a YouTube channel to share my voice and see what sort of feedback I received. While I don't have my YouTube channel anymore, I still love to sing and play piano and continue to share my songs with my friends and family.
-Rachel Grace
Rachel! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words! I am humbled that you choose to follow along and I so appreciate you listening to my stories ❤️ Also, thank you for sharing your experience with performance anxiety. Sharing your words and voice is so incredibly vulnerable whether it's online or in person. I'm so glad to know that you continue to share your songs with your friends and family. They are very lucky to witness your creativity!
DeleteHayley! I was so excited to see your post on Instagram about this. You never fail to inspire me with your incredible journey. Thank you so much for letting me follow along online! I hope you're doing well.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, I was also struggling with performance anxiety (singing and playing piano...) so I created a YouTube channel. While I don't have my channel anymore, it gave me the confidence to play and sing for friends and family. :)
You welcome, dear. This article sounds beautifully and I'm starting to believe that you have a fairy soul, because all you write seems stardust. ��
ReplyDelete