Greetings Sunny Optimists,
This week, with some delightful assistance, I have created a guided visualisation for you from the Dorothea Breitzer-Kings book Meditations through the Year. It has been a real treat to develop this celebration of the month of May, and I would love to share the story of how this came to fruition.
On March 26th this year, you may remember that I wrote a post to celebrate the sixth month's Anniversary of The Sunny Optimist. There I captured the successes I felt I had gained over that time, from becoming a writer to recognising how much I enjoyed creating meditation recordings for you. I wrote at the end of the piece that;
'I need to find a person who could guide me technically to making recordings. Perhaps a younger person who has all the techie skills that would like a project to work on.'
It is amazing that often when you put an intention out there, life responds to the call.
Three weeks later, I wrote a post called Whimsical Optimism that features a video recording of the Charlie Mackesy book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, narrated by Tim Uffindell. I really enjoyed the recording, and I was intrigued by how Tim elevated the text with his sparking narration. I had a look at his website, and as you can see from the photo below, he carries happy and bright energy.
Please click here or on the image below to listen to Tim's narration of the book.
One of the things I love to do is follow my nose. My intuition told me to find out more about Tim and 'Lo and Behold' he is a professional voice coach.
Could this be the answer to my call, I wondered?
I decided to reach out to Tim to see if he would take me on as a client.
He said a resounding 'Yes '!
At our first meeting, I found out that he is not only a voice coach but has a depth of technical ability as well. He also offered to teach me how to make the most of GarageBand.
YEY, I have found my Guy!
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Intergenerational Delight
We have been meeting weekly since then.
What I am so appreciative of is how Tim, at age 27, and I, at age nearly 70, have found an intergenerational creative space that energises both our lives. I knew that I wanted a younger person to help me. I also knew that the intergenerational piece would be part of my joy in learning. I felt that I would be somewhat different from Tim’s typical clientele, which he might enjoy. He says he does!
The last four weeks have been a great adventure for me, and so far, I have learned how to;
prepare myself to record, from my posture to inner centreing practices, to exercises to get my voice ready,
become familiar with the text I wish to record, deciding the pace, the emphasis, the tone, and the energy of what I want to convey,
get my technical kit sorted, the position of my microphone, the placement of the guard to stop the ‘popping,’ the orientation of my keypad, and how to get my computer screen organised to record
use (I was going to say mastery, but that would be a stretch), GarageBand including the relationship between the controls on the mic and the controls on the software, setting levels, and how best to edit…..
how to focus on the recording, this includes paying attention to background noises like my clock and my squeaky chair
and best of all, how to animate my reading, from coding the words with colour to the movement of my body (quietly) to emphasize the text.
This experience has been truly delightful, and I know there is more to come.
If anyone looking for a voice and recording coach, I wholeheartedly commend Tim.
May Meditation: The Clearing
And so dear sunny buddies here is the meditation that I recorded for you this week with Tim's wonderful guidance and support. Please note that Tim recorded the piano music that is alongside the guided visualisation. I was so touched that he took the time to do this for me and us—a deep bow of gratitude to him.
Click here or on the photograph to listen.
This experience has been a powerful adventure of learning and manifesting across the generations. I would love feedback on the recording if you have the time.
So much appreciation for you being on this journey with me.
Ann
Best wishes. Sorry for late comment. Inter generational joy in my life too. Celebrating my nephews seventh birthday last week and my niece is nearly ten. Hope all is well. Keeping optimistic and bright 😀
Ann - wow what progress. As Dirje says, you have managed to elevate the listening experience. The pace is great to make the most of the meditation and to achieve a great stillness energetic space. It is fascinating to share this journey with you! As you regularly disappear into your office, and then some time later the next offering manifests. Your diligence and commitment is really something.