Daily Inspired

I am proud to share a project Jason and I are embarking on. We decided that this year, we are going to raise enough money to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk in honor of his mom who is kicking breast cancer where the sun don't shine! She inspires us all the time and we wanted to find more women like her who were fighting cancer and living their lives beautifully and share their stories through pictures.

We are in the midst of creating a calendar filled with pictures and stories of women doing the things they love and sharing what helped them endure and persevere through their fight. I'm sure some stories will be uplifting and others will most likely break my heart, but they all need to be told.

If you would like to stay up to date on our progress or be a part of this fundraiser with us, just visit www.dailyinspired2010.blogspot.com. We are still in need of models and businesses to sponsor the calendar, so please feel free to lend a hand.

Stay tuned!

This is a quick note to tell you all about my new toy. I am now in the possession of a Zoom H4 digital recorder. What that means for this website is that soon (possibly even starting this week) I will begin archiving vocalize exercises so that you can come on here to have a recording to practice with! I really hope you find it useful.

Because this is so short, I also want to add a link for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCAgM8sGZW4&a=cmaENlNDf2o&playnext_from=ML

long overdue update

Yes, I know. This blog post is long overdue. I have many excuses why, but all that really matters is that I'm feeling empowered to take control of my life, and this was such a great outlet for my creative free writing that I decided to take up this hobby once again. I've added a new reason for maintaining my blog: resume. Let me explain.

For the past year, my life has been a series of what ifs, online job searches, and an array of short lived jobs to fill my time. I kept saying that I wanted to find a career job, but didn't actually follow through on the necessary activity to make that happen. A few days ago, something clicked in my brain and now I have a clear vision of what I need to do. For so long, I was trying to find jobs that I would like and be qualified for. Yeah, that didn't work so well considering the fact that I have little to no office experience and my resume screams retail which meant my resume was never taken seriously.

So something had to change. This week, Jason and I decided that it was time for me to leave my job as a barista and start working full time to find a career path. My approach this time around; recruiters, temp agencies, and networking. My aha moment, was that I have tons of skills and experience and that I have to start selling myself to the people who matter. I started with the networking. I have many friends in the professional arena and I reached out to them for advice, connections, and support. The response was extremely humbling.

One of my students and dear friends, Katie, works in the legal department of Ascentium (a digital advertising/marketing agency located in Bellevue, WA)and she set me up with a coffee meeting with one of the company recruiters. Anne was amazingly helpful. She gave me ideas for my resume (format, verbage, resources) and offered ongoing support in getting my foot in the door, whether it be at their company or another. One of the things she made a big deal about was how social media is the new IT skills that companies are looking for. I was shocked! You mean to tell me that blogging, twitter, facebook, youtube, and skype use will actually enhance my chances of landing a career?! And here we stand. I'm blogging now for myself and my future employers. Don't worry, spell check will be utilized. ; )

Pretty exciting isn't it? I am just bursting with energy today because I am free from my barista cage, and ready to take off on this new adventure. My real hope, is that the job I find will be a satisfying and long time fit so that Jason can leave his underpaid overworked time sucker of a job and focus on building the photography business that he dreams about every day. Keep us in your prayers, and feel free to contact me with suggestions and connections for either my search or for Jason's business.

Life update

Yes I know...I've been hiding. But here is a quick update in the life and times of the Fukura household. So much has changes since I wrote last that this might get to be quite lengthy, so if you're up for it get cozy!

So, let me think, since August, Jason got a job working as a stock photographer for www.fushionbeads.com and has been working tirelessly to get his own photography studio off the ground. He's doing well, but we're not quite ready to coast. Like any new business, there are always growing pains. Because of his two jobs, he's pretty much working all the time. So we've had to make a few adjustments to our relationship. Namely, plan out when we'll have private time together. Not only is it important from a time standpoint, but we're living on a much smaller income lately than we were six months ago, which as all married couple know causes strain in the relationship in some way shape or form. So our church life and us time have become a necessity for our relationship to thrive.

As for me, I am still teaching. This month marked a new level of growth in that I finally surpassed 20 students. The most I have gotten to yet was just under that mark, but now I am officially over. I teach three days per week and that I discovered is my teaching limit. My organization skills are being tested and I'm constantly trying to keep my head above water with the things I need to get done and working with twenty people's schedules. Do I love it all the time? No, but I love what this experience has taught me as a performer.

In October, I got to put some of those new skills into practice. I was hired to sing as a back up singer for a show at the Triple Door in Seattle. That was a lot of fun and just reminded me of how much I belong on stage. Hopefully I can keep auditioning for different projects and eventually get PAID! Wouldn't that be a kick. I did get paid for this last show, but it was only enough to recoup one day's worth of parking in downtown Seattle. It's a start...

Next for me? Well, I have been offered a position as a barista at Mercury Coffee Co. I'm happy to have this chance, because it will allow me to keep teaching and double my income. I just don't know how long my body can hold up under the new schedule I'm going to be holding. Ideally, I'd still like to find a full time job that would pay well and give me benefits so that I would only need one job. That way rehearsals and performances might be possible. I keep praying and soon I know I'll get to where I'm trying to.

That's not everything that's happened, but it's a start and I'm tired of typing. So come back soon and there will be more.

Back in the Saddle Again

I belong on stage...That's how it's always been. But in recent years, I've gotten lost in being an adult and forgot what it is that makes me tick. When I talk to people about being on stage or recall past experiences I am often reduced to tears. Not tears of sadness, but really, tears of passion. The reason I didn't go to school to be a teacher is because I never wanted being in the classroom to be an excuse for not being on stage. And here I am, teaching...

My studio has been active for almost two years now and I really do love it. Being able to share what I know with someone to help them find their inner musician is incredibly rewarding. But something has been missing ever since I left college; the opportunity to perform. At CWU I had regular auditions, concerts, master classes, recitals, and I was surrounded by other like minded individuals who spoke my language. Since graduating, the only people I interact with daily that are at my musical level is Jason and the other teachers at Spotlight Studios. Lately, it has hit me that I'm just not happy with this arrangement. I need to do more than teach I need to DO!

So, fast forward to today. I had an audition today!!! Last week, I finally got depressed enough to do something about it and so I went online to Theater Pudget Sound's website and found this audition. This seemingly small step was probably the biggest step I needed to take. I went in today, nervous as all get up, and sang for them. Walking into the room, I felt like I was auditioning for American Idol because there was a big open room, a long table, and three guys sitting behind it looking at me. Yeah, no biggie...AAAHHH!!! People seem surprised that I get stage fright. Little secret, my heart pounds uncontrollably which makes breathing from my diaphragm nearly impossible. Mostly now, my stage fright is limited to auditioning because when you get to the performance stage of the process, everything is second nature. Since auditioning is not a regular occurrence YET, it hasn't quite become second nature, I need to practice more.

With that being said, the audition went like this. I walked in and shook all of their hands then they told me how the audition would flow, no biggie (heart pounding) I smiled and nodded. They had me stand a good ten feet from the table and gave the go ahead for me to let her rip. The song I chose was "Don't Stop Believing." Confession: I've had this song stuck in my head ever since I watched the pilot episode of Glee and one of my students came into my studio to learn how to sing it. Regardless, it's a great song. My nerves got the best of my memory, so I only sang the first verse and the out chorus that everybody knows. I sang it A Capella and managed to stay in one key. My pitch was a bit off, but I hit enough notes strong enough that they could get the picture. Next on the docket they checked my range; low, chest and head. Because of the nerves, I bottomed out at F3, top of my chest voice was D#5, and my high end topped out at C6. Not a range to be ashamed of, but usually, my bottom is closer to D3 and my top is more like F6. Oh well...The last part of the audition was sight reading and part singing. They gave me eight bars of "Lady Marmalade" played through it twice and then had me sing it with two other voice parts to see how I would blend. Of everything in the audition, this part went the best, which I guess is a good thing because that's probably the hardest part. I'm not trying to brag, I just wasn't terribly happy with the rest of the audition.

They thanked me for coming in and said I'd probably have an answer sometime tonight...My audition was at 2pm and I got the call and the offer of a spot at 4pm!!!!!! Thank you God! So what next? My first rehearsal is next Saturday with two rehearsals per week and then on October 9-10, we're going to be doing some backup vocals for Mark Siano at the Triple Door. I'm so excited right now. Someone really does need to pinch me.

As new developments occur, I'll update!

p.s. The name of this A Capella group is called Elegant Catastrophe Singers.

Homeless encounter in Pioneer Square

Jason and I were in Pioneer Square on Wednesday evening. For those of you not familiar with Pioneer Square in Seattle, it's one of the oldest parts of downtown with some definite rough edges. Let's just say that during the day, no worries, however you will not find me walking around that neighborhood at night. Homeless people gravitate toward this area because of the different missions there that offer food and shelter. So expect to run into a few colorful characters when you're there. Normally, I walk past them without even giving them a look, but on Wednesday, I had a unique experience. We parked our car in a paid parking lot because we were running late for a photo shoot and didn't have time to search for street parking. As we walked toward the pay booth, this tall lanky man walked over to us and offered us some assistance. You could tell he was a 'local'. He suggested that we park on the street to save a few. Asked us where we were from. Simple things. Like I said, we were running late and didn't know where this waterfall park was that we were supposed to meet our client, so I asked him if he knew where it was. He said not only did he know where it was, but he'd be more than happy to show us the way. My knee jerk reaction was to decline, but I decided that it was ok. Should I judge him because of the way he looked or spoke? He was just being a nice guy after all.

As we walked, he introduced himself to us as Lorenzo, told a few jokes, none of which I actually understood because of his thick slang and escorted us about a block to the place we were looking for. He had a tip cup in his hand the whole time, but was quick to say that he tries to be nice to folks and offer them help with the hopes that they will tip him for his services. Sure, he expected it. And had we not tipped him, I don't know what he would have done, but there was no need to go there. He was kind to us, so we threw him a few dollars.

Not ten minutes later, another panhandler walked by and asked us for some change. When we said no, he started rambling on about how he's been hustling all day with no luck. Will I reward someone being a nuisance? Never! But if someone does a good deed on my behalf and has a need that I can exchange in return, it is my pleasure to help out.

I believe that God puts people in our lives to teach us a lesson. Thank you Lorenzo for being our teacher.

Jason's Business is Going Places!

I'm so proud of Jason. This add is going to be featured in Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom this summer!