What picture do you get in your head when you hear the word VOICE? It’s a fascinating and multidimensional concept.
Project Runway judges might say “I sense your voice in this collection.†This statement lets the aspiring designer know that what they just created represents their authentic aesthetic. It rings true, it’s recognizable, just like an autograph.
This is also true in music. In just a couple of notes, we recognize that a Kenny G’s recording is playing, or yes, that’s Carlos Santana’s weeping guitar. How? I’m not sure, because there are a million musicians in the world, but somehow we recognize the great ones through their art.
Before I knew the song “Tell Him†was a duet, I was confused as to whether I was listening to Barbara Streisand or Celine Dion. The argument in my head went something like this:
It’s Celine.                                                        Â
No. It’s Barbara.
Each line seemed to contradict the next. Then I realized,
Oh yeah. It’s both.
With a business name of Whalen Voices, people ask if I work with singers. The answer is no. But on second thought, maybe I do. It takes courage to speak, to find your voice and express it with confidence. I’m reminded of a speaker who is in tune with women’s challenges. When she speaks of protecting the self-worth of women, for example, I notice that her voice comes form somewhere deeper inside. Conviction. Strength. Passion. The source tapped and her the flow of her voice feels like a song.
Confidence triggers change. Sometimes it’s gradual, and sometimes it’s dramatic. Notice yourself the next time you step into your own place—into your passion groove— it sounds suspiciously like singing. And it doesn’t matter if you are speaking or writing. There’s really nothing more beautiful than a voice that is true, authentic and real—like a custom-fitted glass slipper.
Try it once, be changed forever,
Jan