Precious Sister Laura,

May I please say how much YOUR CLASS CHANGED MY LIFE!

I initially took it (more than once, I believe) in 2023, just after God Informed me (not audibly, heh lol) that I was to release a record by 23 December. I’ve written well over 1,000 songs in my forty-something years, and only about 20 are even recorded, and I had never posted a complete record at the time.

I thought it was the tech (I was a singer and musician IRL but the tech stuff kept changing as soon as I FINALLY learned it, aka “it took me MONTHS to finish a SINGLE SONG.).

 

But it was actually that Sally Be a Fraidy-Cat, and Too Proud To Admit it. (Heh. LOL :)) 

 

ANYway, after taking your class, I realised what a little bratsi I was being, and decided to do the work then and there. I was SO encouraged by every single thing that you’d said in the class. (From your profile, I learned that you were a fellow polymath, and just that similarity and similar “Struggle” aka “what do I want to focus on TODAY?” which of course, is every last thing, lol. But.)

 

Anyway! Laura, my dear sister, your wondrous words and encouragement helped me to see that there’s time to do all the stuff, and buckling down to finish this one thing would free me up to enjoy the next creative task. I just had to be a bit organised about it.

 

And organised I became. Filled out all the stuff. Wrote a recording contract that spanned like four pages, lol. (Attached as images if you want to see how I had to coach and con myself into getting everything done!)

 

I actually HAD filled out the following questions back then, but my answers were dolty. SOOO detailed to the point where it was almost vague. What I wanted to accomplish, anyway. Coz in the end, I was only doing this coz God Had Told me I was to be a psalmist instead of a professor (Which I’d been for like 15 years. And still miss lots, lol. Sigh. BUT music is SOOO much ingrained in my soul. I was slowly dying without it.)

 

Now that I’ve dropped that first album (The CALLING from December, 23) and a second, mostly instrumental one (God Upped the ante in the summer, requiring two CDS by the same deadline!), I've found myself finishing songs more quickly and not obsessing over drums or shakers or ouds or whatnot.

 

I actually also released an EP the other day, three songs I couldn’t wait to drop (my music be healing, so I couldn’t withhold that--not when the few people who’ve heard my music have experienced breakthroughs nearly instantly).

 

I’m answering about the first record, though--and from the viewpoint of looking back, instead of stressfully trying to look ahead. 

 

One of the lines in your class cut me to the quick, btw; it was that you weren’t religious but loved how passionate were those people you were mentioning in that bit of the class.

 

As you saw 20 minutes ago, at the beginning of my tome (lol, my apologies but you really did change my life and I felt that I could not go another day without thanking you for it!), I am a person of great faith, to the point where I literally laid down every single thing I had thought I’d wanted for my life, in order to complete an assignment By SomeOne (God) I’ve never seen (or audibly heard). Following Jesus Is my passion, yesterday, today, and forever. And while I know I’ll never be pro-level at mixing and mastering, I know that my searing desire to Please The LORD Of The Universe will (hopefully!) make up for the horrid compression and EQ fumbles, lol. My music is joyful and wistful and hopeful, all at once. And thanks to you, it’s finally online and out there for people to hear--and hopefully heal. :)) 

 

Much love from Sally B. of Siham I AM 

 

What theme?

My comical and stranger-than-fiction journey towards God’s Call upon my life. So of course, the name got to be “The CALLING,” lol. 

 

What instruments?

Ohh, girl, I had so many! Oud and tablas and synths and cowbell, lol. But “Stuff Happened,” and I was… “persuaded” to use some more modern digital stuff that wasn’t AT ALL my style, lol. 

 

What vibe?

It started out very organic and like lush four-part harmony and “ethnic” instruments and beats, but turned into “experimental EDM/wannabe musical” very quickly. (I used Odesi software to record and produce the instrumental.)

 

How does it make you feel?

I was not a fan of the whole techno vibe at first, but I soon understood why the “happy accidents” that happened HAD to happen; most of the songs are about wrestling with demons of insecurity and betrayal and uncertainty and grief and just… going through the motions because life felt too hard to deal with. But the songs were catchy, and though some of them sound pretty childish or ridiculous, the truth is that even the imperfections minister to me, cheering me up HARDCORE every single time I’m even remotely down about what’s going on in the world. 

So, the short answer is, IT MAKES ME FEEL SUPER! (And the follow-up, “WHIMSICAL WORSHIP (EP)” is even cheerier and more joyful and fun! Hehe I’m so glad that God Pulled SO much delight out of one of the most difficult years of my life. xD Praise To His HOLY NAME! :))

 

Any other reasons why you love it?

YES! I was inspired to make a short film about my journey--not coz anyone will care to hear about moi, but because I learned SO MUCH about reaching purpose and beating depression and grief and other nastiness, that I simply HAVE to share it with my fam (aka all humans who stumble upon it).