Monday, 16 March 2015

A Whisper Away

H.A.P.P.Y. was started two years ago because I became tired of turning on my computer and seeing negativity almost everywhere I looked.  If it wasn’t bad national and international news, it was people just sitting there complaining about how bad their lives were without any attempt to take control and change the negatives to positives.  A few years ago I was also one of those people until someone pointed out to me just how negative I was on Facebook most of the time.  That was the day I picked myself up, gave myself a good talking to and turned it around.  Not always, obviously.  We all have our bad days.  But we can choose whether to let the bad stuff pull us all down.

I don’t post here very often because I want to keep it as fresh as possible.  I want the posts to mean something, so rather than just a weekly “isn’t life grand?!” babble that everyone would get sick of reading, I try to pick and choose the things, places and events that inspire me and I know will stay with me until my last breath.

And this is where we come to #theloudestwhisper



This has been on social media, local news and radio, and newspapers for some time, though mainly in the last few weeks (and especially days!), but do you know what it was all about?  What was happening?  Or did you skim over it and not pay it much attention so you could go and look at videos of cats playing with water a little bit quicker?  I wouldn’t blame you.  I love cats!

#theloudestwhisper grew from a tiny seed into a bloody great big forest in the space of about eight months, and it was in response to Love Productions (LP) making a street in Tilery in Stockton-on-Tees their focus for the new series of Benefits Street.  It appeared that most people didn’t want them there, including a number of people living on the very street in which they were filming, but despite objections to both Love Productions and Channel 4 the filming went ahead anyway.



And then along came Mike McGrother.  His intention was to show LP that it was possible to do things in a lovelier way.  They could choose to film absolutely anything in and around Stockton, but they appeared to ignore the huge positives it has to offer.  LP said they were giving Stockton a voice, but what they failed to realise but Mike put so succinctly, is that Stockton already has a voice and it’s louder and prouder than LP could ever imagine.

#theloudestwhisper was originally intended to last one day but so many people wanted to be involved that it was extended to two days, and what a wonderful two days they were!  So what did we do?  We played the biggest game of Chinese whispers you’ve ever seen.  The game involved thousands of people and included businesses, schools, colleges, performers, all the way to a care home, bikers and countless individuals.  And let’s not forget the council itself played a huge role in the event.




I’ll let the videos at the end of this post speak for themselves rather than going into the finer details of the event (which can be found here at www.positivelystocktonontees.co.uk).  What I’d like to do instead is to tell you why I became involved and what I gained from the experience.  Another voice, perhaps, that LP don’t even believe exists.

Put very simply, I became involved because I wanted to give something back to the community that has given me so much in the last two years, and because I believe so strongly in the message I knew #theloudestwhisper would convey.  The reason for its conception is important, of course it is, but I know I would’ve wanted to be involved regardless of the catalyst.



When I joined Stockon Town Choir (STC) I didn’t realise that as well as finding my singing voice I would also find my inner voice.  I was incredibly nervous and shy, and quite frankly when stood in the big circle of singers with Mike in the centre I was terrified of being picked on as a newbie!  I’ve never admitted that before so publicly (and never to Mike himself (hello, Mike!)).  Over the years I’d seen him perform many times with the Wildcats of Kilkenny so I had an inkling of how he’d interact with everyone, and I wasn’t wrong.  But I was trying to blend into the wall.  Me; a 5’8”, overweight woman with very red hair (back then, at least).  I tended to stick out in a crowd.  I still do!

What I didn’t realise when I turned up that first week was that I wasn’t just joining a choir, or indeed a community.  I was joining a family.  And in the last two years (remarkably I’ve never even missed one week) that family has looked after me.  They’ve shown me respect and kindness, I’ve never once felt judged or ridiculed, they helped me to discover who I am and the kind of person I want to be, and I’m thankful every day that I took that first step and walked through those terrifying doors.  Through STC my love of performing has been reignited and I’ve been involved with some fantastic projects, some related to choir, others not.  I’m also now a member of two other choirs.  Music plays a big role in my life now, and I’m not even all that self-conscious when playing my cello (badly, for now at least) in front of other people.  Although that might depend a little on the person!  I even found myself singing along, out loud, on my own, to songs being played at Ropner Park on Saturday.  I would never have done that even six months back.



Two years ago I would never have even considered helping on a project such as #theloudestwhisper.  I was too unsure of myself, I had very little self-confidence unless I was at work (and even there I can see how much my confidence has grown), and the thought of being so self-assured, cheerful and chatty with complete strangers was out of the question.  But now?  No problem.  And I know without a shadow of a doubt that STC played a huge role in bringing that out in me.

The thing is, I’m not from Stockton.  I don’t live in Stockton.  I worked there for a while about ten years ago but until I joined STC I only really visited for SIRF.  A couple of people recently asked why I would bother being involved with so much in Stockton if I’ve never lived there.  Well, apart from feeling like I’ve been adopted, and discounting entirely the fact that I love Stockton ARC, Preston Park (and now Ropner Park, too), Tees Barrage, the growing and fantastic independent businesses, the community opportunities, the exceptional events and fireworks, the beautiful riverside, why would I only care about my own doorstep?



Since when did we only care about ourselves?  Yes, okay, there are individuals out there who really do only care about themselves (and I’ve unfortunately known some of those people personally), but if that was the norm then fundraising events such as Children in Need and Comic Relief wouldn’t be successful.  I know I’m in danger of sounding all fluffy now, but it’s true that our neighbours are not only the people who live next door.  They’re also the people who live in the next town, the next city, the next country.  Everyone is our neighbour.  Without exception.  So if I give money to Comic Relief to help buy mosquito nets to save the lives of people I’ll never meet, why wouldn’t I help a community that has given me so much in such a short space of time to stand up and, whilst whispering, shout about how much they love and how proud they are of their Borough?

In helping at a few of the whisper locations over the two days I discovered very quickly that I’d underestimated just how much people do love Stockton-on-Tees (and believe me when I say I thought I already knew!).  The number of people who came to whisper, the number who volunteered to help, the number who arrived and left with smiles on their faces, and the number who stuck around afterwards just to socialise and keep the community spirit going long after the whisper had been and gone, was all testament to just how loved Stockton really is and how strong the community continues to be.



I know that despite the number of visible faces who ran, and were involved with, the event, there are countless others who won’t be recognised for their contribution by anyone beyond the core organisers because they’ve remained in the background.  Everyone involved should be so ridiculously proud of what was achieved, and how successful #theloudestwhisper was (and no doubt will continue to be).

I would urge you to please, Please, PLEASE watch the videos, regardless of where you live.  These videos are about Stockton-on-Tees, but they could just as easily be any town in the world.  They could be about your own town there in the United States, France, Australia, Germany, absolutely anywhere.  It only takes one person with an idea to turn a negative into a positive and to show what a community is really all about.



I think we should all take a lesson from #theloudestwhisper, not just Love Productions.  We all have the capacity to do things and live in a lovelier way, sometimes it just takes a bit more guts and gumption to stand up and do it, without apologies or explanation but just because it’s a good thing to do.

I know we haven’t heard the last of #theloudestwhisper.  In fact I’m counting on it.  But in the meantime, instead of sitting back and accepting that all the negative things people say about where you choose to lay your hat are true, look around and see the positives, embrace them, enjoy them, then open your mouths to shout out your very own whispers to anyone who’ll listen, and tell them that they’re wrong.  Tell them that THIS is my town.  THIS is my home.

And we’ll continue to tell Love Productions and anyone else who’ll stand still long enough to listen, that THIS is Stockton-on-Tees!



The original teaser, "The Great British Take Off":
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JXEjHK5P8e8 

Day 1:
https://vimeo.com/122139022 
(Video by Ian Paine)

Day 2:
https://vimeo.com/122229038 
(Video by Ian Paine)

The Big Reveal:



The Wildcats of Kilkenny play to a fantastic crowd at Stockton Arc after the Big Reveal. Photo by Kirsty Baillie.


All photos of #theloudestwhisper kindly provided by Positively Stockton On Tees.







Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Take me to the bridge and soothe my soul


In the midst of large doses of stress and worry I’m finding it more and more important lately to focus on the positive things in my life.  That’s an easier thing to do on some days compared to others.  It’s all too easy to let the sad, upsetting, depressing and stressful things get me down.  Some days it’s a huge fight not to just throw up my arms in defeat, crawl into a corner and hide under a duvet, and tell the world to go f*** itself until I can cope with what to other people will seem miniscule and unimportant irritations, but to me can become the end of my world.

But there’s something I realised very recently that has helped me to feel like a normal human being even on the bad days.

 

I’ve posted here about music before (http://foundmysmile.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/thank-you-for-music.html?m=1), but in the last few months I’ve been reawakened to the wonder of both learning and making my own music.  Well, not exactly my own music, but my own interesting interpretation of someone else’s music!  When I was in junior school I started cello lessons and I loved them.  I was always a self-conscious person, and as I got older I felt more and more awkward and embarrassed about practicing when anyone else could hear me.  I eventually lost interest, perhaps with the onslaught of hormones, and I regret it to this day.  I wasn’t the best cellist, not by a long shot, but I enjoyed it and I loved entering competitions.

 

About 15 years ago my parents bought me a ¾ sized cello when I said I wanted to start playing again, but back then my self-conscious side took over and it wasn’t long before I stopped playing again.  I tried picking it up a few more times over the years but I always put it back down and left it alone.  And then last year I was given an electric cello.  She’s a black, glossy, sexy bugger and I love her.  She’s quieter than an acoustic, which allows me to play with more confidence and less worry about the neighbours’ reactions!  She’s patient and forgiving, and despite making her cry in agony sometimes she still lets me try again and again and again without complaining.

 

I really should name her…

 

It’s taken me a while to reach this point where I look forward to picking her up again.  Back in September I was terrible.  I could remember how to hold the bow but it was awkward and a little painful on my thumb.  I knew the basics for fingering and hitting the notes, but in practice I created sounds that no person should ever put a beautiful musical instrument through.  It’s taken a lot of practice and finger exercises to reach the point where I can create sounds that don’t make my ears bleed, and sometimes I do still wonder whether my playing will ever improve.  And then I remember how terrible and awkward I was back in September, October, November, and I realise that yes, I’m making progress.  The very fact that I’ve started to get to grips with a piece that way back in my childhood had me frustrated as hell because I just couldn’t nail it, is a rewarding reminder that I’m getting there.  Slowly, but I’m getting there.

 

So now after work the first thing I want to (and usually) do when I get home is practice.  On my days off, and once I’m finally awake enough to function, the first thing I want to do is practice.  If my fingers are up to it I’ll go back for seconds later in the day.  I always aim for twenty minutes practice, but I always play for longer, usually 30-60 minutes.  When I start to become so noticeably tired that I’m struggling to hold a note, or even find the right position, or I’m tensing up, then I take the hint and stop.  The fingertips on my left hand are clearly toughening up, and when I brush a nail lightly across the fingertips there’s a slight tingling sensation.  It’s the same sensation I remember as a child, having practiced and practiced and practiced until I got it right.  Or almost right.  When I’m at work it’s a reminder that I have something to look forward to when I go home, and a reminder that I can still (as a stubborn adult) learn and grow.

 

Something unexpected has happened now, though.  By now many people will know I sing in Stockton Town Choir and the choir at work.  Well, I realised a few days ago that some of the cello music I’m working on and some of the songs we’re singing have begun to meld into one big mess of music.  I’ll find myself humming the cello piece Menuet d’Exaudetand realise a few moments later it’s turned into a song from work’s choir Dona Nobis Pacem.  I go to bed with one tune bouncing around my head and wake up with another.  This morning it was Schubert’s Lullaby. At various moments throughout the day I start humming without realising I’m doing it, which is just glorious for my colleagues!  A few nights ago when I went to bed and pulled up the covers, I unconsciously started to practice the fingering for the Menuet on the side of the duvet.   Is this normal?  I mean…. really???

 

Music has always been important to me, as I expect it is to most people, but I realised that while I was looking the other way music seeped under my skin and made its home.  I really do hope it stays, because although people think I’m a bit nuts when I spontaneously hum a pretty tune while walking down the street or sat at my desk, it makes me smile inside, and it makes me feel a little excited about the possibilities ahead of me.  Which tune can I play next that I didn’t expect to achieve?  Or even more surprising a question, which instrument can I pick up next and start all over again?

 

One of my brothers said to me that he hoped my cello didn’t become a mill stone.  I can say in all honesty it feels more like a whole big bunch of helium balloons lifting me up. But thankfully, without the silly high-pitched voice.  Mostly.