GoFundMe to Upgrade My Music Production Software
THE TOOLS
Hey! I'm Cha Wilde and I'm a singer-songwriter in Seattle. I'm going to use the funds to upgrade my music editing software (Ableton Live) to a more advanced version that will allow me to produce my music at a more professional level. I want to release albums and get my songs on Spotify/iTunes, the radio, and licensed for films/television. In order to do this, I need higher quality music production software that will allow me to dive deeper into learning, experimenting and fine-tuning. I'm teaching myself the music production process and I've hit a ceiling with the tools I currently have. I'm waiting on this new software to move forward with my projects so I'm gathering the funding as quickly possible.
THE BIG DREAM
I have a dream of performing at the Gorge Amphitheater one day. I close my eyes and feel myself on the stage. I see the black sky, the stage lights warm on my skin, my index finger drops onto the A5 key on my piano and the crisp note pierces the night air, the crowd falls into silence and goosebumps rise. There is a girl somewhere out in the audience who knows my story and she looks at me over the hundreds of heads. She has a dream, maybe different than mine, and her heart swells with gentle enthusiasm as she thinks, "She did. So can I." I was that girl once. I was watching Oh Wonder perform at the Gorge in 2016. I saw Josephine Vander Gucht laughing on stage as the wind blew her dress up and I saw myself there. I saw an invitation to be free, to come play, to create, to become the artist and the leader I've always wanted to be. All I had to do was say yes and make it happen. I want to live in a world where people go after their dreams and I believe I must be the change that I wish to see in the world. I will be one of the ripples that spreads hope that dreams can come true.
THE WORK
That dream is just a guiding star to help me navigate my moves. The day to day journey, the actual waters that I sail through are the reality. I'm leaving behind a career in the photography industry that I've been building for 7 years and I'm diving into the music industry. These are some of the challenges I've been facing so far: changing my identity (I have to introduce myself as a musician now and that's new and uncomfortable), learning skills that are WAY easier to learn as a kid (still kicking myself for giving up piano lessons), facing fears of appearing foolish for dreaming (get a real job!), feeling stressed from starting from scratch, throwing away financial security and not being able to afford things (like music production software lol) for the foreseeable future, feeling like a crazy artist can be lonely and creating new habits requires insane amounts of discipline that leave me drained most days. In addition to recording music & performing, I have visions for composing film scores, writing custom songs for people, mentoring young women to help build their confidence through music, leading artist retreats to help musicians explore their creativity in a safe place, and writing and speaking about the power of music, facing fears, and going after dreams. The first step though is learning to record my own music so I can share it with the world and get the ball rolling. Every day I have to remind myself that I can do this -- my dad told me I can do whatever I want if I'm willing to work for it and I've always believed him. It's going to be worth it because it makes me so happy and the music will go out into the world with an agenda of its own - to heal, inspire, enliven and connect in ways I surely don't expect. This is the first time in my life where I really feel I am being used (or possessed more like) by something greater than myself - the music just flows through me as a gift to the rest of the world. I can't take credit for the songs - I don't know where they come from. I can only take credit for my willingness to show up and do the work because I believe the dream is worth following.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING
I am feeling vulnerable and out of my comfort zone to ask for financial help from other people but I also believe that a core part of being human is giving generously and taking generously. A healthy human knows how to ask for help when they need it so they can rise and give back twofold. It's a circle that fuels everybody who participates. So today, with deep gratitude I ask you to give me funds, so tomorrow I can give you music. // Cha