New Year, New Beginning, New Hope...

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Wow, 2009 flew by! For me, this past year was filled with many wonderful, unforgettable moments (like my WEDDING DAY and all the planning that lead up to it, WRITING MUSIC, and spending quality time with FAMILY and FRIENDS)... but there were some really difficult moments in 2009 as well. I am fortunate enough to say I still have a job and a warm place to sleep, but for many this is not the case. I never thought I would have to witness so many friends and family members lose their jobs and/or homes in such a short span of time. I've learned that even when I'm not the person in financial or emotional trouble, I'm still affected by it. I've learned that watching loved ones struggle is enough to get even the most optimistic person down.

And yet...With this NEW YEAR comes new hope. We are all reminded that no matter how terrible or gloomy things have been, we get to start again. We collect our thoughts and plan out our goals on a fresh new sheet of loose leaf. We decide and we vow to make smarter choices, to have more faith in other people and in God, to live life to the absolute fullest. We get to try once more to make things better. And for some of us, all we have to change is our attitude. After all didn't some wise person once say "life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” How great would it be if we all really did make lemonade...or cocktails... from life's lemons. Yes, 2010 will be a great year. If we let it.

May all your plans for these next 12 months come to complete fruition...
Blessings,
Diana

Hitched

Well friends, after a year of crazy planning, saving, and hectic scheduling...I'm officially married!! Yay! I found my prince charming and it thrills me beyond belief to call myself his wife. Because of all the time and energy that went into planning our big day, I've sadly taken much too long a break from performing. But as soon as we get back from our honeymoon I'm back in the game like crazy!! Although I've really missed playing out and connecting with fans, I can say in all honesty that the sacrifices made for our wedding were 100% worth it.

If any of you care to hear the song I wrote for my husband for our wedding day, just visit my myspace page... www.myspace.com/dianarosemyspace It's entitled "I Believe in Us"...a song that I hope inpsires single people to wait patiently for their Mr. or Ms. Right to come along, because it IS POSSIBLE!!! I also hope the song reminds couples everywhere of how blessed they are to be in love.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and let you all know I'm still alive and kickin...and WRITING NEW SONGS!!! Now it's time to create a demo fund and get more of those songs recorded for all of you to enjoy, and for publishers to cut!!! I thank you for all your prayers, support, and inspiration as I continue on my songwriting/performing journey.

Blessings to you all...

~Diana

The Juggling Act

Hey all!

I hope 2009 is going well for everyone reading this:) I've sorta fallen off the "keeping-my-fans-up-to-date" wagon lately, so sorry for that! I haven't played many shows recently either, which kinda bites. BUT, I've been writing a ton of new music that I can't wait to share with you all.
Reason for the breif break from playing out? Well, there's been a lot of other things in life going on. Mainly, I'm getting married this fall!! Yay!! And to the most amazing guy. I consider myself among the luckiest of people in the world. Needless to say, it's been quite a challenge to plan guest lists, reception decorations, ceremony agendas...among other things, while at the same time try to constantly listen to my creative muse. It's a juggling act that I wouldn't trade for anything though...

My big musical highlight for 2009 thus far would have to be the Durango Songwriters Expo, which I attended in Santa Barabara last month. It's the second "Durango" I've been on, and it was just as awesome as my first, if not more so. I got to make a lot of great connections at the expo with other songwriters and music industry reps, which is invaluable. Perhaps more importanly though, I came to a realization on that trip... I realized that songwriting is something I can't and won't ever give up for anything. It can be a struggle to make time for all the things we want to accomplish in life, especially since we're all working extra hard these days amidst a struggling economy. But I've realized that no matter my financial situation, no matter how busy my schedule is...there always needs to be time and energy saved for writing songs. That is my vow to myself from now on...to never neglect my writing. It may not always be the first thing on the priority list, but it certainly should never be bumped off this list!!

So what's your soul food? Mine is songwriting, obviously. But whatever yours is, make sure to put aside time for that passion. Even if you are getting married in 7 months, or working 50 hours a week, or running around like a chicken with your head cut off... Life's too brief to not do what you love. So just do it!!

Durango Expo 2008

Well I've been meaning to blog about this for a couple of weeks but time seems to have slipped away from me...funny how that happens. Anyway, I (along with my good friend and co-writer Andrea Jeitz) had an amazing weekend earlier this month. We went to something called the Durango Songwriters Expo, which originated in Durango CO, but now is held a couple of times per year in different cities around the US. For anyone who is serious about songwriting, this Expo is an extremely worthwhile event!!

At the Expo there were panel discussions, performances by hit songwriters and up and coming songwriters, one-on-one critiques with the industry pros, and open mic opportunities, just to name the highlights. But perhaps the greatest part of it all, was that the event was kept small enough (about 125 participants) to where we could really make some great networking connections. It's difficult to get your name and face repeatedly recognized when you're in a group of even a few hundred people, so Andrea an I were both very grateful for the intimate setting.

After our critiques and showcases, Andrea and I realized that some of our songs are really right on the mark as far as being "pitch-worthy," which gave us a great sense of affirmation and confidence in our writing abilities. However, we learned a few hard lessons too. The main one being that songwriting (as a business) is HUGELY competitive, and it takes a LOT of determination and persistence to get a song cut by a more established artist. We also learned that just because one of our songs might be great, and in our minds super marketable, that song may not be what a particular publisher is looking for to pitch at that point in time. Ballads, for instance are quite difficult to get cut, just because there are a gazillion of them out there. It's a tough game to play, that's all there is to it.

All in all, the Expo left me inspired and creatively charged. Although no one jumped at the chance to pitch one of my songs (which is what I really hoped would happen), I made a lot of great connections while I was there, and learned that if I want songwriting to be my career and my life (which I do) then I have to KEEP WRITING every day!! And most importantly, I must keep believing in my songs and in myself. Whether it takes 2 years or 20 years, I know eventually my songs will catch on! As my good friend and wonderful songwriting coach Jill Holly says, "it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when!"

So I'll keep singing, keep writing, keep livin' the dream on a day to day basis. And you can be sure I'll keep writing to you about the journey!

Blessings,

Diana Rose

Exciting day for me and my writing buddy!!

Wow, yesterday might have been the most exciting day ever. Yesterday morning I found out that one of my songs "Rather Be Single" (co-written with Andrea Jeitz) made it to the top 25 of the Music City Songwriting Competition! We have a chance to make it to number one and get a single-song publishing deal! Holy Crap!

For those of you who know me well, you know that one of my biggest music goals is to get my songs cut by bigger artists so they can get worldwide airplay. I feel like this dream is closer and closer to becoming a reality. Obviously no matter what happens with this particular song competition, I will still shop my songs to publishers and do whatever I can to get my music heard by more audiences. But the thought that Andrea and I COULD and hopefully WILL win the contest is SOOO exciting!!!

It just makes me realize how blessed I am to not only to have the ability to write songs, but to have an AMAZING writing partner. Andrea Jeitz and I make quite a songwriting team! I am so glad that I am able to share the excitement of the MCS Competition with her. While I am always open to writing with new people, I am well aware that the kind of writing chemistry Andrea and I have is rare. How lucky we are to have found each other!

So to all you songwriters out there who have found a good writing buddy, hold on to them!! And for those of you who haven't ventured into the world of co-writing, try it out! I can't even explain how much more fun it is to share the songwriting process with another creative person. It's rewarding from the first day you start writing a song, to the day your song reaches the top 25 of a big song contest.

So thank you God, for the gifts of life, passion, music and songwriting. And thank you Andrea, for being such a great writing partner! Let's go make some more music! And lets win MCSC!!!

Keepin' Up With the Times

So I finally decided to join the rest of the world and have my own personal blog spot:) The idea that my inner most thoughts will now be accessible to basically the whole world is a little crazy. But as a songwriter I'm used to spilling my guts out to everyone on a daily basis through my music, so I figured, why not?

It's kind of exciting to be able to share a diary with you all. It hopefully will help you understand me as an artist, a writer, and a fellow human being. At the same time, the feedback I get from you is sure to challenge my way of thinking, help me learn more about people and the world, and even generate new song ideas for me. Yay for new song ideas!

So keep checkin' back at my blog entries. Who knows, every now and then I may have something interesting to say. And of course feel free to comment on anything I write. That's sort of the point of this right?

Until next time, peace and God bless,

Diana Rose