Fearless Voices: A Foreword

By Andrea Hylen, Founder of Heal My Voice

Yesterday I wrote a blog about the difference between a Foreword, an Introduction and more… You can read the details here.

As one example, here is the Foreword in the first Heal My Voice Book:

Fearless Voices: True Stories by Courageous Women

Foreword by Claudia Carawan

We asked Claudia to write the Foreword because her song Fearless was the inspiration for the topic of the book. We asked her to write about what Fearless meant to her and to tell us about writing the song Fearless. She did include a short paragraph about the writers because she met them at an event and then read some of their stories. That is not a necessary part of the Foreword.

FOREWORD

By Claudia Carawan

I was going through a time in my life where I was experiencing a lot of change. I had quit my stable office job to pursue my dream of being a songwriter and recording artist. Although it was a time of growth for me, it was a challenging time because nothing was easy. Every day presented new challenges and I felt vulnerable. I recall one day in a moment of frustration announcing to my husband “I’m tired of feeling afraid!”

Shortly thereafter as I was writing in my journal, I heard a new song in my head. It was a melody that demanded my immediate attention, so I stopped what I was doing and sat down at the piano to capture it. The song felt very joy-filled. I knew intuitively that this melody demanded a dynamic lyric –a powerful lyric. I quickly grabbed a pen and started scratching out some lyrics. I was creating what is called in song writing circles, a “list song.” In a state of clarity I listed all the qualities I wished to posses. I tweaked and edited with reckless abandon and soon I was looking at the first draft of a brand new song called Fearless.

Fearless

I was born to live life fully

To let go of regret

To walk the high wire of life without a safety net

To follow something even bigger than my pride

To show up with courage even when I’m trembling inside

I will not worry about what others think of me

and I will not be shackled by the chains of conformity

I’ll break the mold set in the past

Keep pushing til I’m free at last

I’ll follow the path of my heart

and make my life a work of art

Call me fearless. I am fearless!

I will follow the road to adventure everywhere

I’ll let the top down and let the wind tangle up my hair

Hitch my dreams onto the brightest star

on the trapeze of life, I’ll throw my heart over the bar

On the other side of fear there lies euphoria

and a better understanding of who you really are

I’ll break the mold set in the past

keep pushing til I’m free at last

I’ll follow the path of my heart

and make my life a work of art

Call me fearless. I am fearless!

I’ll push outside the comfort zone

remembering I’m not alone

I’ll follow the path of my heart

and make my life a work of art

Call me fearless. I am fearless!

I believe creativity, when expressed is a powerful tool for personal growth. This highly personal song, seemed to be the perfect anthem for me to sing, to help me transition through the discomfort of feeling afraid. I was thrilled with the song and how quickly it emerged with relatively no struggle. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was in the “honeymoon phase” of creation –my joy was short-lived. The next day I looked at the lyric sheet and had a very different reaction.

This song is CRAP, I thought. I can’t sing these words with any integrity.

As I dug deeper to examine my 180 degree shift in feelings, I realized the underlying emotion I was experiencing was fear. I was concerned I would never live up to the lyrics.

I took a deep breath, realizing that I had to (at least) get a second opinion of the song. I recorded a rough draft of the song and sent it to my no-nonsense producer Jody Boyd. Jody is a straight shooter who doesn’t mince words. Jody said “Claudia, I like this Fearless song… I think it’s a hit, and furthermore, I think it should be the title track of your next CD!” Being stubborn and still feeling ambivalent about the song, I sent a collection of songs (including Fearless) to my girlfriend Zita to get her feedback. I simply asked her to listen to the collection of songs and provide me feedback. Zita called me the next day as she was driving to work. She said, “Girl… I’m real busy right now, so I got one word for you… FEARLESS!” “What? I stammered.” Zita continued, “In one word, this collection of music is Fearless, and by the way, I love that song!”

I decided that it was time for me to stop the insanity. Despite my trepidation, I realized this new song was an opportunity for me to push outside the comfort zone and declare my freedom over ridiculous fears. I had written a personal manifesto to help me live a more authentic life.

I recorded the song with every ounce of power and liberation I could muster. The vocal was recorded using a vintage microphone (Neumann M-49) that “queen of soul” Aretha Franklin had previously recorded with. Singing into that microphone, there was no doubt in my mind that I was indeed fearless!

Looking back I find it deliciously ironic that I was afraid of this song called Fearless. I am glad I recorded the song because it has served as a reminder to me (on many occasions) to live large and do my best. Many people have shared that the song was helpful to them as they pushed outside their comfort zones. Fearlessness is about giving yourself permission to be the authentic person you were created to be and showing up with courage (even when you’re trembling inside).

This collaborative book Fearless Voices: True Stories by Courageous Women tells the fearless journey of twenty-two amazing women and how they overcame the (nagging voice of fear) to step into their fearless, authentic nature. At the heart of each story is a woman consciously walking through uncertainty to become stronger, fuller and more radiant.

I celebrate with them as together we make our lives a work of art.

Claudia Carawan is a positively soulful singer/songwriter and recording artist who specializes in high energy, inspirational music. She has produced two award winning CDs Out of the Blue and Fearless. Her empowering music and YouTube videos are gaining fans from far and wide and give new meaning to the words – POSITIVELY SOULFUL.

Speaker, Workshop Facilitator and Teacher

Claudia also works as a teacher and mentor to at-risk teenagers in a treatment facility. Using music, story-telling and theater Claudia loves to inspire the hip-hop generation and help them discover their creative abilities.

www.claudiacarawan.com