Why you shouldn't stop creating

Being a creative is both a blessing and a curse. It is a wonderful thing to be inspired but, as a singer / song-writer, I also know there are times when you feel your own compositions are not really of interest to the world and you have a crisis of self doubt.

The fundamental reason poets, composers and many exceptional scientists work on their ideas is because original thoughts materialise into their heads and they feel compelled to follow where this thought trail leads. Bright ideas, when fully nurtured, can become an inspiration to the world.

From my own perspective, I have an idea and the idea is given form by becoming a song, just as if it has been born into the world! This new arrival isn't enough, however. The song needs to be shared with the world to make the idea fully come alive! To this end, I formed the Kindred Spirit Band, to give the fullest expression of my creations to the world, and I record my songs, for people to listen to at their leisure.

This connection of a formed idea with the world is a difficult barrier for the creator, however, and failure to make this connection happen can feel like rejection. Just after I had finished creating my most recent album, Phoenix Rising, and had the physical copies in my hand, I simultaneously knew I had created, with the wonderful engineering and production help from Jez Larder, at Skyline Studios, something truly beautiful and yet was excruciatingly sad because I didn't know how I could share it with the world!

During my career, I have witnessed a number of other singer / song-writers, whose work I have admired and respected, give up their pursuit of bringing their ideas to life because they have been unable to reach the people who would appreciate them and they believe it is their creations and thus their own abilities which have been a failure! This is very sad and a great loss to the world!

I want to say to you, if you are a creative person and you feel your ideas and creations have been rejected, do not throw in the towel! You must trust your own judgement and believe in yourself! There will be people who like what you have created. Let me share some inspirational messages I have received in 2017 (below) and then I will leave you with a sample of my creations, so you can connect with them yourself and see what you think! My music is unusual but it is also beautiful and meaningful and may just change your life!

I have finally found music again. Tonight I was searching album reviews on Prog Magazine, trying to find something that would grab my attention. I happened upon your Kindred Spirit album “Phoenix Rising”. I must say, from the moment I heard the opening notes of “Children of the Stars” I was hooked! I have not heard such wonderful, uplifting music in ages. Your voice is soothing, yet commanding, and you and your fellow musicians are extremely talented. I am buying this album TONIGHT! I can’t remember the last time I fell in love with an album on the first listen, but this has done it for me! Please keep doing what you obviously do best and may you and your fellow band members have the most wonderful of new years. I hope you decide to tour the States one day. America needs such wonderful music as Kindred Spirit shares with the world. Keep up the great work! G Sauls, Alabama USA

Never heard of your band until the New Day Festival last weekend. After a few minutes listening I had to get off my arse, leave the beer tent and walk down the hill to the front and watch the whole set!! I wondered why you weren't higher up the set list. Keith Holness

Find of the festival for me! The set was too short. Would have liked at least another 15 minutes. Ian Ralph Huckin

Love this band! Kim Fletcher (Mott The Dog)

The day began with Kindred Spirit, whose blending of some electrifying folk rock with a prog sensitivity, ensured the Spitfire stage got off to a good start. Reminiscent of early seventies band, Spirogyra, they gave us a few tracks from their latest album, Phoenix Rising, including the title track, Dragonfire and Wolves at the Gate, and they held the crowds attention with some quite delightful music all the way through their sadly all too short set, no mean feat for so early on a very sunny afternoon. Afterwards, guitarist and singer Elaine Samuels said they'd been impressed by the crowds response and had been very excited to play for music fans who seem to like us. Laurence Todd, writing for Classic Rock Society's "Rock Society" Magazine