Tag: patreon

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Who on earth are you? 

I’m Helen, I think I’m 4ft 11in, but my kids are convinced that I’ve shrunk. I’m often described as quirky and a bit mad due to my anarchic sense of humour. I studied Theology at London Bible College (now known as the London School of Theology), and music at Middlesex University (where I met my lovely friend Rachael Forsyth who write and performs with me).  I’m a musician, artist and writer living in Buckinghamshire, and I’ve taught singing and piano to children and adults since 1996. I’m obsessed with creativity and I like to write songs and music, create abstract acrylic paintings, and spend hours thinking about blogs I might write.   

Tell me a secret about yourself… 

I once applied for a job with MI5 and got an interview! I didn’t go for the job in the end because the security checks took over 6 months to complete, and quite frankly I needed a job immediately so that I could buy cereal and ridiculous shoes. 

When was your first performance? 

When was three years old, I told my parents that I wanted to sing at church. I think they thought that once I had sung in public it would put me off, however I sang at an Easter meeting and that was the beginning of many performances! I was so small that they had to stand me on a stage so everyone could see me. I started to play the piano when I was five years old, and I wrote first (terrible) song when I was about six (I didn’t release it).  

What’s your greatest creative achievement? 

A music teacher once told me that I had no talent and that I should stop wasting everyone’s time, so in 2011 when my song Do You Seek An Answer reached number one in the New Christian Music chart (in both the UK and Europe, I might add), I was pleased that the teacher was wrong and that I’d stuck to my plan! I learnt that you shouldn’t ever let anyone define you or limit what you can achieve, only God can define who we are and the possibilities of what we are called to do.  

Tell me about your influences… 

Too many to mention! But probably Karen Carpenter, I do think her best work was her solo album which she recorded with Phil Ramone. We can hear the real Karen, an artist who has matured and found her own style. Unfortunately, it wasn’t released until 1997, fourteen years after her death so she never saw the public’s fantastic reaction to it. 

A love of music by female singer-songwriters and finding that I had a voice of my own has greatly influenced my work. When I was 18, I fell in love with Alanis Morrisette’s lyric writing and that gave me the impetus and confidence to write my own songs. Her brutal honesty inspired me and her ability to make just about any word rhyme, makes laugh a lot! 

Judith Owen is an amazing songwriter and musical interpreter. Some of her arrangements of well-known popular songs are incredible and she loves to take traditionally male genres and add a female spin to them. Julia Fordham is also an incredible performer and songwriter and knows how to take the listener on an emotional and musical journey. The two albums that she collaborated with Larry Klein are amazing and are well worth a listen. 

What do you think is your mission in life? 

Well, that’s a big question. It has taken me a long time to work out what I should spend my life doing. However, I feel that the Lord has called me to lead a creative lifestyle, and to be an example of how to foster the routine of creativity in everyday life. Artists have a mission to represent God’s love and truth in artistic and diverse ways. What we create today, can help someone find hope tomorrow.  

If you want to find out more about my creative projects or join me in this journey, check out my Patreon page. You can join from as little as £2 a month. 

Tell me a something I don’t know about you… 

I was born with six fingers on one of my hands. The finger was deformed and had no bone in it, so it was removed. I always wonder what my piano playing would have been like if that extra finger had been viable! The again, it might not have made any difference at all… 

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So this month I have created some artwork for my Guardian Angels (don’t fear if you support me on one of the other Angel tiers, something is winging it’s way to you!).

I’ve chosen the Bible verses Luke 12:28 and Psalm 141:2 and created images around those verses. I’ve always wanted to draw roses, but think I could until last night! So mission accomplished, and I may try out other flowers as well.

Enjoy!

For more info visit my Patreon (Helen’s Angels) site here.

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A friend recently challenged me to write more about the reality of being an artist. And to be honest this is something that I dread, cause no-one likes a whiner… Often that’s how artist lives come across, but the reality is that being an artist is HARD. It is not for the faint-hearted, or the fame hungry. It requires commitment, huge personal cost and you lose friends along the way. But that’s where music fans come in, they are committed, altruistic and are prepared to dream with the artist. They are often the backbone of the artists’s work and career, they provide support encouragement and resources. So here are five things you need to know about being a music fan:

You mean the world to the artist. Yes really you do. You are part of the songwriter’s journey and they are thinking about what they want to convey to you when they are writing a new song. Every time you comment on a social media post, buy a CD or download a single, read a blog or share their music with someone new, you support the artist in ways you cannot imagine. When a songwriter shares new music with her fan base, it brings the music to life. So don’t forget to share the artist’s work, buy the music and tell your mates about it.

Artists love it when you interact with them. It helps them to know when their music is reaching people and who it is impacting. They love it when you get involved with music and are part of the creative process; it can be inspirational and add new dimensions to the work. We’re so lucky with social media that we can do this quite easily and regularly. At some point in their careers, most artists will experience loneliness and depression, especially when writing a new project. It can be a solitary time when you’re working away on a song or on the road touring. Over the years I’ve become great friends with some of my long term fans; they are the ones who know about the latest project before anyone else. Some of them have even suggested subjects for me to write about it. Thanks to technology and social media, the era of the inaccessible artist is long gone – get interacting! 

Buying the artist’s music is a game changer. Yes, I know artists aren’t meant to talk about money. However, the sum goes like this: no money = no music. Sad but true. It costs a lot of money to write, record and produce music and most artists pay for it out of their own pockets at great personal cost. Sadly in the current era, music doesn’t sell as most people listen to it for free on Youtube or stream it through platforms such as Apple Music or Spotify. These platforms are good in terms of getting music out to a broader audience, however they pay peanuts, far less than the single actually being downloaded directly from the artist. It’s a costly business and can mean that a lot of artists live below the poverty line in order to support their work. Buying a single, CD, T shirt or supporting their crowdfunding campaign makes all the difference. 

Your RSVP is a confidence booster. Turning up to a concert, interview or Facebook Live makes it all worth while. Releasing new music takes guts. Mosts artists are nervous about new projects, they’ve poured their heart and soul into it but they’ve no idea how it will be received. When you turn up to an event, you’re giving your seal of support and approval. A fan’s interaction can be make or break for a project or even a career. Booking agents look for acts that have an active, attentive fan base, who will turn up to concerts and bring crowd with them. RSVPing and be there, makes all the difference…

Sing! Dance! Enjoy! We make the music, the art, the shows for YOU. Enjoy the opportunity to learn more about the artist and the music. Enjoy the recordings, the live shows and the interviews. Enjoy every moment of it; life is too short not to enjoy each other’s gifts and talents. Thank you for all support, the music and the future!

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So here’s a new song that I started writing back in 2014. I finally finished it a few weeks ago after pondering over verse two for four years! I’m hoping it will be recorded on a new project and will be creating a demo of it soon. Im very excited as my Helen’s Angels Patreons are the first to hear this song – this is a world premiere folks!

I decided to go one further than the archetypal love triangle and write a love square! It’s about the interplay and regret between two couples and the history that they share.

I hope you like the song – I’d love to hear you thoughts on it.

To listen, click here to join the Helen’s Angels Patreon community.

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Welcome to Helen’s Angels!

I’ve been writing songs and painting since I was a small child. I’ve been around the block in the music industry over the last twenty something years and seen how it has changed and developed. I’d love for you to join me on this new adventure to create new music and artwork!

Patreon is a an exciting way to be come one of my angels and support my work through a small donation. Each month, I will be producing mp3s, videos, artwork and blogs to share with my patron angels! Once I have reached my goal, my aim is to produce a new EP, and then an album plus paintings and written musings along the way. I’ve previously produced 2 albums, 3 EPs and several singles. I also had a number one hit single with Do You Seek Answer in 2011 in the UK and Europe. Your support will allow me to work with other artists, musicians, producers and collaborators as well. You will be part of a unique fan club experience and receive all the news and new music before anyone else.

You can learn more about me and the Helen’s Angels community by my Patreon page.

Thanks for your support! Many of you have journeyed with me over the last twenty years, so here’s to new things in the next twenty years!

Helen xx