There’s an instructional, ‘life-coachy’ quote that does the rounds on social media with some regularity. “Be yourself; everyone else is taken” is a wisdom widely attributed to Oscar Wilde even though scholars of the great playwright maintain that he never uttered such a phrase. There’s something slightly absurd at play here but this is not a blog post about fake news. Regardless of who said it (and attaching it to Wilde undoubtedly gives it more pithy gravitas), it’s still a quote that holds some truth.
But being yourself isn’t easy, right? It’s much easier to hold an inferiority complex or to deliberately sabotage what you’re really capable of achieving than to raise your head above the parapet and to seize the day. Instead of making ourselves vulnerable, we do what we’re comfortable with and limit our ambition. We’ll make excuses about how impossible our own dreams are to realise whilst applauding those who make the bold steps.
“I have always loved music and even though my piano and guitar playing is pretty sub-standard, there are melodies in my head which can’t be contained.“, says Julia Faulks in the press release for her single, ‘Not Losing Sleep’. “This was what always held me back (apart from the fact that I am 40 and a mum of two!) – worrying that I couldn’t do it without being a Grade 8 student or having a music degree (although this probably would have helped somewhat…).”
Immediately, I’m drawn to Julia’s bold steps. Here’s somebody who’s now being herself to achieve a dream. And ‘Not Losing Sleep’ has much going for it. Within the relaxed groove and sultry chilled vibe, Julia sings confidently about a relationship that’s run its course. This is not a ‘woe is me’ tragedy though; saving the self-pity for the break-up songs of other singers, Julia gives the impression that she’s happy to be moving on. She’s ‘not losing sleep’.
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