15 Comments
Apr 8, 2023Liked by Sofia A Koutlaki

Such a lovely piece of writing, Sofia. It inspires me--not to sing, because I'm terrible at it, but to be myself, in writing and in the rest of life, too. Thank you.

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Oh, Sofia, I loved this piece. Singing brings joy to the singer and the listener. I had also missed singing for many years and started again in my 60s in two 'ethnic choirs' (I live in Australia and we sing in diaspora community languages, one sings in various Italian dialects and the other sings in Latvian.) Being groups, our own 'voice' does need to blend, but I still see the correlation between singing and writing as creative pursuits. Both involve doing the work to improve in certain areas, giving kudos for a job well done, authenticity. You don't own a choral piece like you do a solo effort, but as a team it is brilliant to create a sound that uplifts or simply entertains. Keep singing out, sister!

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Love the reminder to be ourselves and true to ourselves, instead of the judgement of others.

This part - "The singing voice is the only musical instrument one carries at all times from birth until death, housed in and protected by the case of the body, tuned into everything that happens."

really reasonated with me because my Dad has dementia, which has affected his speech to the point we struggle to understand him. However, he still loves to sing and joining in with him is keeping us connected.

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Apr 12, 2023Liked by Sofia A Koutlaki

Sofia, this resonates with me so much! Recently, I tried sculpting clay for the first time in an attempt to move past a block I had with illustration (which feels similar to writer’s block). It worked!

I got the idea from David Bowie. He used to paint to get unstuck when he was having trouble writing songs. So, we’re in good company!

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Apr 8, 2023Liked by Sofia A Koutlaki

I really enjoyed this piece, and like the connection you make between your singing and writing voices: both seem to involve authority (in the wider sense) ie confidence, authenticity and ownership.

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Apr 8, 2023Liked by Sofia A Koutlaki

Love this Sofia.

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Apr 8, 2023Liked by Sofia A Koutlaki

Sofia this is incredible - thank you so much for your inspiration - would so love to read an entire memoir about this linkage the search for voice through song 🙏

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