reflection

The Sounds of Arthur Russell

Music Reviews

ARTHUR RUSSELL

Calling out of Context

This week’s sounds of the week we have the eclectic Arthur Russell. I came across the ’08 documentary Wild Combination: A portrait of Arthur Russell by Matt Wolf last week and was so surprised by what I saw. I was even more surprised by what I heard. Through a mirage of different home videos, clips from the artist’s past, and photos served as the introduction to a musician who seemed to embody what it meant to be a creator. In the documentary it was made clear that Arthur’s life revolved around music and the creation of sound. From the instrumentation to the signature echo in his voice, all aspects of his music involve a wild combination of sounds. Sounds that turned into songs which captured intimate and feeling driven moments in the artist’s life.

Trailer for Wild Combination Documentary

As I write I am listening to the Calling out of Context album, released posthumously by Arthur’s estate in 2000. An original compilation of sounds from what appears to be a multitude of sources, the 1 hour project takes you through seemingly honest renditions of the artists’ thoughts and experiences at a point in time. My favorite song from this album is That’s Us/Wild Combination. I really like how simple the songs appear at first, but once I listened a few times the layers to the song became apparent. The nuance of his singing, paired with the unpredictable melody, created a sound like none that I have heard before. One minute into the song I find myself dancing along to lyrics like: 

Hard as I can be,
 it's never too hard
With this our love to see, by it's own light
Love inside of me, it's working at night

The sentiment of feeling love for another and ones self is relatable and touching to hear. This was a cool introduction to an artist I’ll be listening a lot going into this new year. It’s fascinating to learn how he created an abundance of music during his time. All despite not being chosen as a mainstream artist of his generation. A real testament to following ones passions in life with a faith that may appear blind to some, but at heart is what you came here to express in a way that is true. Thank you Arthur Russell, a truth sharer and inspiration to all artist out there. And Thank you Matt Wolf for making the film that brought this sound to my awareness.

Give it a listen for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Love and Sunshine, Peace

-Lee Sunshine

shallow focus photography of paintbrush

Value: Lessons from an artist

Podcast

Episode 3: You Too Are A Lovelee Being

There is a lot of greatness to be believed and a lot of greatness to be had in this world.

Lee Sunshine, YouTooAreALoveleeBeing Season 1 episode 3
Streaming on Spotify, Apple podcast, and more!

In this weeks episode I share some of the lessons I learned in the past week when it came to being a full-time artist. I speak about valuing yourself, your gifts, and being in a state of gratitude. Throughout the episode I share some of the positive affirmations I use to reaffirm myself during times of self doubt. 2021 was the year I started to believe in myself in ways that I never have before. I use to rely on external validation to motivate me to go after anything I wanted. It took ample time alone and lots of reflection to realize there is much more value in self validation, especially for talents or personal gifts. I mean who else knows better than YOU, of what YOU are capable of? Learning to accept help even though I have gotten use to, and comfortable with, accomplishing things on my own. It is vital to ask for and accept help while we are on this journey called life. Accepting these aspects of life have helped me step out of my way slowly but surely and allow more blessings to find me. Below you will find the affirmations I discussed in this weeks episode. May they help you when you are in need of a reminder 🙂

AFFIRMATIONS

I will step out of my own way today and I will seize all the opportunities meant for me

There is an infinite amount of potential for your life to be as great as you want it to be

I can do anything I set my heart to do, I know my worth and I value myself 

Living in a state of gratitude is the gift that keeps on giving

The little things make all the big things matter, the little things are just as valuable

I will uplift people with my art

As always love and sunshine, Peace.

-Lee Sunshine  

blue vinyl record playing on turntable

My Top 5 Songs of 2021

Music Reviews

#1: Love by Kryptonyte

Not surprised at all that this was my most played song of the year. Spotify blessed me with what has become one of my favorite songs; Love by rap group kryptonyte, and rappers Lord Byron and Pink Siifu. The whole song is a vibe straight from the 90s, it sounds like they went back in time and had a studio session with some west coast favorites of the time. The title does the song justice, each bar hitting a different perspective of ways to show love. The song starts with this bird whistle; a sound hinting at the start to a nice day. Wether helping out a little homie or chilling with your girl and watching Charmed. It is the little things that can show Love the most sometimes.

#2: GEMINI BY PRINCESS NOKIA

In case you were wondering, I am indeed a gemini. Princess Nokia never misses with what she puts out. I just knew once I listened to this double album I’d be a fan for life. After listening to this song everyday for months I earned myself a spot in Princess’s top 0.1% of listeners on Spotify. Listening to this feels like I made the song myself, rapping along to each line, I feel heard when I sing along to this song. The combination of astrology, self portrayal, and poetry creates a song that any gemini can be proud of. The flute sound really does it for me.

#3: EYES WITHOUT A FACE BY BILLY IDOL

I’d heard Billy Idol before, but this quickly became my favorite song of his. My favorite thing about this song is the french lyrics as the hook and the guitar. I imagine how awesome it must have been back when this first came out and people were listening to this live or at clubs. I always end up playing the air guitar at the ending. After a few months of hearing the song I wondered what the meaning behind it was, so naturally I Googled it. Turns out Eyes without a face is based on an old black and white film about a girl without a face. Not only was she faceless but her father spent most of the movie taking the faces of other people to craft a new one for his daughter. Creepy…yet inspiring?

#4: THIS PAINTED WORLD BY SILK RHODES

If I had to choose a song to be the opener to the coming of age film about my life, this right here is IT. I’d never heard Silk Rhodes before hearing this song and it blew my mind. The groovy yet melancholy guitar accompanied by the dreamy lyrics made me seriously reevaluate my reality. I heard this song at a time in my life where I was in need of a perspective change, listening to this everyday gave me that perspective change. 

This painted world, life is a dream of reality
now is the time
anything you wanna be

These words helped teach me that I, and no one else, got to decide who I am and what I wanted out of this life. Deep I know, but music is like that. I heard this and had an epiphany, someone else could hear it and it makes them cry. Regardless, the impact will always be there. I am grateful for this song. Thanks Silk Rhodes.

#5: LET THE DRUMS SPEAK BY FATBACK BAND

During my percussion deep dive at the start of the year, I came across this gem. A funky and soulful classic from Fatback Band, Let the drums speak takes you away to a time when music was always performed live. The horns, the drums, the keys, they all speak on Let the drums speak. I love to play this when I want to dance around after sitting for awhile or if I just need a pick me up. The chant in the song are so lovely: 

let your love flow to a sweet and simple tune 
let your love flow , let your love flow

I love love and any song that encourages me to affirm love is a great song in my book. Let your love flow freely and enjoy the healing that music can bring. Joyous and upbeat, Let the drums speak speaks straight to the spirit and is sure to get you into the groove.

Thanks for checking out my top 5 of the year, till next week. Peace

-Lee Sunshine

reach for the and blue moon neon signages

Feelings of Inspiration can be Fleeting

Creation

Playlist as I write

Feelings of inspiration can be fleeting. I spent the past week riding the roller coaster that is inspiration. For a series of moments everything truly does feel possible. Everything. Then, for a series of moments things look gray, that is when the worry and or uncertainty begins to cloud the vision. I consider myself a dreamer, someone who feels on the optimistic side of life. Reading books based around spirituality, self-care, and self-love have helped me to strengthen this way of believing. Lately I have had an abundance of inspiration all around me, I am so grateful for it all. Wether I’m at the grocery store or at home watching a documentary, I often find myself inspired by what I witness.

In light of these moments, I had the realization that a dream needs action behind it to come to fruition. Action and commitment despite what may happen along the journey to meeting a dream face to face in reality.

I titled this post ‘Feelings of Inspiration can be fleeting’ because I want to acknowledge the feeling head on. I don’t wish to let the moments of doubt or uncertainty overshadow the motivation I have to seize moments of inspiration for all they can be.

Surely, I am making my way towards my dreams and I’d encourage anyone with a dream to believe in it.

For the moments when the shadows come marching in I like to affirm to myself:

  • I can do anything I set my heart to do
  • It is ok to take your time, rushing isn’t a solution
  • I am free to think, do, and believe as I please
  • Society doesn’t set my standards for living, I do
  • Faith leads to success
  • Put spirit first and everything else follows
  • Nothing is worth the sacrifice of happiness, nothing

May these help others in times of need, keep on dreaming dreamers and feel the vibes of inspiration all around!

– Lee Sunshine, K.H

closeup photography of stacked stones

Mind, Body, Spirit: The connections that make us

Health is Wealth

10/28/21 a dreary Thursday, looking for balance

Being a human being feels like a lot at times. We must take care of ourselves on so many levels. Levels that I am just now discovering as I learn more about who I am. This week I felt off. It took me until today to realize this feeling was because I’m lacking on my me time. The time I spend alone allows me to recharge, to reconnect with me. I am getting familiar with what its like to live comfortably in my solitude, without anticipation. The feeling of being interrupted has always created a sprout of disturbance within me. I realize now that this is because I have not yet grown use to having a safe and peaceful place to just be me. I have had this change in my life, only two years since the time in my journey where I was genuinely lacking in a safe space to just be. I love the space that I have now, I’ve tried to get here and am steadily taking my time to experience and just be with myself.

When I am alone I am able to connect with myself in ways that I am not yet able to when I am around other people. As an empath it usually takes up until I am feeling the unbalance that comes with being a human sponge for all things emotion and energy. My mind feels so expansive, my body feels light today, my spirit feels heard because I am expressing. When I suppress the way I feel the alignment amongst my Mind, Body, & Spirit is compromised. It usually starts in the mind, a preoccupying thought or feeling that I choose to ignore yet think of constantly. Then it affects my body and I push back eating or forget to all together because I am Thinking so much, the mind begins to surpass the body. At this point my spirit is very much alerting me to the disease that my mind and body have now welcomed, this is when I start to grow quiet and turn within. I’ve found that when you speak to your heart and just listen, truly listen to yourself, it will tell you everything you need to know. Our hearts are the center of our Mind, Body, Spirit connection. This week I felt off balance and now I know why, I needed alone time to restore myself and rest in a way that allows silence to open my heart.

I find that lacking expression leads to suppression, to suppress is to help balance become undone. I will take care of myself, health is about more than just our bodies and neglecting one for the other can be harsh in the long run. I am trying harder each day to just let myself be, life is for being. I will be calm,

Yoga: healing through breathing

Health is Wealth

“Spiritual energy is the kind that never runs out.” –

Deepak Chopra (Truth teller)

10/18/21

Where: Moonday Night in the Studio~~~~.

Today was semi-unexpected but turned out pretty cool. I woke up to the pleasant surprise of the Sunshine, it has been pretty yet gloomy here in Chicago, so seeing The Sun so bright was so exciting to see and feel. I began my day and began my yogis on the balcony, right in the sun. With my eyes closed, it nearly felt like a mid-summer day. I was grateful, none the less, with my eyes open to the beauty that was the sky, trees, sunshine and little birds. I started practicing yoga in spring 2020, what a time that was. Like a lot of things, yoga found me. I didn’t take classes or follow along to a video until many months into my new experience with movement, my breath and body. Yoga found me at the perfect time, my time of solitude and silence, with all that time I still wanted to move around. But without too much effort or strain. I was flexible as a kid so falling back into stretching on the floor day to day felt natural to me. Sometimes I like to play music or flow in the quiet. Around the same time I began my daily practice, I quickly realized I’d developed the habit of holding my breath. Having to relearn something I’d been unconsciously doing for so long was tough, it was like I was afraid to breath at times. Baffled at the abundance of air that could flow through me at each moment. Now as I write this I am breathing through my nose and from my stomach. Yoga has gifted me with the power of my breath. I am no longer afraid to breath deeply or even to sigh every now and again. Breathing feels good. I proclaimed a year ago that I would feel every breath I take for the rest of my life, they are so precious. Connecting with my breath through yoga each day, even when I don’t physically feel like it, has helped me to build strength. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. Being able to sit in silence and just breath is one of the most peaceful experiences that I will treasure for life. Take time to connect with your breath, it keeps you going, it makes your heart happy. Life is truly a healing journey. I am choosing to heal one step at a time, in all the ways that will find me. Bless

Letting Go?

Health is Wealth

That which is holding you down can become a powerful force that raises you up. You just have to be willing to take the ascent.

Michael A. Singer, author of The Untethered Soul

The art of letting go is a simple yet touchy art. I began reading the book The Untethered Soul: the journey beyond self this week because I was in need of guidance in this area of life. The area that calls for a genuine need to let go of what is no longer serving me. Realizing just how much energy can remain pent up within if you don’t take action or thought to remove it was mind blowing to me. So much of what we are taught by society, the norms that are all around us, have absolutely nothing to do with taking care of the self on a Mind, Body, AND Spiritual level. Yet, we are all living as beings who have all three of these aspects. Learning all of this after thinking otherwise for so long is liberating. Learning to let go is a life long lesson, one that we all have the opportunity to experience everyday through the simple and the complex.

If you’re interested in self healing and getting in tune with your spirit, your essence + you like to read I’d recommend The Untethered Soul: the journey beyond self. I am only on the 9th chapter and like many nurturing spiritual books it is a text I will return to for years to come. The messages are delivered in a way that has made me feel very validated as a human being whose just come into awareness.

I know I have much more to learn about the art of letting go, like anything else it takes time.

For me letting go has looked like:

  • Acknowledging that the “bad” things that have happened are in the past and do not need life breathed into them in the present
  • Breathing. Focusing on just breathing during times where clarity feels far from me
  • Listening to 432hz vibrationally healing music throughout my day (see playlist below)
  • Writing what I am thinking, writing what I am feeling, writing what I remember
  • Meditating with no expectation for what will find me
  • Being the observer of my thoughts more often
  • Sharing to connect, instead of sharing unintentionally
  • Speaking aloud, talking to myself from the heart
  • Opening myself up instead of closing myself off
  • Being more compassionate in a general sense

Healing Sounds

Playlist as I write

Peace & Blessings, Lee

Out of the Box

Creation
Image Source: https://artanddesigninspiration.com/think-outside-the-box-2/

Like many 20 somethings, I’ve been going through a lot of internal changes these past couple of years. No one really talks about life after 21, its like society expects people to only celebrate a few of the milestones of youth. But I am discovering that so much lies beyond 21, becoming a 21 year old was just the icing. Your 20s provide you with all the ingredients to the cake.

As I step more and more into my being and who I am, I notice more of what has been given to me and what it is that I would like to keep. When you’re growing up, a lot is told to you. A lot is suggested to you as well, because we learn from example. What I am now embracing is all that lies beyond the box that was given to me. I no longer wish to exist within the confines of the box that I came to be very comfortable in. Getting outside of the box for me simply means that I am not restricting who I am to what I have been told about my being. Life doesn’t stop after you turn 21, you keep growing. More growth probably than ever before, at least for me. This past year I followed my heart and gave myself a chance to live my life on my own terms. Realizing I was still sticking to the status quo of my old life felt frustrating at times, like a “why am I being like this” kind of vibes.

I stopped putting the pressure on myself to be the way that I had been taught and began asking myself; who am I? what do I value, why? what makes my heart sing? A lot of the answers I found existed so far beyond the world I’d been brought up in; Education comes first and holds all the magical answers to life, go to college, get a job, be “successful” in terms that I hadn’t even established but instead adhered to out of habit and obligation.

Once I became still enough to hear what I truly wanted out of this life, I could do nothing except follow the changes that found me. Now I am here, presently living the life I imagined when I was a child. A life I knew was possible but lost touch with once the box found its way around me.

Sometimes it has felt hard for me to be this new version of myself 24/7, because I spent 22 years living in survival mode. I am living life outside of the box now and its pretty cool out here. Choice is out here, love is out here, freedom is out here, bless.

close up photo of woman in red activewear meditating

444 my peace

Podcast

While I was journaling last week, a question that kept coming back to mind was “how do you create Peace in your life?” a question that keeps me mindful of what Peace really means to me. In my life Peace means that I am not living in fear. Peace means that I am safe. Peace means that I am grounded. Peace means that I am in the flow of life.

I was reading The Book of Ecclesiastes, one of the many books of wisdom found in the Bible. In this book the author wrote a lot about what the meaning of life is and how much of that meaning is not found in possession but what is within our spirit.

For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.

The Bible, Ecclesiastes 7:12

This week is already off to the start with a test, a lesson waiting to be learned. Bringing Peace into my life has always felt like a defense, a defense against the person or thing I wanted to be Peaceful around for their sake more so than my own. Now that I am rebuilding my relationship with Peace I have to remind myself of things I am not yet use to thinking. This is a large part of me becoming more of who I know myself to be at heart, I am at Peace. Here are some affirmations I wanted to share, may they help you in times where Peace feels far

  • You are not harming anyone when you say no, no is a valid response
  • Reflect before you respond, Reflect before you react
  • It is ok to just breath, pause for as long as you need
  • I release the fear attached to any expectations, I do not expect
  • I do not let the expectations from others overshadow my freedom of choice
  • I am free, I am calm

It’s ok to remind and affirm yourself of whatever it is that YOU need. Peace doesn’t look the same for everyone. Being mindful of your needs in light of what others need requires balance. Balance is tough, but not impossible.

round mirror with black frame

DAY 365/365: Reflections on love

Podcast
rectangular wooden frame mirror
Photo by Mariana Blue on Pexels.com
“To truly love we must learn to mix various ingredients - care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust, as well as honest and open communication.”- Bell Hooks, truth teller

This weekend marked the one year anniversary of my union with my partner.In the past I found myself at opposite ends with those I came to express my love to, now as I write this I can’t help but remember these ends and how different, yet similar they are to the energy I carry now. Being in a relationship, in my opinion, calls for a certain degree of responsibility. You have a bond, a connection that can give you a chance to see yourself in the eyes of another. Like a mirror. God has blessed me with a partner who helps me to innerstand my ways of being and therefore provides me with the divine opportunity to either change or embrace them. Much of who I am, that I have rediscovered this far, revolves around love. Love is so powerful so it makes sense. Looking back at the past 365 plus days I have spent getting to know and bonding with my partner has taught me some lovelee things:

  • Patience is a gift, giving and expressing patience is an act of love
  • It is ok to laugh, to feel the joy within
  • Un-divided attention is more intentional than attention alone
  • Inspiration can come from anywhere in your life
  • Nothing is a coincidence
  • Courage and love speak louder than fear
  • Speak to your love as you would speak to yourself, tone is everything
  • Learning how someone else best receives love, teaches you the best way to give them love
  • Your relationship is what YOU and YOUR PARTNER decide it is, nothing more and nothing less
  • Be with someone who makes you feel safe
  • Be with someone who matches your level of optimism for life
  • Sharing really is caring
  • Communicating past fear shows you why the fear didn’t need to be there
  • Common interests are nice, but difference in perspective helps you both grow
  • Love thyself first and genuine love will find you
  • You really can find someone who loves you for you

Reflecting on the love that has found me fills my heart with joy. I have a best friend, lover, muse, protector, and partner. I feel grateful, even for the times when things aren’t the way I think they should be. Everything that happens happens with purpose. The day I met my partner I was with two of my great friends, they’d come to visit me in my new home here in Chicago. A great day and at the end I had a chance encounter with the person I have since come to love and grow close to. It is wild how time seems to work. 365 days, an entire year just like that. I find myself trying to constantly savor our lives as they are right now, because some day I know we will have grown older and we will begin to think of the moments we loved the most. I want to think of all the moments I loved the most, savoring them in the now will help. Being in a relationship is a blessing, truly. I hope that whoever reads this and wants love, that you find it. I believe as beings we are all capable of being loved and loving another, love is source. Bless

– Lee Sunshine

Podcast/ Video if you’d like to hear me talk more about this topic

Playlist Inspired by my Lovie