Helloooo! I'm Elaine and I've turned my passion for connecting with people through my music and photography into my own small boutique business working with Schools, SME Businesses, Artists & Private Clients. Through this blog I want to share the ups and the downs of my creative life and help you on your own songwriting, photography and small business journey!
Disclaimer! This blogging thing is a new creative venture for me so be kind (lol!) and come on the journey with me while I find my feet and my wings here too! I know you will keep me on the straight an narrow if I lose my way ;) I will be basing all my blogs on the 'Little Bird Little Sailor' Songwriting and Photography inspired ethos: Giving wings to creativity, anchoring growth & confidence.
'Little Bird Little Sailor' - inspired by my own Songwriting Journey
A wife & mum of two, I am also an award-winning Singer Songwriter (blessed with an award-winning self-released debut album under my belt), Photographer, TEDx Speaker and Educator.
Things haven't always gone so well for me though and I have learned over the years to really pull on my transferable skills, resilience and tenacity to push forward to achieve my goals!
A former University Lecturer & HR Management my life changed forever after a debilitating car crash lead to years of physical (and emotional) rehabilitation! In the midst of some of the most challenging years of my life I found a silver lining in discovering my therapeutic 'creative wings', a deep respect for the connection and kindness of others, and a humbling grounding in the acknowledgement of what I can be capable of achieving when I put my mind to it!
The song I wrote for my two boys called 'Little Bird Little Sailor' inspired me to take a yet another creative chance in my own journey and lead me to become a motivational TEDx Speaker and Educator within schools and SMEs. The motivational and empowering message of the song built a foundation for all the work I do now and the key lyrics 'Little Bird Little Sailor, Time to see of what you are made' are still a constant reminder to me to strive to be the best I can be in everything I do...
As a Singer Songwriter I've had the honour and privilege of working with and performing alongside Grammy Winning Songwriters and the finest of UK Songwriting talent, I've co-written and released songs with UK songwriting royalty and had songs cut by a Nashville Legend. I've played at the iconic Bluebird Cafe and many esteemed UK venues and festivals...I created and toured my own AMA award-nominated live show 'The Homebird Sessions' collaborating with artists from around the world and providing a stage for aspiring songwriters. Wow - when I reflect on achieving so much in such a short space of time I wonder myself how on earth this wee Cumbernauld mum managed it! Mega imposter syndrome alert!
It can be a juggling act caring for a family and running your own business. From a self-releasing independent artist perspective, starting out in what can be a very tough industry to crack I required not only talent and passion but a willingness to take a leap of faith...an unwavering belief and commitment to achieve my goals, support (financial, practical and emotional!), resilience, a tough and disciplined work ethic, the highest standards and a strong (if not a little damaged) back-bone!
It took a massive amount of work to write, record & release my debut album then create my own innovative show and organise my tours. As a sole trader you are your own manager, booker, book-keeper, promoter, spokesperson etc etc...I've lost count of the number of hats I have to wear! I am happy to say it is all worth it though when you hear someone humming along to your song on the radio or when your kid tells you they are proud of you and when it allows you to connect with so many amazing people along the way...
This year self-releasing my own music was placed on a back-burner after the loss of my beloved dad John in January 2023. When he passed I lost a piece of my soul and I also lost that musical mojo I needed to create my own songs which have such a strong connection with my family and my dad in particular. I needed that time to heal and be kind to my creative self. I'm happy to say I feel that mojo returning this year and I can't wait to find out what adventures it will take me on this time!
Time away from recording and live shows also gave me a chance to zoom out and see where my creative journey would lead me next...and it lead me to focus my energy to re-explore my love for photography.
My Mission to Revolutionise School (& Pet!) Photography!!!!
I'm a girl on a photographic mission!
I had the honour of working with a local Primary school on their Primary 7 leavers photos - what a blast we had and I'm so proud of the designer school team, class and group photos I created. The feedback from Head Teacher, pupils and parents was astounding and incredibly humbling! Check out some of the Gallery and Testimonials on my Photography Page.
Since then it's been my mission to revolutionise School Photography, giving every child the opportunity to feel special and empowered in their fun 'mini photo shoot', the memory of the one pose traditional school photo far behind!
For me it's not just about taking a photo - it's is giving a child a positive experience that helps build their self-esteem and confidence, empowering them to 'show my camera' their own little personality and give them a photographic memory to remind them of what amazing little people they are!
This lead me to experiment my creative photography with not only humans but also with our beloved pets! This 'out of the box' shoot with Ozzy (above) was such a fun day (I very reluctantly had to give him back to his mum Julie - we fell in love and he had made himself quite at home in the Lennon household - the boys even had him playing football with them in the garden at the end of the shoot!)
I'll be using the 'Photography' Category of this blog to post lots of valuable tips connected to my photography projects like how to pose in shoots (or how 'not to pose'!), how to prepare for your photoshoot, how to get the best out of your shoot on the day etc and share some design ideas as well as the projects I'm working on. I may even throw in some makeup tips from a few experts to help you prepare! Who knows what you'll get with me!?!
The 'Little Bird Little Sailor' inspired 'Write - Record - Release with Elaine Lennon'...a new exciting project in schools!
I can't help it - it's in-built! As soon as I learn something new I want to share it! It's the teacher in me and I make no apologies :)
So I've created this innovative and exciting project for schools called 'Write. Record. Release.' were I take the kids on an educational journey through songwriting, sharing all elements of the process of writing, recording and releasing, introducing them to all the career opportunities along the way from songwriter, producer, recording engineer, promoter, interview skills, artwork creation and media releases...the whole shebang!
I co-write a song with the entire School (yes with the ENITRE school!), then I record it with them, then I release it with them on my website to raise funds for their school!
The last project I did on a similar front was 'Christmas Time' with the children of Holy Cross Primary which reached #5 in the Official i-Tunes Singer Songwriter Chart!
There are SO many learning outcomes and opportunities in this project for all the 'Little Birds' (the creative artists, performers, musicians, songwriters) and the 'Little Sailors' (the practical, technical, well-organised thinkers) and I'll be taking you on the journey with them too through Top Tip blogs at each stage of the project plus lots progress updates to help everyone feel involved so make sure you set a reminder in your calendar to check in on our progress and come along for the creative ride!
And that's all for now folks!
Thanks for reading! Whether you're part of a project I'm running in a School or SME Businesses, Â one of my private clients or an aspiring songwriter this is designed and written for you. I hope you enjoy and get value from the lessons shared in this blog and that I will in some way become part of your own songwriting or photography journey!
What to do next?
Make a note in your diary to check in at the end of each weekly to catch my new Top Tips and updates!
Leave a comment about what you'd like me to include in the blog that would be valuable to you.
Follow me on Socials - FB & Insta @ElaineLennonMusic, X (Twitter) @ElaineLennonMu1
Check out my music releases in my online Store or on your favourite streaming platform
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