Dream BIG!!

As promised last week, today begins a series of guest bloggers.  First up is a piece that was written a little ways back yet still provides a helpful message.  It's by singer/songwriter Shannon Magrane, the guest from way back on Episode 3 of “Now Hear This Entertainment.”  She was a top 12 finisher on “American Idol” in 2012.

Hi Magrane Train!!

I wanted to share a quote with you guys that I found scrolling down on my Instagram a few days ago. It really inspired me, and brought back some old memories from when I was little. The quote read, “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”

As soon as I read that I immediately thought back to when I was eight years old and I would tell my friends and family the CRAZIEST stories about what I was going to do when I grew up. I told them how I would one day be able to dress up in sparkly high heels with big curly hair, perform for thousands of fans, sing all of my own songs and have my own album. They would look at me like I had four eyes because as an eight year old, those are some pretty big dreams!! My heart was set on being able to accomplish those dreams some day.

As I started to grow up, I noticed a lot of people around me would tell me to have a dream that is actually achievable. With that being said, I think many people hear that and learn to lower their standards and ambitions because they are afraid!! Having these big ‘SCARY’ dreams are actually an amazing thing because it pushes us to step into the unknown to overcome our fears and challenge ourselves to grow every day…. Now how can we do that if we are stuck in our comfort zone?

With the end of summer, I have watched as my friends have gone off to school. Some of them think I’m lucky because I have deferred a year of college to travel and perform. They are right, I am very lucky to continue my dream. However, since I just graduated this past year, being in school with friends, having teachers to guide me and being involved in activities has always been my comfort zone. In the past I performed when I could and made up the school work. I actually liked school and at times miss it because it's structured and orderly. However, in order to fill the dreams of my eight-year old self and my 19-year old self, I need to work on my craft which is now truly a business. Having music as the priority in my life is amazing, but at times it’s terrifying and I’m afraid of very little.

I spend days, nights and the wee hours of the morning writing. This isn’t sitting around writing poetry, which I love. This is me bringing my ideas, words and thoughts to a studio two hours away and having others help me select beats, instruments and backgrounds. Two lines in a song can take hours to perfect. I am amazed at all the entities that go into my songs. I have such respect for mixers, engineers, and producers. Some of these guys have been working in this industry for longer than I have been alive. They want me to be successful just as much as I want to make them proud. I have always sung, but now I’m creating music and what a complex rewarding industry it is.

In the beginning I wanted to have a song out right away. Now I have learned patience and to take things one day at a time. The songs that I started in May have changed so much after all the work that was put into them. As my first songs get released, I hope you relate to them, I hope you dance to them and most importantly I hope you like them.

Be sure to follow Shannon on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!