Maggie Lowe

Last night I had the opportunity to perform with chosen family at the Charlotte International Arts Festival. It was a beautiful evening full of crafters and artists of all types. I got to watch some incredible wordsmiths and music weavers. Maybe I was one of them. I received such beautiful feedback from people. I was tagged in posts about bringing the self-love vibes. Which I did with the songs I chose.

Then I stepped off stage and barely made it to the closest bathroom before I started sobbing.

I think there is a new danger facing us lately. There are so many terrible things happening on a global, national, and local level that we are overwhelmed and inundated. I’m afraid we’re going to have trouble coping with/remembering people are coping with individual problems as well. The tendency to attempt to shift someone’s perspective or encourage them to think bigger can very easily get misinterpreted by our little brain-shaped meatballs as invalidation. And I believe that more people than not are already struggling with a feeling of selfishness when they are hurt about their own, very real troubles when so much hurt is in the world. I know I struggle with that. Have you ever tried beating yourself up while you’ve already beaten yourself down? It’s not hard. It’s exhausting and stupid. But not hard.

All of that to say this…I’ve had some old ghosts hanging out around the place this month. (It’s me. I’m the place.)

That’s the wildest part of this artistic life. I picked last night’s songs a couple of weeks ago. They are the songs I wanted to sing. I wanted to hear them. And I wanted everyone listening last night to embrace the beauty of themselves, even while I can’t find it in me. I wrote them about hard times, about good times, about well wishes, and about good dreams. I sing them in the hard times…when the good times and well wishes seem like nothing but a beautiful dream.

This post is about letting yourself feel sad.
This post is about cutting yourself some slack.
This post is about living with your heart on your sleeve.
This post is about performing while your heart is locked in its room.
This post is about how filling your kindness is after I perform.
This post is about how much I empty myself on the hard days.
This post is asking, “why am I like this?”
This post is proclaiming, “I don’t know. But it’s okay. I like your thisness.”

See you soon. 💛