It's very inspiring- and Ms. Lambert was very inspiring.
I am so very very grateful that my editors at Oklahoma Magazine have faith in my writing and allow me the opportunity to write their celebrity features. They are allowing me to follow my own life's dreams and each time I get an assignment like this one, I get a thrill up my spine and a rush through my veins while I'm writing that I don't get from doing anything else in the world.
When I was in high school- scribbling away in notebooks and getting my papers butchered by conformist red pens in creative writing class, my biggest caviar dream was to be a freelance writer, writing for Rolling Stone Magazine or Vanity Fair someday. Granted, I'm not writing for Rolling Stone Magazine (yet! lol), but I write for an incredible statewide glossy mag and have been fortunate enough to be able to write feature pieces on musicians who often grace Rolling Stone- and that to me equals personal success.
It's not about money or how big a publication is- it's the fact that I'm doing what I've always wanted to do.
I remind myself of this from time to time- particularly when I land a feature like this- because I want to lead as a good example to my children. I want them to grow up seeing their mom doing what she loves to do, in hopes that someday they too will pursue what makes them happy and strive for personal success in doing what they want to do.
I think too often times women are judged in a negative way for being self confident or taking pride in themselves and what they do- and that's unfortunate. I think it's important to acknowledge from time to time what it is we are good at and where in life we have been successful. Our successes should be celebrated- because we only get one life. I try to remind the women that I know what I admire in them and where I see them excel.
They all inspire me so!
I've had friends ask me what it's like to interview celebrities- and I have to say, it's nerve wrecking. I hate the way I sound on the phone and I get nervous and have a tendency to stumble with my words- hence why I'm a writer and not in public relations or sales or anything like that.
I watched ML being interviewed by Hoda Kotb on Dateline just weeks before I interviewed her, then there I was not long after, on the phone with her- little ol' me, sitting on the floor in my closet with the door shut, hovering over my cell phone, little recorder, a glass of water, and notes, with my "interview assistant cat" Niles camped out in my lap. This is exactly how I interview famous people. It's important to be as comfortable as possible- and this is exactly why I will never convert to video phone or Skype'ing.
I'm honestly not really into country music. I've always been a rock and roll gal- but I do try to keep an open mind. Since I started writing Oklahoma Magazine's music column a few years ago, I really had to start casting my prejudgments aside and open up even more.
To get a feel of her music for the story, I downloaded her album, Revolution, and I must say, it's pretty good. The song that she won all the awards for, The House that Built Me, is just beautiful- and I think anyone, no matter what music you listen to, would enjoy it.
Who doesn't like pretty things??????
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