People Profile: Melanie Peterson!
This is a special BS Fridays edition People Profiles! BS Fridays is a musical networking community where musical souls in the industry from artists, performers, businesses peeps and more get together to pool their resources and expand their support. On Friday August 12th you can come out to The Cameron House in Toronto and meet us and see some of us performing– including me and Melanie Peterson!
Who is Melanie Peterson?
Melanie is a beautiful singer-songwriter and actress. With a wide open heart, wit and charm, Melanie envelopes any audience with a big ‘ol hug! You can catch her not only at the BS Fridays event August 12th but also the Plein Air Outdoor Garden Concert Series this summer August 10th at 7:30. This is an all-ages event $10 tix at the door!
Here’s a sweet sampling of her sounds!
What does Melanie have to say for herself?
What is your career? My career is actress/singer-songwriter.
Is it the same as your passion? It is the same as my passion! Which is self-expression.
What are the greatest challenges and greatest rewards of your career? Patience! Getting the perfect role or gig.
What is your advice to others embarking on similar career? Any time you are feeling broke, depressed about your career or down, turn to your craft and focus on getting better at it.
What does it mean to be an artist? To be an artist it means to be creative daily.
5 years ago, did you expect to be where you are today? I did expect to be where I am today, though I had no idea how I would get here.
Where will you be in 5 years? In 5 years I will be creating on even a deeper more consistent level doing bigger roles as and actress and bigger shows as a songwriter, having paid my dues.
What would you say to your 8-year-old self? Don’t listen to the doubt of others, be who and what you want to be, it is the only path to happiness.
What would you say to your 80-year-old self? Keep up the good work!
How lucky are you and why? I’m lucky because I am surrounded by talented people who inspire and protect me and I have a good team helping me reach my goals.
What would people be surprised to know about you? I left home at 16 years old.
What makes you laugh? What is fun for you? Flight of the Conchords and the Mindy Project make me laugh as does SNL on a regular basis. Fun for me is playing my songs live for a large attentive crowd and/or acting in a well-written commercial or TV role…also, writing songs is a heck of a lot of fun – with friends, or on my own.
What makes you question humanity? I don’t really question humanity, but I don’t understand being entertained by violence…
What is your favourite quote?
What does being involved with the BS Friday’s group and community mean to you? .
BS Friday’s helped me realize you can be the best writer in the world but if you don’t get out there and meet people, nobody’s ever going to know it! Who you know IS as important as what you know. Also, Barbara Sedun encourages co-writing, and before I started going to the group I had never considered it seriously. Now, because of the group I have 3 co-writes on my latest album”Anywhere From Here”!
What can people expect from the BS Friday’s networking and showcase event in August? From the event people can expect to meet a lot of people who share the same passion and interests as them and hear 8 diverse artists. They can expect to go away inspired and a little better connected.
What is something that inspires you? I find this blog particularly inspiring: Actorinspiration.com
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For more on Melanie and to connect, visit her here…
www.melaniepeterson.ca
YouTube: Melanie Peterson
Instagram: @watermeloni
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Come see us play at The Cameron House Friday August 12th 9:00pm!
Click for Facebook Event here!
Melanie Peterson’s Anywhere From Here a heartfelt, beautiful mix of playful, introspective & melancholy
Saskatoon-born, Toronto-based singer/songwriter/actress Melanie Peterson celebrated the launch of her new CD Anywhere From Here at The Piston last night, with guest artist Bri-Anne Swan opening the festivities. And what a celebration it was! Swan opened with a short solo acoustic set of mostly original songs, opening with a gorgeous interpretation of Gordon Lightfoot’s “If […]
Freeing People From Concern: Jim Carrey
At the ass-crack of dawn this morn I listened to Jim Carrey’s speech to the 2014 graduating class of Maharishi University of Management and gleaned from it the wise tidbits mulled below. You may have seen the speech or portions thereof by now. I think it’s worth another viewing!
I strive in my life to optimize the affect I have on others. I wish for everyone around me to laugh, to dance, to dream, to feel loved and to feel confident, to take risks and to empower themselves and others into optimistic drive. Like Jim Carrey, I desire to “free people from concern” in the moment I’m with them. I wish for people to be critically aware that we indeed only have this moment we’re in, and that our entire lives are made up of these moments. This moment is all we have, and in each moment we make a choice to either be asleep at the wheel of our own lives or to dream and steer our lives on the course of our purpose. What is your purpose? Stop and listen and it will become clear what talent you have to share that affects others in a profound and positive way. It is what feels so good you can almost taste it like the sweet morsel at the end of a satisfying meal with your favourite companions. We were not put on this earth to play small, or to choose fear disguised as practicality. We were born to shine our lights and to encourage those around us to do so. Only then will we be free of the darkness.
I am fortunate to surround myself with likeminded souls who are talented, kind, creative, generous and courageous, and I was so pleased to be involved with four and more of them to help raise funds for Ovarian Cancer Canada last week with She’s Listening II. I am very grateful to my dear friends and forces Angela Saini, Jessica Speziale, Heather Hill, and Melanie Peterson for shining their lights with me and to Delrose for capturing the splendour of sight and sound! Check out Delrose’s recap of She’s Listening II here!
And speaking of Delrose and empowering, you can check her out tonight along with Iman Wain and Noah Solomon at the WonderFest Music Series! Thank you to Arlene Paculan for keeping lit our ever-growing WonderFest community empowering through art!
What a beautiful world! Get out there and shine your light, everybuddy!
Love Kat xo
She’s Listening II success: funds raised for Ovarian Cancer Canada!
She’s Listening II was a great success last week; they listened and we raised applause and funds for Ovarian Cancer Canada.
Thank you to my wonderful co-horts and beautiful friends (from left to right) Angela Saini, Jessica Spezziale, Heather Hill, Melanie Peterson
Photography: Cate McKim
And thank you to Life With More Cowbell for this recap of the show!
What exactly does Ovarian Cancer Canada do?
Ovarian Cancer Canada is the only registered Canadian charity solely dedicated to overcoming ovarian cancer. They provide leadership by:
- Supporting women living with the disease and their families
- Raising awareness among the general public and health care professionals
- Funding research to develop early detection techniques, improved treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
Ovarian Cancer Canada is funded by donations of the generous public and they could use your support. If you’d like to help, there are many ways to get involved; check them out here. Among the ways: you can donate directly, volunteer, create an event such as She’s Listening, participate in a hike, dance or walk. The annual Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope happens this year Sunday September 7th in cities all across Canada. Find one near you and register on the website.
Keeping giving, everybuddy!
Let’s fill the world with kindness and hope.
love Kat xoxox
She’s Listening II!
She’s Listening, and so is The Harlton Empire! They mentioned us in their blog!
The Harlton Empire promotes creative works by independent artists in the arts/entertainment industry and you should definitely check them out; learn about what’s going on in the community and make contact if you’re a lover of the arts!
Also you should definitely come check out She’s Listening II this Wed June 4 at 8pm at The Cameron House Toronto!
Yippee!
xoxox
Come! She’s Listening II June 4, 2014
She’s Listening II happens Thursday June 4 at Cameron House in Toronto!
Experience Angela Saini, Jessica Speziale, Heather Hill, Melanie Peterson and moi!
Ovarian Cancer Canada and the lives it improves could use your help! Please spread the word! Read more about ovarian cancer and the risks due to do lack of symptoms here on Heather Hill’s post Knowledge Is Power. Please help RAISE AWARENESS and RAISE FUNDS! Hope to see you at the event but if you can’t make it please support from afar! Thank you!
KAT LEONARD 