So, why tell stories?
Creating this project allowed me (Nancy Harms) the great honor of stepping more fully into the shoes of other women in my life. Hearing stories from their point of view is a most precious gift! It offers the wisdom that there are so many different lenses to view what’s happening in others’ lives (and thus, likely our own!) That broadened perspective makes it so much easier (and actually inspires us) to release judgment of others and ourselves. Releasing judgement creates a soft space to let all sorts of juicy wisdom pour in.
I’ve always been fascinated with stories. They have been the main joy and inspiration behind my singing. There were so many gifts that came with creating this project...treasures at every turn. The latest treasure was most surprising as it led me to understand the purpose of sharing our stories. I had originally thought that it was to help us land more fully in our identity, but the surprising twist was that we find our identity when we release our hold of the stories. Not in the way of pretending they didn’t happen, but in the way that we are SO MUCH MORE than our stories. We are each brilliant, divine souls that drink of the wisdom of these stories and expand.
The greatest purposes that I’ve seen, thus far, in telling our stories is to take away the shame we often hold with them and to celebrate and revel in the glorious diversity of the human experience. Bringing to light the thing we thought was too terrible or too odd to bring to share. For many people, the telling of their story releases the shame and judgement around it. Allowing it to no longer be encased in energetic cement in our precious bodies. I invite you to drink of the wisdom of these amazing women’s stories and to drink the wisdom of your own. Shake off that cement, you magnificent soul! Thanks for stopping by to spend some time with SHE and adding your beautiful energy to the page.
WHAT Exactly is “SHE”?
SHE is an album of original songs (all but one written by me, Nancy Harms, and many of them in collaboration with Arne Fogel) inspired by and celebrating the real-life, remarkable women whom I am very proud to have inhabiting my life. The album was released November 15, 2019 on our independent label, Gazelle Records. It honors the "rising, shining SHE". (“SHE” is my term for the collective Feminine energy). The songs aim to spotlight the beauty of these women and their unique stories. The stories were written out with deep care by Siri Liv Myhrom and will be included in the CD packaging in a heavenly booklet that accompanies both the physical and digital (if purchased on this platform) versions of the album.
This project has been a great labor of love and learning for me (Nancy Harms) and is quite a leap from my previous jazz albums. I felt a strong call to do it, but it took a few prods for me to fully embrace it as it was such a departure from the style of music I’ve built my singing career around thus far. Making that kind of change is slightly terrifying. I’m so glad I did decide to embark on this project, as I have found myself profoundly changed by it. I've learned that the heart’s awe-inspiring, radical power to transform everything around it is undeniable! This project has helped me to claim even more of my voice as an artist and to gain an even deeper understanding of how remarkable the Feminine truly is. I’m grateful to the ladies of the SHE project for the deep honor of bathing in the fountain of beauty that springs from each of your hearts
$20 - SHE CD with booklet
$15 - Digital Download of SHE including booklet
$20 - SHE tote bag with a drawing of Nancy and the words “Rising. Shining. SHE” across the bottom.
$20 - The SHE T-shirt, or shall we say, “SHE-shirt”?!
$2500 - A song written for a SHE in your life!
$500 - Paragraph tribute to one of the lovely SHEs in your life and 10 merch items of your choice.
$5000 - an original song for a lovely SHE in your life (professionally recorded)
What is the motivation behind “SHE”?
There is so much happening for women right now: unhealed wounds coming to the surface, chests aching to breathe expansive breaths and take up space, deep desires to claim our inherent worthiness and the perfection of our “imperfection”. Such an amazing, wild time! But what do we do with all of the centuries of conditioning and suppression? What do we do with those painful patterns and open wounds? We begin the work of changing our mental conditioning and our limiting beliefs. We begin the work of reminding each other and ourselves of our worth, and offering ourselves unrelenting grace during this healing process. If what we want is true change and healing, it’s not just about talking about the ways we have been and are treated, we also have to feel our worthiness deep in our bones. That is the intention behind our “SHE” project. In whatever small way, we hope for "SHE" to be a part of that repairing and rebuilding of the "rising, shining SHE".
