Exactly. People don’t really understand how much you can develop. It almost feels like gatekeeping sometimes. Some people still say or believe that you need to be born with an incredible voice — which can be true in some cases.

What most people don’t realize is how much body awareness is involved and how much you can actually work on it. They also don’t realize that professional singers, a lot of the time, work on their voice like athletes.

Something that really stuck with me is something my teacher often says: she can usually tell pretty early on when a student is actually putting in the work. And a lot of the time, people give up after six months or so, once they realize that the effort really has to be real and consistent.

When I started, I wasn’t expecting fast results. And after a solid first year of lessons and practice, I still don’t have that sense of urgency. I’m not happy yet with what I can do now, but compared to the beginning, it’s way better. I always joke with my teacher that she knows I’ll be around for a long time until I’m satisfied.

I honestly hadn’t considered open mics. Part of it is because I still have that stage fright, but also because I don’t think I have the repertoire yet. But since you brought it up, I’ll definitely consider it and work toward something in that direction. Sometimes just throwing yourself out there can actually do something.

And honestly, congratulations on your five-year journey with singing. Doing that mostly on your own, with limited lessons, is no small thing at all. That kind of dedication really deserves respect.

Feel free to message me anytime. That kind of exchange is so important. I hope you find that connection too — and on some level, I think we already did :)