By Chantelle Constable
Alicia Blickfeldt is a rebel. “In a good way!” Following a cancer diagnosis in 2013 she chose to pursue a holistic path of healing and was declared cancer-free in February of 2014. Then, a few months later, she was run over by a truck.
Alicia: “There were 6 or 7 breaks or cracks in the bones of my foot and pelvis. I refused surgery, opting to heal naturally … again. The doctor was in shock, shaking his head at my decision.
While lying in the hospital bed, I received an email from the Utah Music Awards, stating that I had been chosen as a nominee! I was elated! My goal from that moment on was to be at the awards ceremony. The night, I rolled into the ceremony in my wheelchair, wearing a black sequin gown! It took me a few more months to regain my ability to walk, but by Christmas, I was back in heels and singing on stage for numerous shows. I wrote a book about everything entitled, ‘They Said I Would Die’.”
“It began as a diary of sorts; writing down facts, dates, time and events. Then I went back and really wrote… the emotion, how I felt, what people said to me, how that made me feel, the whole spectrum of moods. That made it real.
Then I began looking for editors. I knew the book was too long, and after multiple readers, I cut over half of it, removing redundancies and things that would not be of interest to the average reader. It was arduous and took about a year and a half.”
Alicia began singing at age 12 through her church and then sang all the way through school, taking the lead in several stage productions. She took voice lessons from a local university student at age 16. However, she did not begin her career in earnest until 2013, “when life obviously tried to stop me.” Still, she firmly believes it’s never too late to follow your dreams. “I don’t care if you’re 20, 40, 60 or 100 … just do it! You have purpose and meaning, and it’s up to you to fulfill that purpose. There is not a soul on earth that could not make a difference for good in the lives of others if they chose to.”
After studying many other artists and playing with her own voice she found that she naturally fell into the classical crossover genre, “ but that still wasn’t fulfilling for me and statistically did not garner the attention I hope for on a large scale. I began looking for something else. One day as I was deep in thought. A mental download of sorts streamed into my mind of what I am currently working on, and still rooting out – this
Epic Classical Fantasy, ‘Otherworldly’
space I am creating. In my case, Classical was too confining to what I feel inside, so I meditated, prayed and listened for the whispers in my mind to inspire me to do something new and meaningful to me.”
“Listening for the whispers,” is an important part of Alicia’s life. “[My day] usually begins with a lot of meditation and prayer, getting my mind in the right place, so that the music reflects how I feel. I avoid distractions like social media, TV, radio or other things that might shift my focus. I prefer silence unless I’m actually singing. I spend time FEELING music (mine as well as others) if I am trying to write stories or lyrics, and let it move me to creation. It always amazes me, as I spend time in preparation, how much quicker the lyrics come to my mind.” She also says, “If spirituality were non-existent in my life, I am positive that I would have quit. It has an enormous influence on what I bring.”
This deep feeling and focus come through in her songwriting methods:
“I listen to many YouTube videos that fall within the space that interests me. Then I look at images that describe what I feel in the music. For me, that’s medieval places, people, etc. Then I write an actual narrative of what I see in my head as an actual storyline. A misty dark forest, a girl in a cloak, a white wolf, a red fox, blackbird, storm-tossed seas, a dungeon, the sun streaking through the clouds, etc.
“And finally, I write the lyrics as I listen to whatever chosen song, and use the cadence to help me feel and see the lyrics, creating a rhythmic story. When that’s completed, I send each of those elements to the composer so he/she has the complete vision also.”
“Sometimes [inspiration] comes from listening to the music of others, sometimes from how I feel when I’m on a hike in the mountains near my home, or when I sit to just write a poem. It can be from a feeling, something I heard someone say, a visual – like the mountains or a snowstorm. A movie or something that moves me personally, like a child or death, or love. It comes in many ways.”
Alicia recently suffered the loss of both her parents. In September, “My parents died five and a half days apart, with Dad passing five hours before Mom’s funeral. We ended up doing a double funeral. It was strangely beautiful. Their love couldn’t be contained in this life alone, so they left together.”
Still, she is determined to forge ahead with work on her album, “Of Light ~ Escape to Another World,” expecting a release towards the beginning of 2019 or shortly thereafter. Her favorite part of the album creation process has been being in the studio, recording. “There is something about hearing your own voice blending with the music and realizing a culmination of everything you’ve put your heart, might, mind and soul into. It’s that magical place where it all comes to life.” Alicia hopes that her listeners will find joy, resolution, hope, peace, or happiness in the album. “I feel like this is a way I can pay-it-forward. So many people have blessed my life with love and kindness, this is the way I can do the same on a much larger scale.”
For other artists self-producing an album, Alicia has this advice to offer: “The one biggest factor is NEVER give up on yourself. If you don’t follow your dreams, who will? You have to be brave and just go for it by networking through people, interviewing people, meeting them for lunch to ask how you can help them, by asking questions and, of course, failing. You will fail. You just keep failing until you find a way through and success comes. Your success and your failure that leads to your success is simply the mechanism you have to pass through. It’s refining and will strengthen your resolve to accomplish. If you quit, you’ll never know – so just keep going!”
Citing the work of Masaru Emoto, Alicia speaks to the power of music to heal a hurting world. “[Emoto] discovered that if you speak to water vapor, tape a word to the bottle it is in, or play music, as you freeze the water, it reacts.
Words and music that are harsh or angry created deformed and distorted crystals, which twist into unrecognizable shapes. Conversely, kind words, spoken or written, music that is beautiful or uplifting, created perfectly formed symmetrical crystals that looked like gorgeous snowflakes.
So, my reasoning is that as you offer sounds that lift someone, you are literally creating a thing of beauty within them. Music is power.”
Alicia knows a thing or two about healing. “After conquering cancer holistically, I learned that the body is pretty amazing and has the ability to heal from what we all deem as shattering. That taught me something very, very valuable. If I treat my body with respect by eating as organic as I can, it will respond positively. When I do feel like I’m getting sick, I hit my body with any and all remedies that have crossed my path with any previous success. Garlic, raw organic honey, “silver” liquid with folic acid, aloe vera juice, to name a few. My favorite hoarseness remedy [which she also drinks before and during a recording session] is a mixture of 1T raw organic “local” honey, 1T raw apple cider vinegar and 1 “Traditional Medicinals” brand Throat Coat herbal tea. I just sip that over a few hours and I feel much better.”
For self-care in her leisure time, Alicia says, “I love to hike, bike, go for walks, photography, making new friends, going on weekend trips and spend time just talking with people, and just sitting quietly with a book in front of a fireplace.”
In her online presence, Alicia names some of her creative influences as Lord of the Rings and Skyrim. Mormonmusic.org says the target audience for her music will be “anyone who is involved in cosplay, comic con, gaming, all things fantasy, and the crossover space.” Collaborating on the album is composer Christopher Escalante, who has written music for games such as ‘Maid with Perfection’ and ‘ACE Academy.’
Finally, Alicia sums up her musical mission like this: “To bring light into the dark spaces of the world. To offer hope in a stricken world through thought-provoking messages of hope, redemption, and love through compelling lyrics and storylines. To fill personal lives with self-power to overcome obstacles, things that hold us back, anything that stops us from accomplishing our greatest potential. We can all achieve and become more than we currently are. I hope to make a difference in such a positive and influential level that transforms lives.”
‘Like’ Alicia on facebook @AliciaBlickfeldt
Kickstarter page for “Of Light”
