Christina Morelli

There is no second place.

Like most good little suburban girls, I grew up in the well-rounded throws of piano lessons, soccer and dance, a rotation which I finally narrowed to just dance in high school.  Even though I left the “sports” world as a freshman in high school I still continued to compete as a dancer, and felt the wrath and pressure of the athletic industry where if you are not the best, you are nothing.

My dad was an all-star baseball player throughout high school and college, serving as team captain and receiving multiple scholarships and offers, including an international invitation to play for the Italian league.  From a young age he instilled in my brother and I the importance of playing to win and never accepting anything less than first place.  At the time it seemed like a lot of pressure, knowing there was only one option to be seen as a success.  But now, I consider it one of the most valuable lessons I ever learned.

You see, first place is not just an award you win…  It’s a state of mind.  It’s a goal to achieve and a thought process that helps you structure and determine what it is you want and how much work you need to put in to achieve it.  Everything you do you need to approach with the passion that you will learn, listen, observe, work hard, and persevere until you have accomplished what it is you set out to do.  You don’t quit, and you don’t let life knock you down with every curveball it throws at you… because there will be more than you could ever imagine and each one will feel harder than the next.

Perhaps at times I live my life like this to a fault.  Not EVERYTHING needs to be a competition; I am learning to accept my strengths and weaknesses for what they are, and pick my battles based on what is worth fighting for… in other words, what’s the grand prize?  If I win “first place” will that make me happy?  If the answer is no, then cut your losses and move on.

However, when I do commit to something, I’m all in.  And I instill that belief and mentality in the artists that I work with, because THEY deserve that same push and tough love that drove me to never quit and to find my way.

In the words of my father, “There is no second place.”

The Best Advice Comes When You Least Expect It.

I haven’t posted much since I returned home from Costa Rica because I’ve been busy putting many plans and goals into action.  It all sounds so ambitious and motivational, doesn’t it?  Truth be told, it’s incredibly frustrating at times.  When you are involved in the arts industry on any level, you are constantly faced with adversity, conflict, and roadblocks that are not only out of your control, but sometimes downright hindering to your personal and professional growth.  

My goal this week was to attack the city head on with networking and getting my work out into the right hands.  Then Mother Nature stepped in, and as a result I’ve been confined to nothing but a computer and a shitload of time to think.  Needing a break from all the projects I’ve undertaken, I opened up a magazine for a few minutes today.  Strangely enough, I started at the back page, something I find myself doing quite often… maybe it’s cliche but even print media seems to save the best for last.  To my surprise I discovered an article written by Oprah Winfrey discussing friend and recording artist India.Arie’s recent struggle with the music industry.  I wanted to share what I read, because although they aren’t my own words, they spoke to me in a way I know they will speak to any artist who’s experienced even the slightest frustration.

This is an excerpt of the letter India wrote to Oprah:

“I took your advice to heart.  After last year hurt bad enough, I chose- you said ‘the universe will rise up to meet you wherever you are,’ so I just decided to be me.

Singing in different languages and working with people from different cultures was how I envisioned my career.  But in the quest for ‘success,’ to make a hit so that I could own myself and then be free, I’d gone so far off the path of my own vision, I didn’t even know what that was anymore.

I thought the music business had usurped my power, but really, I gave my power away- to other people and to anything I thought would make my life easier.

Since October I’ve been rebuilding.  I prayed my power back into my body.  And in March I started just making the music I love, following the guidance of spirit to a tee.  I didn’t censor or second-guess.  I listened to spirit and wrote those exact words.

I was always told not to get too preachy or esoteric or spiritual.  And while I’ve never said anything I didn’t want to say I’ve never said some of the the most important things I do want to say.  About acceptance versus tolerance, and the oneness of all people… but now I have. 

I’ve been making my own choices, speaking my truth the the people around me, letting myself be apart of world again.  (Stevie Wonder and Cecily Tyson both told me I needed to break the shell, and they used the same exact words.  I know what they mean now.)

I finally reached the fork in the road, and I chose the path of authenticity.  I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I feel good!”

And so I leave you with the final words of the article, which stood out most of all:

“Life is an open door to all that is possible.  And that’s a powerful thing.” ~Oprah Winfrey

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