I was going through some emails in the Somatic Voicework™ The LoVetri Method forum today and someone made a reference to a Brené Brown quote:
“Strong Backs, Soft Fronts, and Wild Hearts.”
That intrigued me, because I’ve always been a fan of Brené Brown, and I find her choice of pithy phrases to be inspirational. (My own “Bragging Boldly” pretty much comes from the idea of “Daring Greatly,” her book which drawns in turn upon the famous quote of Teddy Roosevelt, at least in terms of prosody.)
She used this term in a podcast last November (election day), the transcript of which you can read here.
When she speaks of a strong back, she is talking of a sense of confidence, of a steely spine, of a strong foundation (but one that is flexible).
A soft front is the vulnerability and the comfort that we offer people.
These are both terms which she got from a Buddhist teacher and activist, Joan Halifax. Brown’s addition was the “wild heart,” which I am interpreting as that part which encompasses the strength and the vulnerability, that sets you apart from everyone else and makes you special. It is vulnerability, but vulnerability based on experience and knowledge.
How does this apply to becoming a Curiously Strong Singer/Performer?
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Our strong back is our technique and the notes/text on the page
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Our soft front is our performance – our face, our voice, that vulnerable part we’re showing the world
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Our wild heart is our expressivity – how we use our strength and softness together to tell a story/our truth/a message
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