Gigi Gaultier
University of Washington
Passionate Musician
Discovering Myself Through Music
Ever since I was little, I have had such a strong passion for music. I started playing piano and singing at age 9 which was inspired by my brother. I later bought my first guitar and taught myself how to play to broaden my musical skills even more. I started writing lyrics to songs when I was young but found it became a huge part of my life around age 13. I started spending a lot more time writing music and immersing myself in courses such as piano, singing and fundamentals of music classes. Last December, I declared the music minor to persuade myself to be involved with this passion of mine.
Music has really resonated with me and has become a therapeutic way to let out energy and self-reflect in times of trouble. Whenever I am feeling down or confused I can look to music to help me understand my experiences and put it in words of a song. I always believed that everyone enjoys music and there’s no greater feeling than hearing a song that you completely relate to or makes you feel all sorts of emotions. I wanted to be able to write songs that would speak to people in that same way and could feel the creative energy that flows through me when it comes to music.
Writing Music in My Room
REFLECTION AND
APPLICATION
All of the music that I write about is stemming from personal experiences I have had in my life. Reflection is the biggest word I think about when it comes to writing lyrics to a song. I want to be as honest as possible with myself and fully understand the meaning of an experience through writing about it. Reflecting on personal experiences has helped me gain personal perspective and ability to analyze how I might feel about it. For example, last year when I went through a breakup after 2.5 years together, it was incredibly rough to talk about. But I could always look to music to be able to put my feelings into words. It was my perfect way to really feel my emotions and think about it in a different way than just hurt. I find the biggest moments I feel need reflection on are ones of difficulties and applying those feelings to my music has helped me find comfort in those emotions.
Music has helped me have a feeling of empowerment over the years through better understanding my perspectives on experiences. As I started to be more in tune with seeing how music could change people’s lives, I knew that was a big part of what I hoped my music would turn into. Music can give people confidence and help them feel less alone at times and I want to be able to use my music as a way for others to relate and feel empowered. I often write about things that have a deep meaning to me or what relates to my values. This helps me be an advocate for what I believe in such as social justice and women empowerment.
I have been writing lyrics to songs since I was 9 years old. I used to sit in the back of the car during road trips and try to give some poetic justice to emotions I might be feeling. Putting situations into words was something I always appreciated in writing lyrics. When I was little, it was much more about writing about a story and getting it down as quick as I could but now it has become so much more than that. I now keep a list of rhymes that I love on my computer and it can take me up to weeks to write a full song because I want to convey it perfectly. Writing has become so important to me to be able to find new creative ways to talk about a situation, whether it’s using similes or finding innovative ways to rhyme. Much about the music to me has been being able to write lyrics to songs but writing the music itself is where I get inspiration or start to feel a new energy from it. The piano and guitar are the basics to the song and pairing these two styles of writing together makes the music complete to me.
My biggest challenge in writing music has been my self-development. A lot of what I do music wise has been self-taught and I can be incredibly critical of my own work. I used to be terrified to show any of my music to other people and as much as I loved to sing, I was nervous to show anyone this part of me that meant so much. Over time, I have pushed myself to be more confident in what music I was writing and to practice as much as I could so I would only be getting better. The music I write can be so personal that it takes a lot of vulnerability to open up about but once I saw how much people appreciated that openness, I wanted to continue to be confident enough to show others. I hope to continue to develop myself and my music to reach a point of comfortability to perform my own songs.
My music comes from a place of honesty and authenticity. Writing music helps me be in tune with my personal values. When I write music, I’m writing it for myself first with no one else’s opinions giving me feedback. This is a huge part because it helps me fully understand my own feelings without anyone else telling me how I feel. When I sense a recurring theme in my music, I can start to see what my true passions are and what values I am resonating with at that time. My values have now become my vision for what I want me music to sound like. I want to be able to inspire and empower people based on my music which incorporate my personal values.
As I mentioned earlier, developing my music has been a challenge for me. Music doesn’t come as easily to me as I wished it would but I don’t let that stop me from doing what I love. I use music as my main source of help when it comes to recovering from a setback. Being able to reflect on an experience and gain confidence and learning from it allows me to manage my stress more wisely and see the success that can come from that. Music has given me this sense of confidence in myself by being able to rely on it whenever I feel the need to recover from difficulties. I remain resilient with my music writing over the years because it has been such a source of happiness and allows me to be honest and open with myself.
Music has been a strong passion of mine which has helped me develop my feelings and values since I was young. I can apply these competencies to my future because a lot of what music has taught me is being consistent with myself. Knowing exactly what my values are and how to be honest with myself so I can communicate that with other people will help me in any situation I might be in. Writing this experience was so hard for me and I couldn't figure out why. But when it boils down to it, I am so passionate about music that is has become personal for me. Opening up about this part of me wasn't easy but this vulnerability has shown me a strength that I didn't know I had. I hope in the future to continue music and eventually be able to use it as a way to empower others and create change.
