Lucy Ridsdale

Hello!

My name's Lucy and I'm inviting you to come with me on my journey to Ireland to study Ritual Chant and Song. It's a Masters in sacred vocal music. Did you even know such a course existed? I didn't until last July when I was in Ireland for the first time. The whole thing started when I was listening to the exquisite harmonies of Owen and Moley O'Suilleabhain. I had tears streaming down my face and a strange feeling in my body, like something was rising inside me and shining out my face.

Fast forward a few weeks: The lads tell me about this course at The Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick and I have another strange feeling - that I've been secretly working towards it without even knowing it existed. I start thinking about my application and realise I can sing something in twenty languages. I've been collecting sacred songs for as long as I can remember. I have sung in monasteries, temples and churches, on hillsides, in the Amazon, by bed sides, around fires, at funerals, on pilgrimage. I love singing as a way of being heart to heart with people, as a way of honouring the life we share, as an invitation into the wonderful, glorious mystery of life that somehow shines out of the cracks of a song. This course is about "exploring the voice in ritual and sacred contexts."

I think this course is for me!

Fast forward another few months: I have applied for the course and been accepted with a half tuition scholarship (youpie!). Now what remains is to find the additional 15,000 or so dollars, to cover the rest of my tuition, airfares, and study and living expenses for my one year in Limerick. I invite you to share the journey with me by supporting my project "Sing, Paint, Love." The money will help me to get to Ireland to study sacred music. And in doing so, you are part of a whole ecology of giving and sharing, investing, supporting and enabling which spreads in ripples well beyond this project.

Have you heard of a zero-sum game? It means that there are winners and there are losers, and the overall positives and negatives add up to zero. So my new way of thinking is called the infinite sum game. It is about looking to life for opportunities to give, to share, to enable and benefit and contribute. It's looking for the potential to create win-win-win-win in all situations and to as many recipients as can be imagined. Pozible, and crowd-funding in general, is a revolutionary shift in this direction. By mobilising the resources of community, the most amazing projects can be done. By quite modest crews of people giving quite modest amounts of money, the most truly wonderful dreams can be realised. This is what I'm inviting you to participate in. The whole glorious thing.

What would you do with just a small pot of gold?

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To support my project you decide the amount that you would like to pledge and choose a reward. The transaction will only be processed if I'm successful in reaching the target.

I've been making paintings and pictures with wild abandon so that I can thank you for your pledge with artworks and music. I'm in the process of making a bootleg, candlelit EP of sacred songs with some of my favourite Fremantle singers. For Perth-based folks, you might choose to have two hours with me as your humble servant... Think: photo shoot for your band, coaching session on running an exhibition, or a private art lesson... And you'll see that for a larger pledge you can choose one of my artworks, commission a painting, or even enjoy a weekend for two in Limerick (travel there not included!) where I will personally pull out all the stops to give you a holiday you'll never forget. There are plenty of rewards that can be sent to you if you're far away. In fact, anything can be sent to you if you'll cover the postage.



So what I'm saying is "come with me," and I don't just say it blithely. Firstly: please do come and visit. Where I am you are welcome. Secondly, follow my blog! It's not up and running yet, but it will be and if you stay in touch, you'll hear about it. Thirdly, give me your address and I'll send you a postcard. Fourthly, stay in touch. You know how much I love to share, and given a small prod, will so happily write to you. Fifthly, and most wonderfully - because it doesn't depend on any outside circumstances - just know in the heart that you are with me, sharing in this dream of mine that you have contributed to. One thing I promise is that all the riches and benefits accrued from this learning will be given back to the whole in any and every way that I can.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

With gratitude and joy at all we create together,

Lucy

PS. Every dollar raised above $10,000 will be on-gifted to other creative and humanitarian projects.

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FAQs

¿What on earth is a wibble board?

Glad you asked! A wibble board is my own invention (though 'invention' might be pushing it a bit). I made a colourful collage of photos for my nephew Benji when he was five months old. It was A3, printed and laminated. I expected it to go in his room or on the fridge, but when he got his little hands on it, he ... well... he... wibbled it. Think Rolf Harris's wobble board. And he wibbled it until that laminate was as creased as a pirate treasure map stored in a match box and it would wibble no longer. So the short answer is: a wibble board is a perfect present for a baby and... they look pretty hot on the fridge too.