who I am

Dear all,

Here is the very first post of my very first blog !

I am really excited !

So, if you are here, either you landed on this page by happenstance, or you actively looked for it.

In both cases, I think you are wondering who I am and why I have got a blog on my brand new Flutist Website.

So here is the thing : until the 3d of June, I was nobody.

Well, of course I am exaggerating, because as a matter of fact, no one really is 'nobody', and I am pretty sure we all have lots of interesting stories to tell.

But let's say, nobody knew who I was, I had a reasonable amount of friends on Facebook, and I hated selfies and hashtags.

Then I won the first Prize at the Kobe International Flute Competition.

On the scale of life-changing events up til now, it ranks top three. Depending on what the future brings, it could easily make top one quite soon, I guess.

Anyway, this bigger-than-life dream of mine, one I almost didn't dare say out loud, got true. That, in itself, is incredible. I wish it happens someday for all of you, because it is the most incredible feeling.

So I got first Prize and I thought "Now I have to try and do something out of it!"

Because, let's face it, even with such an enormous thing on my CV, I play the flute, not the piano or the violin, and I think I have to get to work if I want concerts (lots of it) and big events in the future.

So I looked up some well-known and rising stars. And guess what ?

They all have websites, and Facebook pages, and Instagram, and so on...

So I had my work cut out for me. And work I did!

I created a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, an Instagram account, and a Twitter one (although I have to tell you, I still haven't really figured out why there even is a Twitter, I don't get the purpose of that one...)

And I guess I will have to do selfies and videos. I still hate them, that much won't ever change. But I have to admit, people posting such things just get loooots of 'likes' and comments, and visibility.

And as long as I am a 'wild artist' (I just invented the concept), without an agent doing all of the publicity for me, I guess it means I have to do it myself, and nowadays it works with social media.

So here it is : I've got a website, and I decided to have a blog on it.

Because now suddenly I have this crazy amount of friends on Facebook, people liking my YouTube channel, but no one actually knows who I am.

Do you know how hard it was for me to get Kobe first Prize ? I had to do five international competitions.

I had to practice my life off, I had to doubt myself every step of the way, and to fight against said doubts. I had to cry again and again as for months I thought I just played so badly.

You see, Kobe first prize, it is not everything I am. Of course it is my greatest achievement and no one will ever take that away from me, but I will always stay first and foremost a musician trying to better herself, no matter what. And a pretty emotional one (my teachers would agree here!!).

I got so many messages after the competition, and when I thanked people and told them how long and hard the journey was, they all said how inspiring that was, that in the end I decided I had to tell my story.

Lots of people inspired me along the way, and they were all incredibly important. That is why, if I can give anybody just a tiny bit of courage or comfort describing my own eventful journey, I think I owe it to them.

Stay tuned to know more about my story, and don't hesitate to share.

Regards,

Hélène

PS : if anybody discovered the true purpose of Twitter, kindly leave a comment to explain it to me...