An Interview with the charming Clare Bowditch &.... an album giveaway

On January 1st I made a very quiet resolution, to myself, to interview 12 inspirational people for 2012. I have a tendency to make 'quiet' resolutions. Another was to give up coffee for a year!  See, they're in no way small resolutions.   So you can understand my reticence to stating them out loud?! Aaargggh, what if I can't do it......
Slowly and very quietly I've been making lists, contacting people and sending out interview questions, only 4 questions, to people who've inspired me personally or en mass.
Most of these people I've never met but their stories, non the less, have impacted me.  They've made me happy, sad, want to get out there and get active, believe, create or stand for something.  They're all living their lives, beating their daily demons and saying yes to bigger pictures.  They're the sort of lives I love to see unfolding and love to think I am living.

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The first of these 12 is the delightful Clare Bowditch:  Songwriter, performer extraordinaire...you may remember me talking about her performance in Eva Tales from the life of Eva Cassidy.... here.... she'll also be debuting in the hot series Offspring next season - can't wait. She's mother to 3 amazing kids - twins to boot, wife to Marty Brown ....a man of many, many talents..... and she's one, simply put, all round lovely lady.

For a bit of fun to get us started Ms Bowditch please describe yourself in one sweeping sentence.

Your intro sounds SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE PERSON I WOKE UP AS THIS MORNING!  I am currently on day 3 of a 21 day Raw Food Challenge.  Apparently it gets better.....I really hope so because right now all I want is for someone to post me a hamburger in the mail.

How do you juggle songwriting, the dishes, being a mumma, a wife & finding time just for you?  You seem to do it all.  What's your secret?

Sometimes very poorly!  Often there is no juggle - it's more a crawl. A shuffle!  You know the one....

If there is a secret, it's that I never, ever demand  perfection of myself: I maintain the right to play, to try anything and to suck at it and try something new.  My house is often chaotic and happy.  I'd prefer it looked like something Gwenyth Paltrow's Goop team threw together but that's not where we're at right now, so on we roll.

The other secret is marrying a good man like Marty.  We are in it together (and yet somehow I get all the credit?  How does that work?  Actually that's not true - the ladies at school think he's pretty alright.  What with all the lunch making and kid-drop-offing, he's a pretty awesome Dad).

When did you realise you were really doing this music stuff 'for real'?

Marty & I realised we were doing it "for real" right around the same time we were going to become parents "for real", when we were 26.  Before that Marty was pretty serious about music but I was just kind've making music as one of the things I loved to do.  I didn't think I could ever make my living out of it and I didn't think I'd be a particularly interesting "famous person", so I never considered it in terms of a "career".  But then, when I was pregnant, I realised that it was the thing that brought me the greatest creative joy, and that I needed great creative joy in my life, and if I didn't "have a crack", I'd live to regret it.  It's something I talk about in detail in Rachael Power's book "The Divivded Heart", which is a read I would recommend very highly for all creative mothery sorts.

Where do you feel most inspired?

It used to have something to do with too much chaos and coffee and beer and bad relationships (Sheesh!).  That's what I thought, anyway.  Really I'm most inspired when I feel close to beauty and truth and love - not just the "happy happy" love but the kind of love that you would break your own heart over.  Other peoples art REALLY inspired me.  Babies being born inspires me NO END!  Also happiness really inspires me and I've recently made a point of seeking it out every single day - it is actually the focus of the album I'm recording at the moment.  I also feel really inspired by lazy "Tea & Toast" kind of days.  Any blogs like yours - they inspire me too!  Oh I'm so inspired right now!

Who would you most like to meet?

I'd like to meet my great grandmothers and their great grandmothers.

Thank you so much for taking time to answer these questions Clare!  You're an absolute super star and I believe, a wonderfully interesting 'famous person'.  Totally inspiring, honest and best of all... you're so.... well, real. I can't wait to see you in the upcoming series of Offspring & hear the sweet sounds of your new album when it's released. 

Lots of luck, love & Stupendous Joy to you, fine lady. xox

For your chance to win a copy of Clare Bowditch & The New Slang's album Modern Day Addiction leave a comment below this interview before Friday 17th February 2012. I'll draw one name out of a... hat, gumboot or whatever we have at hand and the lucky winner will be announced on Saturday 18th, here & over on my Facebook page. Good Luck.
* Be sure leave to leave your name & check back to see if you're the winner.  I'm happy to post world wide.

Clare Bowditch links:

• website
• twitter
• Facebook 
• yahoo