A Kiss from a Rose – Why the Rose is such a powerful symbol in the arts. By Sammie Venn.

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A Kiss from a Rose – Why the Rose is such a powerful symbol in the arts. By Sammie Venn.

Here at Jeeni.com we celebrate and support all musicians and performers, and poetry has its own dedicated channel for artists and performers to showcase their work and earn 100% of their sales, ticketing, merchandise and donations.

Last week Jeeni returned to Crowdcube to raise more funds for helping new talent. We have been very encouraged with the positive response as we reached our target in just 6 days and now overfunding If you want to see our pitch click HERE.

Today we showcase Sammie Venn as a very talented and creative writer.

The Rose has long been considered a symbol of the divine feminine; when my daughter and I moved to our home in East Sussex a few years ago we bought a “Coeur Rose”, a “Love Rose”, in hope that it would manifest exactly that. Consequently it has never flowered when it should, in fact it has blossomed during the oddest of times, throughout harsh frosty winters as well as scorching hot summers. I even found two perfectly formed flowers one New Year’s eve under a dusting of snow. Suffice to say I see it as a strong and firmly rooted plant that can spring to life in the most adverse conditions, In Tarot a rose is seen as a symbol of balance, it expresses new beginnings, hope and promise. I see our magical plant as something that has stood the test of time. It is full of boundless wisdom and copious richness, whilst her petals answer my prayers the thorns protect the splendour it bestows.

So why is the rose such a powerful motif in the arts? It appears as a mark of love, beauty and virtue within every creative genre. It is a recurring theme in ancient literature and features in the greatest love poems of our time. Christina Rossetti, William Blake, J.B. Yeats, Dorothy Parker, Rumi, Charles Bukowski all herald the rose in their prose as nature’s metaphorical flower of Love. Roses have symbolised God at work, the scent has been aligned to that of an angel and the Virgin Mary has also been called the “mystic rose”, “the rose without thorns”. Clearly its power as a plant is multifarious, from religious connotations to passionate exchanges, sincere friendship and spiritual holiness, the rose can mirror any human sentiment.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans associated roses with Aphrodite and Venus, the Goddess of Love. However they have also been used to communicate messages without words. It is not just Love that the rose represents but also confidentiality. The Latin term “sub rosa” translates as “under the rose” referring to the notion that something is told in secret. When a confidential matter was debated behind closed doors in Rome, the wild flower was placed outside to indicate that a private matter was being discussed.

It is not just literature that celebrates the rose, singer-song writers have immortalised the exquisite flower in their lyrics for centuries. Without doubt it is an iconic plant and holds a plethora of meanings depending on its colour. A crimson flower is for lovers, it signifies enduring and life-long passion. The velvety petals of a lilac bloom represent enchantment and love at first sight. A white rose reflects humility and innocence whilst a yellow bud expresses friendship and joy. Stems with pink flowers can be given to express gratitude, appreciation and admiration whilst those with an orange hue can portray enthusiasm and desire. Every mortal emotion can be aligned to this beautiful woody perennial. There are over 300 species and tens of thousands of cultivars, whether they are trailing, climbing or standing tall as shrubs, the rose comes armed with prickles and thorns making them strangely more beautiful in many ways. Leigh Bardugo in “The Language of Thorns” wrote that “Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns”. This seems like a perfect metaphor for the life we live.

From Bette Midler to Janis Joplin, form Poison to Westlife, the rose has featured as a powerful overture in many songs and genres. It has been idolised for both its natural beauty as well as its harsher, darker side. Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” was released in 1994 and again in 1995 when it appeared in the film “Batman Forever”. 25 years later it’s still a song that sends shivers down my spine, I can even hear it loud and clear in my head as I’m writing this article. But it’s the lyrics of Bette Midler that resonate like a thunder bolt to the heart. Harmony is not always achieved when everyone sings the same note. It is what lies between these musical tones that produces accord. The rhythm and rhyme that they ensue creates a melody that dances to its own beat and this verse from Midler’s “The Rose” does exactly that. The lyrics are haunting, rich, joyful, romantic, wild and intoxicating, just like the rose itself.

“When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose”.

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05
Jun

Give-Get-Go get creative and launch FREE Mini Talks starting Tonight

We are really looking forward to joining Tony Klinger and his team at Give-Get-Go in launching their new mini talks. They are informative and fun and we want all our members to have the opportunity to join in. Tony told us that, "During these difficult and dangerous times our businesses and our personal lives are disturbed and might well be hurting. We are in the creative industries so we thought let's be creative. Instead of thinking about what later advantage we might gain, for which there will still be time later, we should be thinking of what we can do for each other. To that end we at www.give-get-go.com will be giving our HINTS AND TIPS mini talks to everyone in the creative industry, and it is free to all comers starting at the end of this week and continuing for the duration of the emergency. Don't expect anything fancy, but the information will be useful to anyone with aims and ambitions in this industry and for all creative people looking for ways to make it pay for them after the virus. Who knows, our HINTS AND TIPS might be useful to you and we will do our best to make them interesting. We aim to start with a pre-recorded brief introduction this Friday at 5pm UK time. We will be introducing our subject and ourselves and I might even shave beforehand!HINTS AND TIPS talks start this Friday 17 April 2020 at 5 pm UK time On social media under the name Tony Klinger." https://www.give-get-go.com/

15
Oct

Jeeni Weekly Round-Up #1

Welcome to the first edition of our weekly round-up blog where we discuss the latest news in music, entertainment, and more. 16 Million Americans Learned to Play Guitar During the Pandemic, Fender Study Finds Guitar sales boomed during the pandemic in 2020, with Fender sales growing by 17%. It was clear more people were picking up the instrument during lockdowns. A new study from Fender has found that about 16 million Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 started learning to play the guitar during the last two years . The study was conducted between May and June 2021 by Fender and YouGov. With 62% citing COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns as a major motivator. 77% of those polled reported that they found themselves with additional free time during this period, which they used to play and practice. The “Fender’s New Guitar Player Analysis” study, analysed who new players were and how they took up the instrument. The major takeaways were that most new players are women, two-thirds of players are between the ages of 13 and 34, more than half of them use TikTok, and 38% of the new player identify as Latinx. Check out the Jeeni guitar channel to find a range of guitar-related content and tutorials. TikTok Adds Six Certified Sound Partners to Expand Commercial Music Library Music is an integral park of TikTok’s platform, with the power to spark global trends and even shoot artists to instant stardom. The platform has revealed six ‘certified Sound Partners’. According to TikTok in addition to its Commercial Music Library which includes over 150,000 pre-cleared, royalty-free tracks. This partnership will help expand the commercial music library in many surprising ways. Furthermore, TikTok has introduced a new series of parents with its marketing partner programme. Which will help brands make content with sound while also helping them better aline with key trends on the platform. Spotify’s New Music Friday Playlist Favors Indie Artists and Women, Study Finds Despite the challenges that independent label artists and women face in the music industry in a study published by the International Journal of Industrial Organisation concluded that independent artists and women are the top performers on the popular playlist New Music Friday, which is selected each week by publishers. Research conducted by the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota analyzed more than 5,700 songs on the playlist throughout 2017. The researchers sought to find if there was a bias towards any label, artist or genre. Despite predictions, they found that music released by an independent labels generally received a higher ranking. Resulting in an average boost of two spots on the New Music Friday playlist. Additionally, songs by female artists also benefited from a higher ranking on the playlist. However it’s important to note that this research only applies to the Spotify New Music Friday playlist. “For instance, streams for music by women account for about a quarter of total streams, a share that is low compared to the number of women listening, among musicians and in the population as a whole,” Said researchers. “Instead, the takeaway is New Music Friday does not compound the challenges these groups face in the music industry.” Recorded music revenue grew by 27% according to the RIAA mid-year report Recorded music revenue grew by 27% in the first 6 months of 2021 according to the RIAA mid-year report, versus the prior year, from $5.6 to $7.1 billion. Paid subscriptions continued to be the strongest contributor to growth. Comprising nearly two-thirds of total revenue, and more than 80 million paid subscriptions for the first time. Inspite of the effects of Covid-19 that have continued to affect the industry the music revenue is still growing. However year-over-year comparisons are significantlympacted by store closures, tour cancellations, and other disruptions from both 2020 and 2021. It's well known that artists rely heavily on live performance income. And the major streaming platforms revenue share is extremely unfair and continue to undervalue the artist. Jeeni is working hard to do the opposite, dedicated to boosting new talent and established artists alike. We reward them and their audiences ethically and fairly. Become a memeber today to find out how we can help promote you and how you can help creative talent alike. Make sure to follow jeeni on our social platforms to keep upadated on everything we are doing. In Jeeni News Jeeni is always finding new ways to support creative talent, currently we are searching for artists, musicans and performers to create dedicated showcases for. As well as looking for creative talent to interview for our Inside Stories. If you are interested please contact our artist liason ella@jeeni.com.

06
Jun

DO YOU WANT TO DANCE?

By Sammy Venn, Jeeni's Official Writer Columnist and Blogger. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com Come and join in... Plato said that music and rhythm find a way into your soul; that’s so true! I love music and have an eclectic taste that I think most can’t comprehend. The plethora of suggestions I get is wonderful, so it works for me, as my knowledge of music becomes far more expansive that way. I discovered Fip radio about a couple of months ago. It’s a French radio station; genius in that I can listen to a myriad of tunes and not turn it off or down because of adverts or news that makes me feel sad - it’s all in French! So not only am I picking up a language I adore, my collection of music is expanding. Music really feeds my soul, I thought it might be a fun idea to create a “Musicians and Performers Group" playlist I can create on Jenni for us all to listen too. So please, please add your favourite songs below so we can all share in the delight that music brings to our mind, body and spirit...Many people don’t know this but listening to music is not just something that brings joy, it can also improve your health in a variety of ways and scientists have proven that through many researches. Read on to find how music can make your life more awesome. By Eevee G 1. Helps you sleep better Music contributes for a healthy sleep. Researchers have found that classical music can help us deal with Insomnia, especially college students. This is definitely a healthier and much cheaper fix for your sleeping disorder than taking pills. 2. Fights stress It is no surprise that listening to music helps relieve stress off your shoulders. Studies have found that music stimulates biochemical stress reducers which helps us feel more relaxed. 3. Helps you get in touch with yourself As it puts us in a better mood, music helps us get in touch with our emotions, a 2013 study suggests. The participants marked “self-awareness” as one of the most important advantages of music. 4. It relieves pain Music has the ability to decrease the intensity of the pain. It activates sensory pathways that fight pain pathways and takes a person’s attention away from the pain. 5. Fights anxiety When we are feeling anxious, listening to music can help us fight it as it has the same effect on the brain as a massage has on the body. 6. Acts as a motivator for bikers and runners. College students conducted a research and proved that the people who rode stationary bicycles were able to work harder while they were listening to fast music compared to those who weren’t listening to any music during the experiment. If you are like me and prefer running, listening to your favorite songs can help you beat your personal records and even strengthen your endurance. Long story short, music helps you perform better during your workouts and also makes them a lot more enjoyable. 7. Helps you recover faster after a workout. It’s proven that your body recovers faster after a hard workout when you are listening to your favorite music 8. Fights sadness Researchers have found that music can successfully fight symptoms of depression but the genre is very important. Classical and meditation music can boost your mood when you are feeling down, but listening to heavy metal or techno music won’t help that much with chasing away the bad thoughts. 9. Helps the function of the blood vessels Science has proven that the emotions that people have while listening to music contribute to healthier functions of blood vessels. As music makes you feel happier, it boosts the blood flow in your blood vessels. 10. Helps with stroke recovery A Finnish study found that if stroke patients listened to music for 2 hours a day, they recover faster. Not only their moods improve, but also their verbal abilities and attention span, too. 11. Improves performance in high-pressure experiences Fast music can help you fight stress before a high-pressure experience- an important game, for example. Researches have proven that listening to fast music just before a basketball game helped player relieve the stress and perform better. 12. Makes you mindful while you eat Playing some music in the background is proven to help people slow down and enjoy their feeding process. This makes them more aware of what they are consuming and really tasting the food rather than eating quickly which leaves them feeling hungry and dissatisfied with the meal. 13. Improves cognitive functions Playing background music while working on tasks that need your mental focus can boost your performance. A research has found that music can boost one’s cognitive abilities, but only if it has the same effect on the emotional state. 14. Music can get you into a state similar to meditation Slow music can have effect on the speed of your brainwaves which makes them similar to someone who is in a meditative or hypnotic state. This can have a healing effect as it eases the symptoms of PMS and behavioral issues. 15. Eases patients going through a surgery A research discovered that when patients are played music just before a cardiovascular surgery, they start feeling less worried. Moreover, music reduces the stress after the surgery if it is played while the patients are resting in their beds. It doesn’t matter what the music of your choice is. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

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