Familiar Feelings
Cranium Cage Overview
This is a personal diary of all the chaos and memories that went into this debute album. Throughout this series we will not only explore the ‘Familiars’ as a whole piece, but also deep dive into each composition.
Kit, We Need to Talk.
Dear past me, we need to talk.
Wait, what’s that?
Oh. No, your not in trouble, but perhaps you may want to think about why I made you feel that way with 4 words.
One day, you will understand it, but today is not that day.
You are 15 feeling the weight of it all crashing down upon you. Now that I am 30 I can confidently say that growing up is a BITCH. Yeah, maybe that’s an unpopular opinion for some, but those childhood experiences will define you as an adult. I would like to say it gets better - and at some point it does- but it will get a whole lot messier first.
As you are aware thus far, much of your ‘coming of age’ years will be spent surviving.
Surviving the self-hate.
Surviving the debilitating perfectionism.
Surviving the narcissism.
Yes, you are surviving right now, and I am sorry for that, but YOU F*cking DID IT. You not only survived it, but you healed from it too. All the pain, self-hatred, resentment, perfectionism - it served its purpose to protect you, and now you can let it all go.
In your twenties you will come to terms with the things you needed to do to get to this point - the not so attractive things you’d rather leave in the past. That personal forgiveness you will so desperately need at 25, will lead you to this moment- the very moment I am in, right not, writing you this letter - on a website showcasing OUR art, on a couch in a home that WE bought, next to the person that WE married.
Yes, things are finally coming together for us, but the horse we rode to get here nearly took us down a cliff.
Right now, I suspect you are cramming for that chemistry test on Friday. You’ll go on to get a degree in that subject but all that hard work was for everyone else, not you.
Therapy will be the first defining moment of artistic discovery, that will then be followed by autistic discovery. You’ll write your first song in 2023 after a year of art therapy once a week. It taps into a piece of yourself you forgot about. The not so loving relationship you had with the Grim Reaper. Though not showcased on this album, Grim Relation, will open new passions for music and songwriting. At some point a collection will build and you’ll want to learn an instrument to start writing chords on your own - without your husband’s help.
You will be more proud of these 8 songs than the 4 year chemistry degree you cried over to get.
This album was named ‘Familiars’ because of:
My unwavering love for my fur babies
The feeling I get when singing these songs. It’s nostalgic and familiar, like I’ve lived through that emotion over and over again.
When I starting writing the songs in this album, I had just come out of the worst depression of my life. (Remember when I said it gets worse before better? Yeah, well- spoiler- that’s a big part of it.) I leaned on my pets for comfort and each of them rose to the occasion. When I was a child, a teen, a young adult. In every phase of my life there has been a furry companion by my side to dry my tears on. My own little team of therapy animals at my side- my little familiars if you will.
So yes, this album has been a journey. It invokes the nostalgia of childhood memories contrasted with the difficult acceptance of growing up. I believe each song on this album has a light and dark.
So I ask you this one question as you begin listening to the album….Which side do you see? The light or the dark?
xoxo, KitD <3
