- originally published January 28, 2015 -
Hi, I’m Rorie, but you may know me as Erin Rea (I recently started writing and performing as “Rorie” – a nickname I’ve had for years). Anyways, I just launched a Kickstarter Campaign to raise funds to record my song “Restore,” and am turning to my blog to write a little more about the inspiration behind this project, and why I’m using the wonderful Kickstarter.com (aka inviting you!) to help fund it!
So I write a lot of songs, and love doing so. Throughout the past two years, I’ve lived in three different states, and four different rooms. It has been a growing experience, an amazing experience, a challenging experience, a hard experience, and a blessed experience all wrapped in one. But isn’t that life?
When I moved to NYC in the summer of 2013, I was looking for jobs and came across an organization called “Nomi Network”. I had the opportunity to work there for a year, and this experience was completely different than anything I could have planned for myself when moving to New York. I learned so much working with them, not only professionally, but also about the issue they work so tirelessly to fight against: human trafficking. I knew that modern day slavery was real, but I began to meet people and hear stories that made me perpetually uneasy. Slavery is not ok. Human trafficking is NOT ok. And yet, it happens all around us.
One thing I learned while working at Nomi is that survivors of human trafficking are too often portrayed as being helpless, when in reality; they can be some of the strongest people. Each story and every individual is unique. We do, however, have large numbers and statistics to communicate the breadth and gravity of the issue in both our country and our world, and there are many organizations working hard to provide resources and support. One day, one of my bosses said that she doesn’t call the women and families that she works with “survivors,” but rather, “over-comers”.
That day, I went home and started writing about what she had said. That’s when the song “Restore” came about. I kind of wrote it and set it aside. Then, while falling asleep one night, I imagined a beautiful dancer who was trapped in a room that was too small for her to dance. I saw her begin to break free from her situation physically, psychologically, and spiritually. She was not only rescued, but also restored. I saw this dancer dancing in larger rooms and spaces with more light until she was finally outside, completely free with endless room to dance and dream. I also saw this image of a garden in the pouring rain, with all different kinds of people gathering around it. This was just the beginning of what would grow to be the project idea for “Restore.”
For the next seven months, people kept singling it out. I would play a show and then someone would comment on “Restore,” and some would even ask if I would consider recording it (this included show attendees and people who are a part of these organizations)…and that’s where I am right now! Recording music costs A LOT of money. It’s a career path that I am not always sure why I chose, but one that is always there, staring me in the face and challenging me to take on the next thing with trust. So after requests and encouragement from a lot of people, I realized that I needed to try and get this particular song done now. I couldn’t wait until I had enough funds or publicity to make a full album (hopefully that will happen one day!). I am currently living at my parents’ house and working a day job to save as much money as possible while I run this campaign.
So here we are! I am ready to make this song the best it can be, and to share it with the organizations that inspired the lyrics by their work. I won’t be giving the song away for free, but I will be giving the iTunes profits to the programs at Nomi Network and Restore NYC!! Each Kickstarter Backer, however, will get the song for free. I hope that this song will be used to honor the stories of those who are over-comers of human trafficking situations, raise awareness and funds for organizations that are working to fight this issue, and to inspire and connect with those who watch, listen, and share. There are a lot of great conversations going on about this issue, and there are still a lot more to be had, and a lot of work left to be done. It feels daunting, and sometimes I wonder what just a song can do, but then I think about the lyrics in the bridge of the song. I don’t remember exactly how I thought to write them, but I can see now that they were words telling the story of my life in 2014, and how I was changed during that time.
//Here we are, all the same
Watching seeds grow in the rain
Could a story shake us, could it change us?
Here we are, all the same
Watching seeds grow in the rain
Could a story break us, could it save us?//
I believe that the story of “Restore” is one that needs to be told. We’re all here, we’re all the same, just trying to figure things out. We are all part of this larger story of restoration, facing our own experiences and trials that bring us to where we are. And yet, we have choices to plant small seeds of kindness, hope, or love that will grow even when all we can see is the pouring rain.
So that’s why I’m here to record and film “Restore,” and I would love to invite you to be a part of it. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported already! I am forever grateful. More soon! Rorie
Click here to make a pledge on Kickstarter – every little bit counts!!: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rorie/restore-song-video-by-rorie