Staying Grounded in Creative Careers

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Evesophia

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My Name

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Evesophia

I was reading my own blog mind you (haha) and saw a “prompt” that said “Where does your name come from?” Good thing to write about. I hadn’t thought about that. Ha!

Well, here goes. My first name is after my mother, Evelyn. She always told me it was from Eve, the first woman on Earth, as in Adam and Eve. It actually is derived from the old Medieval French name “Aveline.” There is a pretty long history of the name Evelyn and its variants online.

The name “Evelyn” itself is of English origin associated with meanings “desired” or “beautiful.” (Gosh…thanks!!!) It also used to be a name for both men and women years ago. However in the current times it’s become only a woman’s name. In Polish, which I am, it’s “Ewelina” (pronounced ev-ve-leena). Yes, I have been called that as well. I’ve also been called Evenly, Eleven, even Twelve and Thirteen (joking around). My big sister calls me “Eves” for whatever reason she uses plural. Hahaha!

So now the last name, Czaja (pronounced chah-ya) is not the most common Polish name around. Not a ton of us in the USA. You’d think we would all be related. But we’re not. In fact being from Chicago, there was a family on the far South Side with the exact name of my Dad, Mom and older sister. And we didn’t know the other family existed until we got their mail one day…sent to the wrong address. We were floored! Ha!

This is my Father’s lineage in Poland. It apparently has roots in the name “czajka” which means “lapwing” (bird). My nephew actually drew a picture of a lapwing a number of years ago. He researched the name and found a bird. Ha! I had also read some time ago that my name Czaja was in the same family with the Russian name Tchaikovsky, like you know, the great Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. I’ll take it!

And…my Mom’s maiden name, LaBuda, is derived from the Polish word “labud” which means “swan.” So my Mom was Evelyn Helen Mary Labuda (swan) Czaja (lapwing). And my Mom’s 2 sisters had married names Sowa (owl) and Drozd (thrush). So they were birds too!

So as you can see, my family was for the birds!!!! And we’re all musical. And Mom and I had really good singing voices which I took as far as becoming an opera singer. And with our close relatives also being for the birds, I guess that explains how nuts we all are. Ha!

Interesting stuff investigating your own name. And lots of information actually tracing the origins and meanings…how it came into being the actual name it is. Haha! But with all that being said, I’m very happily Evelyn Virginia Sophia Czaja.

Now go out there and start investigating your own name. Seriously. There’s tons of information online that you can begin to trace. You just might find something as incredible as I did…that both sides of my family were for the birds! Chirp chirp. Ha!

Enjoy!

https://www.makingmusicwitheve.weebly.com

https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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Navigating Skincare and Makeup

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Evesophia

Oy vey! SOOOO many products on the market. Skincare that deals with real skin issues…in about 5 minutes after applying it! Wow! That’s even faster than having surgery!

All kinds of interesting product additives which sound kinda weird but can make you look younger lickety-split…even though you seriously wonder what that weird ingredient actually is.

Lots of new makeup items…foundations, glowy products so you can “glow,” blushes, lipsticks, uhhhhh…I’m exhausted thinking about this and I haven’t even mentioned most of the new products out there.

If you’re drowning in this sea of “what on Earth do I use already” you’re not alone. I’ve been using and studying skincare and makeup for just about as long as I’ve been studying music. And yet…the one piece of advice I always fall back on is something a Merle Norman Skincare/Makeup Studio employee told me some…I dunno…45 years ago? I dearly loved Merle Norman. One day I was sitting in the studio and we were doing some makeup thing and talking about products etc. She said, “it doesn’t really matter which products you use. Just use something to help your skin.” She’s right!

My Mom always used Ponds Cold Cream to cleanse and moisturize. Never soap. She had great skin. After a while my sister got her going on Mary Kay products. Also a great choice. Mary Kay Ash looked glamorous until the end!

And that’s my point as well. I have written before about using what works for you. I always look for ingredients such as Hyaluronic acid (something our own bodies produce), Vitamin C, Niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3), Aloe vera, Shea butter…to name a few. The less artificial components in your skincare and makeup the better. And…I also always promote cleansing and moisturizing rituals both in the morning and in the evening. The evening is really when you want to deep cleanse. “Beauty is born at night” they always say. Try to make that come true for yourself.

Plus it takes only 5-10 minutes to accomplish this. Do you honestly think I want to spend 25 minutes in the morning and evening doing a skincare routine? And I’m a skincare addict! Nope! Cleanse…eye cream…facial serum…moisturizer…done! 6 minutes. Haha! In case you think this is too fast (and snarky) of me, remember you’re after long-term success. Regular skincare does provide this!!!! Get it into your daily routine like brushing your teeth. You’ll be amazed at how little time you spend doing this and how good you get at it! And you’ll also be amazed at how you look on your 65th birthday when everyone is aghast…”you’re 65? Gosh…you look 15 years younger!” And that, my friends, is the point! You age gracefully and classy. And it makes you feel confident and more in control. It’s not surgery and you won’t look 25 at 65 but you’ll look great for 65! You will!!!!

My advice has always been to look at the product line you are interested in. Look at reviews from actual users. Also look at ingredients. If you are sold on what you are reading then try a product. You may have to do this 2-3 times etc. before you settle on a product or full product line that works for you. Be sure to look for products that deal with sensitive skin if that’s what you need. Be picky! The key point is that your skin feels good…moisturized. You can do this. You can navigate this sea of products and find yourself a great routine.

Switching to makeup…I’ve always said as a Makeup Artist mind you, you don’t have to do makeup if you don’t want to. And if you want to, you don’t have to do a makeup routine to rival a showbiz celebrity on stage. Again, like the skincare advice, try a few products from a makeup line that you are interested in. See if it works for you. Look at the list of ingredients. You might even try looking up online the more organic lines of makeup and what their ratings are especially from top-notch cosmetologists and dermatologists. You might have to do this 2-3 times like the skincare project.

There is such a thing as natural makeup. You use what you want where you want it. One of my cousins said years ago, “…as long as you feel finished.” And she’s right. I usually do only eye makeup/eyebrows and lipstick for daily stuff…after my morning skincare routine. If I have to teach (musician here) or do something else more formal, well it’s the whole foundation, eye makeup, blush, lipstick routine. But realistically. Not for the stage and not heavy-handed. And the more organic/natural products you use the more your skin retains its moisture during the day. Your makeup doesn’t dry out. If you’re doing your skincare routine correctly with good products and your makeup the same, then your skin will look good all day. Seriously!

All the big famous skincare/makeup lines are using more natural ingredients in their products. Consumers demand it especially the younger ones who are entering into this world of skincare/makeup now. We older ladies used many products years ago with some ingredients that not only are not natural but not very good for us either. Good thing most cosmetic companies are seeing their way into going more organic. This includes Korean and Japanese products which are very much organic and great to use. So, lots to explore out there.

And please don’t feel defeated or unwilling to try because of the volume of skincare/makeup products out there. We’re all overwhelmed! That’s a given. Take baby steps. It’s an adventure. And you’ll gradually educate yourself so that as you investigate more products, you’ll know exactly what to look for because it works for you. Then you’ll be unstoppable…and opinionated…like me. Ha!

Enjoy! It’s a trip!

https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

https://www.makingmusicwitheve.weebly.com

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Summer Time

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Evesophia

What a time to write about Summer…when it’s almost half way through August. Ha!

Well, there’s been a bit of uncomfortable stuff happening since March so yeah, I guess I didn’t get to this “down time” relaxing moment until now. Better late than never right?

In March my big brother died, in April my incredible back/spinal surgeon was killed in a private plane crash, and in May some company pickup truck slammed into me from behind and ended up totaling my car. So. Not really in the mood for musing about relaxation periods during the summertime. But here goes anyway.

We do so much in our lives. Then we worry about all of that…daily. Oy vey! Then we solve daily problems in our lives. Then with the 10 minutes we have left in that day or even in the week, we try to relax. Hmmm…

I don’t have an answer for this. I know a lot of therapists, psychologists talk about prioritizing stuff, going to exercise classes like Yoga which can help one relax, meditation, etc. I’m not quite into that. I’m the type of person that might actually do all of this then come home and continue stressing out over the same stuff like I just took a “coffee break” and returned to my job. Hahaha!

But at the moment, I’ve been just laying back and trying to savor the end of summer as low-key as I can. Just knowing that you don’t have tons of activities to attend to, holidays etc. makes you feel a bit more relaxed and not overtly stressed out. There has to be some time in your yearly routine that you can actually feel you can put things on the back burner and chill. Ahhhhhh… Not to worry. All those things you aren’t stressed out over now are not going away. They’ll resurface when the summer-relaxed-time is over.

This relaxed time also lets you reflect on what you’re doing during the year…besides the crappy surprises like car accidents etc. And for me, what am I really doing re my music business, Avon business, advertising my businesses etc. This is where I came up with the decision to monetize a part of my infamous Blog, the part about being a professional creative person…musician, make-up artist, Avon lady. Personal achievement careers as I like to call them.

This relaxed time also helps us reorganize ourselves to be more efficient which leads us to be less stressed when pole-vaulting through the year trying to balance everything. It’s like de-cluttering your home. You move stuff out of the house and reorganize and hopefully feel better about how things are organized now.

Another type of reorganization is when a couple of people close to you have died. In 2022 my best friend/music bud died. I took stock of my life insurance and actually doubled it so I would be more confident having adequate coverage for an entire funeral. After my big brother died in March of this year, I looked at my Trustee, POA and WILL documents. I upgraded those to reflect the current situation now. This type of real personal action makes you feel lighter, like you’ve shed some emotional weight etc. Interesting.

And of course, taking stock of your diet and health. What healthy things do you do daily and most days during the week that work for you? See improvement? What can you tailor a bit to work better and make you feel better?

Lots of things in your life run through your mind when you have time to let them, without stressing about them. And what you can accomplish, rethink, reorganize, reprioritize etc. is truly amazing. And the stuff is still there…only more reasonable. More handle-able.

So. I’m actually still chilling after writing this. Anyone who knows me knows this is impossible for me. But I actually am! Cool. Ha!

You know, you still have a couple of weeks before the return of the yearly routine…beginning of September. Still have time to calmly rethink and reorganize your stuff. Watch TV whilst you’re doing it. Listen to your favorite music. Eat your favorite food before you return to your healthy way of living. Ha! You’ll get it done and without the usual stress. Yay!

https://www.makingmusicwitheve.weebly.com

https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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Professionalism in Music

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Evesophia

Lately there are videos online of a somewhat famous young woman pianist who gives performances wearing very revealing outfits. I don’t call them gowns because there isn’t much actual dress there. She IS a fine pianist but…cut out dresses, short short exposing lots of leg…basic clubbing outfits.

When one is becoming a professional musician one learns kind of in a hurry what TO wear to perform and what NOT to wear. And when one is performing especially for the high-end audiences in concert halls throughout the world, one also needs to respect the audience. Most people who come to hear the high class piano music you’re playing or arias you’re singing are NOT the T-shirt and underpants crowd who wake up in the morning and go for coffee in pajama pants. Oy vey!

Sure I have a friend who happens to be a doll, who is also a concert pianist and martial arts expert etc. etc. She has played in somewhat sexy gowns…strapless, a little low-cut but…that’s it. She looks terrific and plays spectacularly and still looks respectful to herself, her art and her audience. And that’s the difference.

Music and other creative personal careers are YOU being your own business. But…how do you sell yourself? Everything is not about you personally so-to-speak. Once you enter the “I’m My Own Business” arena you have to literally create a “performance persona” that is YOU but tailored a bit to appease an audience whilst performing the music the way YOU do it. A bit tricky but you get into your groove eventually as you become a more seasoned musician/performer. And, creative people are always re-inventing themselves…or polishing might I say…as we move through life.

This is also the same with teaching. You are YOU as a teacher but always refining yourself as you work with students. Nothing like the “people business” to draw out the numerous creative ways you can relate to people. All whilst being professional, of course. What a trip!

The above advice applies to all professions, not just music. But let me re-iterate. This may be the year 2025 where people “do their own thing” but there is a standard for presenting to the public which is a bit more conservative as it involves both respect for your craft, the audience and ultimately, yourself. Never forget that. People will more than appreciate your effort.

Then you can go home and change into the pajama pants you originally wanted to wear. Hahahahaha!

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https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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Learning Music

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Evesophia

Hi everyone!

I’m back again. I’ve been working on a type of music class, simple enough, that people could subscribe to for not a ton of $$ per month. I settled on Beginning Music Theory. Welllll…there are a ton of beginning music theory courses online plus a couple of best-selling books. Hmmm…

So I thought I’ll go back to regular blogging until I can settle on a music subject not written about very much. It will more than likely be about singing and performing which is what I teach most these days. Choirs as well.

But today’s blog is about learning music in general. How do you learn it? There are lots of online courses, opinions, easy-peasy worksheets, games…you-name-it…to choose from. How about a simple lesson in just learning it in general? Your teacher or online course can give you great instructions but how do YOU make it work for yourself? I’ve always said that these creative careers make us be creative in how we learn and apply what we’ve learned. Actually any industry is like that but the creative arts is the most like that.

In my private teaching I’ve used standard ways of learning music theory…notes, musical staff, counting etc. A lot of times these standard procedures don’t click with every student especially the really young…piano students age 4 or 5 etc. So I’ve had to come up with some creative ways of getting them to learn. When you’re teaching little ones this can become a sort-of game. When you’re teaching older students it becomes a way of encouraging them to find a personal way to grasp the subject matter. How many times have we all come up with our own system…a “code” or shortcut that means something only to us…to remember stuff at a moment’s notice. Somebody else might think we’re nuts! But for us it signals exactly what we need and fast.

As I’m yammering through this post I’m beginning to see what my subscription blog is more than likely going to be…a more psychological approach to learning music and performing it, and how musicians really feel about all of this. What’s a music life like? Are we musicians normal? (please don’t ask my family and friends about me…hehehehehe). And I might even add stuff about makeup artistry etc.

So if any of my vast sea of fans (ha!) want to add your own opinion as to what I should talk about…that I have expertise on of course…let me know in the comments section. And realize that this is for a subscription course. But I’ll still be blogging about stuff in general. I mean I’ve been blogging since 2011. I still can’t seem to shut up! Ha!

https://www.makingmusicwitheve.weebly.com

https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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Singers

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Evesophia

Yes, us singers. We are a great group but…we also exhibit more emotions than any other performing musical artist…instrumentalists to be exact.

The studio I teach for had the usual spring/summer recital this past week. One of my students, who is doing well and certainly not singing in her first recital, had a meltdown! Oy!!!! She had had a minor one a couple of recitals ago but nothing much. Bounced back pretty fast.

Now here’s the thing. When a singer has a meltdown, usually in tears, you as a voice teacher not only have to calm the person down in order to perform reasonably well but…you’re also faced with the dreaded phlegm! You know, that mucous in your sinuses and throat. The stuff that makes singing mushy and uncomfortable because you are coughing up…phlegm! Ugh!

So the studio Director and myself eyeballed and slithered a bit along the side aisles of he hall configuring when she could sing since she was scheduled to sing FIRST! Ack! We decided on last. Ha!

During the program, which is a bunch of younger children…beginner singers and pianists plus one guitarist…she came around and ended up being in a good mood which helped my anxiety calm down as well. She did sing well. Had a couple of glitches but got better as she went through her two songs. And that’s the point! You might stumble over something in performance…it happens to all of us. But you keep going and make it better as you move forward. Both her parents told me she sounded good…I was behind her accompanying on the piano. So I was thrilled!

One thing about being in the creative arts is that you give from your heart and your guts! I call these “personal achievement” careers. Same with dancers, artists, makeup artists, Olympic athletes, etc. Your job is you! You develop your talent, dig deep and use it. Yes, it takes a bit to make a full-time living at these jobs…I always say “music doesn’t pay the mortgage.” But you have no choice really. Your talent chooses you as much as you choose it. I know I would be most unhappy probably for most of my life if I hadn’t gone into music. And I’m not rich or anything. But I am happy and I can make music all the time. I don’t have to retire from it. Maybe from certain aspects of it like running around on stage singing arias in my favorite opera (it’s exhausting), but I can tone it down a bit and still sing, and play, and conduct choir, and teach. We musicians are musicians our entire lives. We start as children learning an instrument and move through life growing up into music and then deciding on what we really want to do musically as an adult. Then we make music until the end!

So back to my student…having “growing pains” as a young singer is not unusual at all. We have growing pains throughout our regular lives. And one wants to present the best we can do showing our accomplishments and growth in our chosen field.

The point of all of this isn’t that we have difficulties, it’s how we recover from them and grow as a person…and artist. We move forward and get better. And that’s growth. And that’s the point!

Ahhh yes…us singers…drama queens. Ha!

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https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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Music Time

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Evesophia

So. I am asking anyone who reads this blog post what you think of my plan to release a simple Music Theory course. It would be for anyone wanting to learn basic Music Theory. I have planned 4 lessons. You can subscribe to it monthly. It shouldn’t take that long to learn the basics but you would have it for a month and can keep going over it until it hits home. And of course anyone who takes my little course would be welcome to take plenty of notes etc.

Whoever reads this post let me know what you think. I’ve added a number of music “tags” so perhaps musician-types might be attracted to this.

At any rate, I’m half-way through writing it so it should be ready in another month I predict. Feel free to let me know your opinion if you read this blog post.

Thanks!!!!

https://www.makingmusicwtheve.weebly.com

https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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Back Again for the Umpteenth Time

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Evesophia

Well…I wouldn’t have to title my posts “Back Again…” if I didn’t keep experiencing these life events monthly. Ha! But thanks to everyone who has visited my Blog and even liked stuff I write about.

Finally this car accident thing is winding down and I have a new-used car like my last one. Whew! A couple more steps and I’ll be fully “back in the saddle” again.

Life stinks at certain times. I know a lot of stuff that we have to dredge through builds character and is good to experience but well, it still stinks. Especially when caused by a useless incident (accident). But yes, it does keep you on your toes and perhaps solves an impending situation that could have happened in the future thus saving you from something even worse! Life certainly has twists and turns. Wouldn’t you just love to know what you were just saved from if indeed that was the reason some of this stuff happens? Or maybe not. Maybe ignorance is bliss in these situations.

A friend of mine told me a while ago that there is a saying something like “when people are unhappy with their own problems and are faced with all the problems other people have, we would still choose to keep our own problems.” Not sure how well I said that but that’s the gist of it. I know I’ve complained about “why me.” Ha! But lots of other people have worse things going on in their lives. I complain about recent surgery and the pitfalls etc. Yet I am almost fully recovered and EXPECT to be back to me again. A lot of people younger than me have experienced worse and aren’t getting back to the normal person they were.

But on a happier note, I do have a fully paid for car like my last one and it’s registered with the State and it’s ready to roll! Yay! There was an amount of emotional pain and plenty of anger but…I made it! You would too. We’re all a strong bunch even when we don’t recognize it.

So. Now that it’s a Friday evening and I’m blogging, I hope everyone has a good weekend. Enjoy it as much as you can. And feel good about yourselves. I’ll bet you’ve overcome a lot of crap in your lives and are still standing and enjoying life. That’s the way it should be.

So here’s to us…every day!

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Life Hits Again

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Evesophia

You know, sometimes life sucks a lot. Sometimes you just can’t keep up with it.

March surprise in a way…my big brother died. Not totally unexpected but too soon in my opinion. He was 79.

April surprise…the famous surgeon who performed my surprise back/spinal surgery in 2023, one of the top 150 spine surgeons in the country, was killed in a private plane crash in upstate NY on Passover, the day before Palm Sunday. His wife, a doctor as well, and his 2 older children with their significant others were also killed. His youngest daughter is now left without her family. He was a pilot as well as a surgeon, and from what I understand a very good one. He wasn’t 60 years old yet. You wonder why this tragedy happened.

May surprise…I’m coming home from teaching, sitting in traffic about 10 feet from my home, waiting for the green light with everybody else, and a pickup truck from some company slams into the back of my car, pushes me into the SUV in front of me. Poof! My car is considered a total loss. Just like that. Now I have to replace the car I dearly loved. I wasn’t hurt physically.

So when does 2025 become a fun year? Why all of this stuff…one bomb after another?

Well, at least my quarterly tests and doctor visits went well. We’ll do it again but this time in 6 months. Yay! Good news!

How do we cope with a lot of bombs in our personal life? How do you cope? I’ve noticed that I tend to stop looking into the future and trying to solve the current bomb, and just live in the moment. You can’t predict the future with a lot of these bombs. You just have to take small steps and see how the situation unfolds. I have a lot of people who love me and are always there for moral support. So I’m very rich in that department. And who knows, maybe there is some life lesson in all of this…other than how strong are you to put up with all these bombs one right after another.

I love writing my blog. It helps to get out some feelings and yuckiness when stuff happens. You know, bombs. I’ll add this to my coping strategy. And how about you? Do you have a coping strategy when bombs drop? Feel free to list some. I’d love to see what others do when faced with you know, life bombs. And we know they will always drop especially when we least expect it. Life. A real trip huh?

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https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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