Creativity involves a connection to the inner self and the outer world, and British-Nigerian songstress Adama is definitely connected to her dream world! Adama's music is filled with fairytale like lyrics that both pop and resonate with the heart. We truly love Adama because as an artist she fulfills so many aspects of what ymib represents: dreaming, creativity, consciousness, beauty, spirituality, and culture. Here is Adama...Enjoy, and be sure to pick up her latest album: "Delicate Dragon"(which is a title that is quite fitting since Adama was also one of UK's Kung Fu champions!). Our Absolute favorite song by Adama is entitled: "Silver Tree". the lyrics are beautiful..listen to this song by visiting ,a href="http;//myspace.com/ymib" target="_blank">ymib's myspace page!

ymib: Favorite affirmation or inspirational quote?

Adama: “I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath breathes through…listen to this music!”

This poem is by the fourteenth century Persian poet and mystic Hafiz. He puts into words the meaning behind our work as artists. It expresses so many things in so few words. I first discovered this poem/quote during the 10-week live online ‘webinar’ series conducted by Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle, author of ‘The Power Of Now’ and ‘A New Earth’. I discovered and was deeply inspired by Eckhart Tolle’s books back in March 2008, which led me to watching the entire webinar. At the end of the tenth week, Eckhart presented Oprah with a gift of his book, ‘A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose’ bound in leather, and wrote this poem inside the book for Oprah. She asked him to read it out aloud to the audience, which he did. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since!

My creative channel has always been from the world of dreaming, meaning that I dream music and write them down when I wake up. During my dream-state, I am completely free of what I understand to be ‘ego’, and I am merely witnessing the music that comes to me, receiving it with joy and gratitude, revelling in its beauty and limitless wonder.

Eckhart Tolle’s books has inspired me to write a book about my creative experience and I am currently working on it along with my musical path. My intent is to share with other artists of all creative backgrounds insight into allowing creativity to flow, to ‘be’, to bypass the constraints, restrictions, and distortions of the ego. I believe that the ‘truth’ that shines through our art is what is needed in our world and what serves our world.

When I heard this poem/quote by Hafiz, I was immediately taken by it. The way I interpret it is this: The hole in the flute is our creative channel and Christ’s breath is the oneness, the ‘all that is’, the consciousness that is within us all. The ‘hole’ is actually no-thing. It is empty space, without form or identification, without ideals, without beliefs, therefore free of ego; ego being identification with form or with thought. When I speak of ‘ego’, I’m not referring to the widely accepted understanding which is an image of arrogance, but the way in which we humans tend to identify ourselves with our thoughts and beliefs. The purity of art shines brightest when it is allowed to come through the hole unobstructed, meaning our channel is there for God to flow through us, so that we can be God’s instrument through our art.

ymib: How do you hope your music effects those that listen to it?

Adama: The way I see it is this. My hope is to ‘reach’ the people who can be affected by my music. It can be affected in ways that brings them inspiration, strength, expression, joy, release, motivation, innovation, healing, or anything that is transformational in their lives. Different people will feel my music in different ways. I know that there are people out there who are touched by my music and it makes me happy to connect with those people. The journey of my music doesn’t feel complete until it reaches people, be it one person or millions of people. It doesn’t feel right for my songs to sit alone with me. I love to share my dreams with others!

ymib: One piece of advice you would give to another about living life?

Adama: I would give the same advice that I wish was given to me a many years ago. Begin to bring light into your life through connecting with your conscious awareness. Check in with yourself from moment to moment, every day, to see if your outer goals are in alignment with your inner goals, your soul’s joyful desires. Maintain a clear space for your creative energies to flow regularly. Observe yourself and be aware of when you are making choices, taking actions, or reacting from ego. Have a go at reading Eckhart Tolles’ books! I highly recommend them! I wish I had them years ago!

ymib: Something new you would like to learn?

Adama: I would like to learn more about the human brain! I know if may sound outlandish at first, but I find the human brain to be an incredible thing and unlike anything else. I’m reading this book right now called ‘My Stroke Of Insight’ by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Jill is a Harvard trained and published brain scientist who suffered a massive stroke in 1996 and lost the functions of her left-brain hemisphere, meaning that she couldn’t read, write, walk, talk, or recall any of her life. It took her eight or nine years to recover her mind completely and she wrote this book about her experience. It is fascinating to understand the different areas of the brain and what they relate to. The ego is housed in the left hemisphere and Jill completely lost her ego as a result of her stroke, experiencing the expansive spiritual connection with herself and all living things. Her experience sounds remarkably like the state I am in when I dream music.

ymib: You have many links to natural health, acupuncture, and eco/energy websites, does this reflect your lifestyle & how do you keep the following things balanced, beautiful and healthy?

Adama: I wanted to include these links and resources within my online presence, as they reflect exactly my lifestyle and what I wish to promote. I have always been fascinated with the world of holistic medicine, healing techniques, and environmental solutions. I feel and understand that all of life on earth is connected energetically. Quantum physics, a relatively new science, understands this to be fact on scientific level.

It amazes me how nature is so healing to humanity and I have a deep respect for our planet. I like to stay connected and aware of my bodies energies through the use of a few simple energy techniques that keep the energies in my body flowing and moving. Stagnant or blocked energy manifests as illnesses.

There are wonderful flower remedies and ancient techniques such as acupuncture that help to keep your energies clear. I’m also a devout recycler! I banned myself from taking plastic at stores unless I absolutely can’t help it. It’s been a year now that I have refused plastic bags at stores. I’m planning on designing my own range of organic cotton tote bags to help raise awareness of how we can all help to keep plastic garbage out of our landfills and waters. Plastic stays around forever and doesn’t bio-degrade. As a whole, we need to become responsible for our inner environment and maybe then we can start to reflect that more in our external environment!