When the magic continues and you can only surrender and go with the flow…
It’s not often that you could find me at a loss for words, and yet here we are. The new show is becoming a tapestry behind something beautiful and precious, and I am feeling incredibly grateful for this. Some readers will know, others can read between the lines.
This year really is something. I am the light, and the flower, and the blooming seed, and the wind that carries our hopes of spring.
There’s this wonderful community called Vocal Core that I feel very lucky and grateful to be a part of, and we sing together and it’s utterly, emotionally beautiful.
And this weekend, we are doing our winter show, called [OAKFIRE]. I was part of it yesterday, however due to other commitments I am missing today’s performances. But I’m there in spirit with all these precious voices that warm my heart and nurture my soul.
This show hits deep for me, tackling loneliness, self-love, feelings of inadequacy, regaining your sense of self and rebuilding yourself, surrounded by community. So much of my life this year was shaped by love and chosen family. It has been a year of lows that gradually morphed into what I can say looking back was a very transformative and positive year. I approach 2026 with my heart full of gratitude, a mix of bittersweet memories that I look at fondly, and moments of powerful affirmation that I wouldn’t have dreamed of a year ago… and above all, hope renewed.
I am facing the new year head on, chin high, defiant and resolute.
I am facing the new year as a new me, born from the ashes of the old. I’m a fucking phoenix, spreading my once broken wings and ready to fly again.
We got this, fam.
Love xo
Chel.
Ups. Downs. Ebbs. Flows.
Moments in time
of joyful light and deep darkness.
But not once did I look back
And wish I hadn’t leaped.
Yesterday I sang on stage to an audience for the first time since probably what, 1993…? It was nerve-racking, and exhilarating, and joyful and euphoric. Here I am, reclaiming my voice, rewriting my own internal narrative around it, and telling dysphoria to fuck off while I’m having fun.
If you had told me a year ago that I would do this, I would have laughed in your face. The journey truly takes us to parts unknown, and enriches us at every step, and I am carried through it by the love of my friends.
Five days, six gigs, five new shows discovered, new connections, my first foray into Edinburgh Fringe has been an absolute whirlwind of a week. What a privilege to be there performing in the company of such incredible talent, what a pleasure to be a part of this wonderful community of artists, poets, and entertainers.
I must say, walking out and proud in the streets on JKR’s turf and doing my JKR joke on stage will definitely go down as one of my proudest little queer victory of the past three and a half years.
Last year, I was still nervous about leaving the house in a skirt. Today, I walk the streets with my head held high. My comedy journey has been overwhelmingly empowering.
Be your glorious self. Make people laugh. And fuck the bigots (Not literally).
Stay shiny ☀️
Chel.
Just over a year since I started doing comedy, and I had the pleasure to travel to the legendary Edinburgh Fringe Festival! What a treat!
And so it was that my Ed Fringe debut yesterday went with an auspicious sold-out show! Very encouraging!
Let’s see what the rest of the week has in store for us!
Today’s pride was singularly joyful,
In fleeting moments,
In conversations,
In the glint of recognition
Upon seeing one’s flag waved high…
A joy, proud and strong,
In community.
Today we marched to honour our elders.
Those who came before us,
Trailblazers and unknowns…
We marched for our siblings who can’t.
In a world that wants to erase us.
We marched for the children of tomorrow.
So they live their life in dignity and respect.
We are proud, not to taunt the bigots
But to stand for ourselves
To tell each other
“You are safe here”
I am a We
And we are family,
Not through blood,
But through shared experience,
And we stand together
Because our joy, our hope,
Our love, our pride
Will always prevail
Against their darkness
Happy Pride ❤️
Closing the season with a wonderful evening on the stage of Big Mic Energy, at the Comedy Clubhouse, surrounded by friendship and a blast of a crowd.
In a way, symbolically, this is also closing the door on the past year and moving on. Not that I’m quitting comedy, although I will be winding down my involvement to focus on other projects (*cough* The Commodore’s Gold *cough*), no I mean, the emotional roller-coaster from which it’s taken me so much to recover, the last five months of 2024 that almost got me to my breaking point, and the difficult journey upwards to recover my light, and nurture it, and rebuild my sense of self.
I’m closing the door on the hurt. I’m gently letting all of it go, trying to focus on being grateful for the lessons learned, and turning towards the future, with the hope that it holds better things. I have grown so much in the past 12 months. It was harrowing at times, and there were moments I didn’t know if I would make it. But I’m still here.
I’m still fucking here.
Like Taylor says, “And if you never bleed, you’re never gonna grow. And it’s alright now.”
See you in September, peeps. Peace out.
My 25th show last night was also my very first foray into doing a set in Spanish! I won’t deny, I was pretty nervous, and it felt like going up for the first time all over again… but the crowd at La Federica was absolutely amazing, and I had my lovely friends to support me, and it went like a dream! I had a blast. Thank you to Vidda Priego and Manolita La Primera for this wonderful experience!
After a two-month hiatus I’m back on stages. After returning to my favourite stage, Atomic’s Slay!, last week, yesterday’s Sh*tty M*ic at the Comedy Clubhouse was a lovely, lovely evening for many reasons, full of friendship, love, community and comedy ❤️
