• COVID Chronicles | Part 1

    November 22, 2020 - By 

    “Missing Motivation” To say it has been a tough year for musicians is an understatement. We are all facing unprecedented challenges, and my personal view from inside the music community has been of feelings such as denial, disbelief, crisis, apathy, loss of self, and a host of others. I have had some very powerful conversations with musicians about their symptoms in addition to experiencing many of them myself, and I have spent the last several months taking a deeper look. This is all in effort to give words to our shared experience, and to allow us to find relief in…

  • When the stage goes dark

    June 13, 2020 - By 

    Performing musicians across the globe are suffering greatly amidst the COVID19 pandemic. Live shows may not look the same for a very long time. While the rest of the world begins to slowly re-open, musicians’ very art form and profession are in question with no certainty in sight. What began several months ago as worry about show cancellations has now become a deep and punishing sadness. We are confronting the absence of a large piece of our identity and way of life that we still can’t quite fathom, much less know how to handle. I hope this article will both…

  • structure free time couch

    A Sea of “Shoulds”

    April 1, 2020 - By 

    Coping with unstructured days in uncertain times This is an unprecedented time in our country, and for each of us personally. While we’re grappling with the uncertainty and fear of a global pandemic, many of us are also facing a new challenge: free time. We can’t remember the last time we woke up without an alarm, cooked all three meals, or binged-watched a netflix series. It’s enjoyable at first, but ironically the expanse of time can lead to feeling massively overwhelmed, especially when coupled with the widespread anxiety that’s enveloping our country. We’re a few weeks in, and this is…

  • Florence | Baby Steps

    January 31, 2020 - By 

    Florence– “Fierenze” as the Italians call it, is a movie-esque city shrouded in history and still buzzing with the creativity of the Renaissance. It sits nestled in the hills of Tuscany, and a wander down its storybook streets leaves you feeling miniscule in the shadow of its larger-than-life marble statues and iconic Italian architecture. It’s a distinct and breath-taking rush to gaze up and feel so small, and Florence delivers at very turn. On my first day I spent 14 hours speed-walking in excited exploration of the city’s museums, historical buildings, and shopping. IG-worthy photos at every turn. I felt…

  • Venice | Recognize Arrivals

    December 15, 2019 - By 

    Venice, Italy. I hadn’t planned to have five open days in Europe, and to be very honest, I wasn’t excited about it. The plans I had for this time had fallen through, leaving me heavy-hearted with the time on my hands. Traveling solo sounded more daunting than exciting, but Italy had been on the bucket list and something told me the magical country wouldn’t let me regret it. I booked flights on a Wednesday and was stepping off the train in Venice six days later. The city actually sparkles. The glimmer of the water, the gondolas, the glint in the…

  • Kinship in the Hardship

    November 15, 2019 - By 

    Anxiety, worry, racing thoughts, brain-lock, depression, moods, “lows” ... however you choose to reference your mind’s tendencies, it’s safe to say that all of us have experienced one or more of these. Some of us seasonally, some weekly, and others minute-to-minute. I’ve written about my personal challenges throughout this blog, particularly with regards to my life of travel and creativity. I hope to share more specifics of my experiences this year at some point in the future, but for now I'd love to share some of my daily devices for staying emotionally grounded, positive, and more peaceful.

  • Most right, right now

    June 17, 2019 - By 

    I wrote the original version of this post via voice-to-text on my drive home from a special evening seeing a new friend perform south of Nashville. (See more here on accommodating creativity.) On this drive, a warmth is over me that I haven’t felt in awhile. Like a hand on my shoulder. The warmth offered by a couple of life cues that tell you you’re going in the right direction, even though you may have no idea what lies ahead. There’s been a noticeable LACK of this feeling in my first few weeks of quiet time at home. (This post…

  • With Love ????

    April 30, 2019 - By 

    I am incredibly lucky to have a global tribe of people that supports my endeavors and cares for me when I’m in need. You know who you are, and this year wouldn’t have been possible or enjoyable without all of your help. For one of the first times in my life I had to put my fierce independence aside and embrace my need for others, and you all showed up. Historically speaking, relying on others was not my really my “thing.”  I spent the years just prior to my travel adventure embracing newly-found independence and convincing myself that this need…

  • What I learned from my year of travel

    April 12, 2019 - By 

    “Where are you based?”“When do you head home?” I still fumble through the answers to these questions after shows. Throughout the year I tried not to use the word “homeless.” More like “home-free.” Usually I mentioned something about two full-time bands and it not making sense to pay rent anywhere, but I’m still not sure most people fully understood what it meant.No closet. No address. No bed. No desk. No nightstand. No junk drawer… Just minimal clothes stashed in different places in the country, and a daily attempt to make a new place feel like a home. I’ll be forever…

  • How to Travel with an Injury

    March 18, 2019 - By 

    Or in my case, several injuries. Poke around this site and you’ll see plenty of posts outlining my quest and strategies for maintaining mental wellness, but this is often despite physical pain as well. (More here) It’s not easy, but respect for my injuries and taking intentional time to care for them can make travel far more comfortable.Here are my daily practices that make it easier to travel with an injury: 1. Do your exercises. It can be hard to prioritize while traveling, but setting aside mandatory time daily to stretch and do physical therapy exercises helps both mentally and…