• NASHVILLE | Commit and Enjoy

    April 2, 2018 - By 

    Brilliant photographer Sean Fisher and I chose the coldest day of the year for this photo shoot, and to explore the Tennessee beauty outside the city. Sean is a driven and inspirational artist who I’m lucky to call a friend! (www.fisherai.com) He’s also one of my favorite IG follows: @mr.bootstraps The pictures turned out beautifully thanks to Sean, but the story of that particular day is hysterically bad. I woke up at 5am in a fit of stress about the amount that needed to be done as The Moxie Strings finished booking our summer months. I watched in annoyance as the…

  • Use Routines to Reduce Travel Stress

    March 29, 2018 - By 

    Handling uncertainty has been one of the hardest but most necessary skills in this travel life. I face uncertainty daily in schedule, sleep patterns, paychecks, band dynamics, meal times, etc. For that, I look for consistency anywhere I can. Routines and familiarity are key. Here are some of my daily tricks: Start your day the same way. Your mind and body will be able to handle far more travel uncertainties if you feed it some consistency in the morning. Plus, it just feels good. Self-care is key! My morning: Something physical (stretching/physical therapy/workout), a cold shower, and a little time enjoying…

  • Nashville | Wait for Option C

    March 26, 2018 - By 

           Hello from Music City. As a fiddle player I’ve always been curious about the Nash scene, but also pretty resistant to what I thought was a cut-throat and highly competitive town. I just didn’t feel the need to throw myself in the shark tank. I’ve had the chance to visit a few times over the past year, and I’m incredibly lucky to have been shown a side of this town that completely changed my mind. Don’t fret, (heh) music row is as glitzy and industry-driven as you’d hope, complete with large-scale honky tonks, label execs, and celebrity-sightings. (Your Nashville vacay…

  • ALASKA | Plan to Un-plan

    March 19, 2018 - By 

    Anchorage– It’s our final day on The Last Frontier. I sit in my hotel room around 9am, and the sun will be MIA for several more hours. There’s something nice about the illusion that you’ve gotten an extreme head start on the day. The band had a particularly fun day-off yesterday, mostly because we left the day completely open-ended. I’ve talked a lot about pre-planning in the last few posts, but the next step in easing my travel stress has been learning to let go of the plan altogether. Traveling means all days look different (that’s why we love it),…

  • How to plan ahead and make travel easier

    March 14, 2018 - By 

    Even if you’re not a “planner,” making a few decisions ahead of time means less to be decided in the moment and a clearer head to enjoy travel. Here’s a list of things I do before tours to remove as many decisions as possible in my daily travel life and ease stress.  The last two are probably the most important! At my mom’s request, the list is also accompanied by more pictures from our Alaska adventure. Enjoy! Start planning early. Carve time at least 3 days before you depart to make your pre-trip decisions. Be well-rested and clear-headed. When you…

  • musician & drriifter

    March 2, 2018 - By 

    My name is Diana ???????? I am a touring musician, performer, educator, visual artist, thinker, and this year (2018) I am a full-time traveler. Not “homeless.” Quite the opposite. I’ve spent the last 10 years on tour, unknowingly honing my ability to find all the beauties of home without the physical location. I turned 30 above the Atlantic Ocean, started my non-profit in a Nashville coffee shop, and did my taxes in a Madison hotel room. As my touring life grew more exciting, the transition from home to work became more challenging. The time spent re-acclimating didn’t seem valuable or enjoyable,…