The Healthy Musician

Who do you need to be in order to make your dreams happen?  I journal on this question a lot. When we ask ourselves, “how?!”, our brain tends to freak out. Mine does for sure. It zeroes in on every little detail I’m going to get wrong. Then I start… Read more

As a musician, I often spend time focusing on all the areas that I can improve. Harmony, counterpoint, singing, writing, listening… the list could go on all day long. It’s easy for me to overthink it and start bashing myself for all the things I’m not doing. Sound familiar? If… Read more

Downloadable pdf of the 5 Day Self Care Challenge The 5 Day Self Care Challenge #the5dayselfcarechallenge We know that we matter. But we’re not always good at putting ourselves first. Why is that? We are conditioned to place others first. To: Not make a fuss about our experiences To downplay… Read more

I was 28 years old when I learned that belief is a muscle. And that up until then my belief in myself was a very weak one. Who else grew up in western America? Where music is a hobby and not a career? Where hard work is valued only if… Read more

I was diagnosed with covid in November of 2020 and my life has never been the same since. I was 28 at the time of my diagnosis, physically fit and otherwise a very healthy individual. An avid fitness junkie, I cycled through Beachbody programs and was working out an average… Read more

I got COVID-19 in November of 2020, when it peaked in Montana. On November 19th, life was normal. I went to work, completed a grueling 1 hour workout, drank a protein shake and felt fine. November 20th, I could hardly function I was so achy, and by 9am I left… Read more

“We are all born as creators.” I read about this concept in Liz Gilbert’s, Big Magic – and it’s been churning in my brain since. For most of my life, I believed without question in the magic of this idea. That my artist endeavors as a child were the perfect… Read more

Impostor syndrome is the idea that you feel like you are not who everyone else thinks you are. You feel like a fraud or ‘impostor’ and grossly unqualified for the role you are playing at work or in some other creative endeavor. For me, a music composer, it shows up… Read more

{Intro} There are some common facial expressions you may see when you tell someone you are a musician. Those new to music – buckle up. Seasoned musicians – I hope you have a good laugh. 10 year ago, I transferred from Montana Tech’s environmental engineering program to the University of… Read more

Throw a pebble into still water and you’ll see a beautiful phenomenon unfold: the ripple effect. One pebble displaces the water it strikes. Which displaces the water next to it. And the water next to that. As an artist, I feel like sharing my creations is akin to tossing a… Read more

I am terrified of rejection. So much so that if I don’t take steps to mitigate it, I have a full-body physiological response every time I put my work out to the world. Whether that be a blog post, Instagram photo, blip on Facebook, podcast episode, idea to a friend,… Read more

It’s not a secret that I’ve struggled immensely with depression and anxiety over the years. I share this to shine a light on these dark moments and to share this message with others – you are not alone. Just under 2 years ago I returned from my Masters in a… Read more

Banana bread french toast is amazing. I still crave it from time to time in a super-nostalgic-for-the-past sort of way. It never tastes the same when I make it. In fact I’m certain it will never be as good as it was at Food for Thought back in 2013. I… Read more

The clock is ticking at my desk. I know it’s simply a measure for keeping time, but sometimes, on these slower days, it seems to be a metaphor for a larger moving picture at play: my creative life ticking away. How did I get here? 10 years past the decision… Read more

“No.” I’ve heard this word more times than I’m happy to recall. It’s plagued my composition lessons, composition competitions, auditions, masterclasses – this word is everywhere in music. But does it have to mean the end of your musical career? Should you give up after hearing it X many times?… Read more

I used to experience performance anxiety every single time I was on stage or on the spot. I thought it meant many horrible things for my character as a musician. That I wasn’t cut out for this career path or worse – that there was something fundamentally wrong with me.… Read more

Social life – Self-care – Musicianship – House-keeping. Pick 3. I’m guilty of skipping self-care and minimizing my social life to find time to do the things I want to do. The result is that I get some extra things done. But my mental health suffers in the process. Musicians… Read more

Networking is all about creating connections. Most of which come from meaningful conversations with professionals, colleagues, teachers, and others. A large part of becoming a musician is simply answering questions about who you are and what it is you do. Aaand, since you don’t fit the mold for a typical… Read more