I was on a Zoom call with a new friend and songwriter working in Los Angeles.
We were bemoaning all things music industry and the hustle involved for getting your work out there. Despite having just written an ENTIRE BOOK ON THE TOPIC, I am still constantly questioning the why of launching creative work. What’s the purpose?
I told Dylan that I was releasing my first solo EP this August and that I wanted to do something different. Instead of just uploading the songs to streaming and scheduling a release show, I wanted the work to mean something. To do something.
These songs felt precious. All five of them were written about people I love and subjects that break my heart open.
I would never have even thought of recording them until my friend John asked me to perform at a house show two years ago, and I dug “Cherry Tree” and “Mangrove” out of my personal songwriting archives and performed them alone in a cozy living room full of close friends and strangers.
Do these songs mean anything to anyone other than me?
This is what I thought, as I worked out arrangements and tweaked lyrics before the show. I felt silly digging some of these up. They were oddly arranged songs that captured moments of heartbreak and were highly personal.
A woman came up to me after my set with tears in her eyes. She connected with my music, my stories. She connected with the humanity that stitched the words together.
The answer to my above question felt clear. If my art can help anyone feel, help anyone heal, why wouldn’t I share it?
I decided to record all five songs and call them the Tree EP: songs and stories centered on metaphors involving nature.
But there was the issue of the release. Instead of asking “How should I release these songs?” I thought, “What do I want these songs to do?”
The music industry screams that in order to be successful as a musician, you have to optimize streaming (and there are so many strategies for this, involving time and money), play a ton of shows, and hustle on social media. It’s easy to take advice and follow it blindly without ever stepping back and asking a very personal and quiet “Why?” and “Does this version of success align with my personal version of success?”
In 2021, I attended a session led by my friend Jen Rafferty and worked to craft my professional why and whittle it down to seven words.
I connect people with creativity and community.
That’s my creative and professional north star. Does releasing music on Spotify connect people with creativity and community? Maybe? Does playing a bunch of shows? Sure, but I’m a mom and have 5,000 jobs. Does hustling on social media? Perhaps, but I can’t endure the soul suck that showing up there all the time entails.
So, how can I take this project and align it with my why?
The answer came to me in a rush this past May.
A CIRCUS SHOW!
It all made sense. I’d been wanting to connect my passion for live music and circus for the past decade and a half. I even asked one of my coaches to perform in a music video our band made in 2012.
Could I bring together a ton of women artists and develop a concept show that weaved these songs and stories with visual art and live performances?
I immediately texted Niff, the owner and founder of Secret Circus (and the rope artist from that music video!!), and she was in. For a month, I gathered my community members, and we nailed down the details. The concept for Rooted was born.
Songs and stories constructed in a quiet room with a guitar have blossomed into a show involving:
Visual Artists: This incredible poster by my brother-in-law Elliott Woolworth, all of my album artwork (and t-shirt prints!) by my dear friend Haley Harmon, and a makers market will be at the show curated by the one and only Donna Ream and including my sis, niece, and other artisans!
Musicians: Kenan, Chelsea, Melissa, Maura, and Claire will join me to play the entire show live—weaving together songs from my EP with newly composed pieces and songs that I’ve never performed live before.
Aerialists: There will be hoop! Sling! Silks! Rope loop! Maya, Alice, Niff, Ashley, Chi-Wen, Molly, Trish, Cheryl, and Meg have created incredible acts to accompany the pieces.
Spoken Word: My dearest Kimberly McGlonn will serve as MC, weaving poetry and spoken word throughout the story of Rooted.
Lighting Design: Brandon is working with me to create lights and visuals that amplify the story.
Plus, sound engineers and photographers and, and, and I could go on and on.
It feels like I took all of my favorite people are coming together into a room to share their unique gifts and weave them, like the the roots of a Mangrove tree.
Connecting people to community and creativity.
I really hope you’ll come. I hope you’ll tell your friends. And I hope you’ll walk away feeling more connected to your own sense of creativity in the world.
Over the next few weeks leading up to the show, I’ll highlight the work of some of the artists involved.
Inspiration
🎧 A big thank you to Sean and Matthew for having me on their podcast last week. I got to talk about my work as an academic and how I think about creativity and providing connections between research and practice. It was so fun, and these guys are doing such great work at West Chester. Read and listen below.
🎧 I already mentioned this, but my friend Jen just released an incredible book that should be required reading for every person working in education. You have agency. Here’s how you claim it.
🎧 I was talking to my friend Lydia about earworms this week and realizing that I always have a song in my head. ALWAYS. Unless there is music playing in nature, there is music playing in my brain. Are you the same? I’d love to know (it’s the researcher in me.) In case you were wondering, this is my current random earworm.
Creative
🌟 TOMORROW I release the first single off of my new album! You can stream “Mangrove” anywhere you listen to music. Just look for my name :).
🌟 I’m spending the week in the mountains while the kids go to sleepaway camp. I’ve been trying to write a little every morning and just got to page 50 of my new novel. I’m feeling really good about this one.
Thanks for subscribing and reading. I hope you root yourself.
Connect with my work elsewhere:
🎧 listen to my podcast with Kimberly McGlonn
💻 order my children’s book, Rosie Rocks!
📚 visit my fair-pay publishing company, F-flat Books.
🎤 get songwriting support through Songwriting for M.E.
Love you and all of this. Always inspiring.
This is so exciting, and I love the poster!!