(adj): a way of being arising from inner wisdom, truth, desire, curiosity, and compassion that results in clear, loving, and authentic expression, inviting all present into deep belonging with Self, Other, and the Unknown.
a little about my path with art & music...
When I was a little girl and was asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I usually said, “I want to be a singer.” That's because from an early age, I knew that to sing was to be exactly as I am, with an open and innocently connected heart. Through the complications of a difficult coming of age journey however, my creativity and self expression became emotionally blocked. After becoming disconnected from this calling for years, I reconnected with my voice at the age of 24. As a young adult, I allowed myself to enjoy the act of singing again. This also came with an unexpected surprise, which was that I also realized I enjoyed writing poetry. So pouring these two creative voices together, the songwriter in me was finally born. I'll never forget the explosion of creativity and aliveness I felt upon writing that first song, and that aliveness has continued with every next song I write and sing.
Many people supported my musical becoming through the years in various ways. It was through safe relationships that I learned to accept my musical Self. Little by little, I started believing that my inner voice was important, and that the messages it carries are good and valuable. It was only through relationships that I became who I am musically today. The voice needs support, to grow. And this support comes in the form of positive mirroring, sameness, space to be an individual, and being understood accurately by other people.
I've also realized through the years some of the ways my songs are unique. I do not usually write for pure entertainment (I do many other things for enjoyment though!). Music itself has held many purposes in my life. But songwriting seems to be a gift that for me, carries a healing and transformative quality. It is first my own healing I seek through allowing the safety of song to live through my mind and voice-body, leading me through the most complex and difficult internal places within my heart. Song has become a way for me to express and nurture pain, and soothe parts of myself who need something only I can give myself: a love that understands exactly what I am feeling at any given time, and why. So in this way, songwriting has been a coregulating partner in helping me experience an earned secure attachment with my-Self. It has also been a way to integrate complicated polarities that my mind can't fully make sense of, but my voice-body can through a song. In these ways, songwriting seems to be the organic way my holistic life system heals and grows itself. And I've found that this happened most effectively within the context of safe, loving, and secure relationships.
a little about me personally...
Central to my heart are mystical spirituality, music and art, my work as a therapist, laughing and loving, and living a pleasurable, free, and enjoyable life. Originally from West Virginia, I moved to Asheville, NC in 2009 after graduating with a degree in physical therapy. Using this as a foundation for stepping into the helping professions, I then began focusing on my artistic abilities and creative life process. This led me to begin singing, performing, and writing music. I also developed a strong love for philosophy and self-development as a young adult, and spent many hours adventuring into forests, discovering new parts of myself and learning how to be a friend.
I feel blessed in discovering that I have a calm, creative, and curious core.
Simplicity is what allows my soul to rest -- walks in the woods, soft melodies, eating healthy foods, taking care of my body, and being in nature. This simple life is also extraordinary though, isn't it?! Extraordinary is when we view our experiences through a unique lens, allowing them to come to life in brilliant ways. May we all feel the courage to take this journey, seeing the ordinary through a beautiful and extraordinary love which always grows within and around us.
life as a ritual of song...
Singing and songwriting hold a special and dear place in my heart. Though they are many things for many people, through my lens I have come to see these activities as ritual. For me, the ritual is a passageway through which we can offer full presence to the essence of one moment in our lives, and allow it to hold a deep and rich meaning through the embodied expression of thought, emotion, and organized sound.
Each song I have written and completed is an integration of feelings, thoughts, and body sensations. When a song "happens" it's way into existence I am in awe, because this process changes me inherently every time. When I sing a song that was written by me or someone else, it is an opportunity to deepen into whatever ritual is being created in the moment.
I see this ritual kind of like this:
I approach singing and songwriting as sacred experiences that help me and my music-loving clients:
to honor and celebrate
to move through rites of passage
to let go of and release what is heavy
to create new possibility
to mark something that feels important
to remember (and keep remembering)
to acknowledge beauty
to validate significance
to open and receive support
to make direct contact with the unknown, with Mystery
to ask questions we don't know the answer to
to affirm values and beliefs
to find humor and lightness in the truth
to reveal the truth
to reveal what feels true...
to reveal my personal truth....
to be more true...
to reveal myself, as I live in Truth.
and finally, my big dream...
To see an end to war in my lifetime.
To see an end to emotional repression.
To see an end to the detrimental effects of generational trauma.
To see an end to the destruction of nature.
To see an end to artistic starvation.
To see an end to poverty.
To see an end to abuses of power.
To know a world that knows peace.
To feel the joy of being alive and connected.
To see the power of forgiveness.
To express the miracle of creation.
with tenderness,
anima cara