For those of you who follow my music, you’ll know that I’ve been quiet for a bit. In that quiet time, I’ve been finding out for myself more and more that artistry is REALLY complicated. On one end, music and writing is an incredible outlet for honesty and pouring out our emotions. And social media is an unmatched tool in spreading that creativity. On the other end, the marketing and outward presentation of our music "personas" (online and often in person) comes with its own pressures. We’re “following our dreams”, and the necessary practice of making ourselves brandable and “relatable” online is simply a stepping stone towards endless adoration and creative fulfillment in the real world.
Taking space, I realized that these pressures to present my cool, interesting, and enviable self in the digital, to pour my time and energy into my social media stats for the promise of sweet salvation, did WAY more harm to my artistry and personal life than I would have liked to admit. I’m faaar from anti-tech (I’m here on IG in the 1st place!), but I know during my time in the industry I’ve felt both supported by social media, and simultaneously burdened by digital comparison, "always on" anxiety, equating online identity with self-worth, impaired self-trust in creative decisions, and distraction. I’ve had many music friends voice similar concerns, but the complexity of this issue felt unfamiliar and BIG, like we were simply stuck in the system.
Feeling stuck sucks—artists know that well. So, overwhelming aside, and in the spirit of creativity, I created a resource for musicians specifically who are also struggling to balance social media and artistry called "Techniques: A Musician's Guide to Healthier Tech Use”. There were plenty of times I let tech overuse get in the way of intrinsic drive, creative instinct, and healthier coping mechanisms. I’ve detailed those digital pitfalls I fell into and techniques to help artists have a more helpful relationship with tech and artistry. So they’re not stuck, but supported by tech in this weird, wild music world. It’s a sticky relationship—I’m still figuring it out for myself. But I hope this helps in some way.
Link in Bio
Hellooo Instagram!
Over the past few months, I took a break from social media to create TECH NUTRITION, a resource to help both myself and others deal with social media addiction, and to rediscover tech for its more helpful ingredients.
I’m by no means a tech rejecter. Truthfully, I’m worried I sound whiny, criticizing a tool (more like a universe) that HAS helped me grow statistically as an artist and led to many opportunities in the music industry. It’s obvious, I’m using it right now to share this! And no one forced my hand and said I HAD to use social media. It’s also totally possible many of you don’t struggle with this like I do. But for those who can relate, my past relationship with it was simply not sustainable. Here’s why:
While social media and the constant competition to gain listeners and likes had kept me on my toes and motivated me to rise in the music ranks, that’s not the whole picture. My intrinsic love for making music and the creative process shifted to one solely focused on how I looked online. With so much noise, I felt authenticity was key in how I presented myself as an artist. As much as I tried to seem real on here, I realized it was a losing game—every post and engagement was accompanied not with a genuine excitement for growth (which I convinced myself it was for a loooong time), but chronic anxiety, FOMO, and a dependency on validation from strangers for every creative decision I made.
I’ve experienced both online virality—a HIGH I’d choose over drugs any day, and statistical downfalls—a low like unrequited love or plain heartbreak. Failure is a natural part of any creative journey. What’s not sustainable was convincing myself that the daily panic over follower counts and strangers’ 💕s was worth the false confidence boosts. I was simply LOOKING like a success in the digital world, while jealous and jittery in the real one.
For those who also struggle with this balance, I hope you find Tech Nutrition helpful in some way—don’t let IG weigh your worth. If you’re simply feeling stuck in a digital rut, read DIY for ways you can organize your phone to promote healthier usage asap.
Link in bio 🍏
Artwork: @thisiskliti
“Honeymoon” w/ my friend @jamesquickmusic is out! And another gross weird sticky cover art by @thisiskliti which makes me just as excited as the song 🍯 🐻 Link to listen in bio
A few months ago I met @jamesquickmusic for the first time. James was sleep deprived, I was loopy, and the session was mostly us laughing uncontrollably at nothing like unhinged people. It felt like we hardly did work at all , yet we still came out with the bones of one of my favorite recent songs. Happy for that weird, weird day. “Honeymoon” comes out next Friday 2/28, pre-save link in bio!
“Homesick” is out today! 🍜 Stream now, link in bio
⠀⠀
This one speaks to my “grass is always greener” side. Over the past 10 or so years I’ve spent a good bit of time making what I know are logical and heartfelt descisions and immediately letting nostalgia take over and convince me I made the wrong choice. ⠀⠀
At the end those decisions always turn out to be extremely positive and fulfilling for me, but it’s the initial looong transition period before things settle into more comfort that leave me with those achy, regretful feelings that cloud all the goodness and potential for relationships right in front of me. Whether it be transferring colleges and immediately feeling sickly nostalgic for all the sugar-coated memories of my first school (and falling for someone on a trip back and choosing to do long distance for 2 years which was so worth it but I’m sure didn’t help hehe hi @mariodelegato ), or even being homesick for a future time when everything “works out” (does that even happen!?!), for whatever reason I’m really good at constantly binge-watching and smoothing-over those movies in my head which leads to the same thing every time: lack of appreciation for where I am. ⠀⠀
I know it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but the Netflix-worthy memories really make the past seem PRETTY AWESOME. This song helps remind me that I tend to do that:) ⠀⠀
ps hi @lewisandclarkcollege & @pitzercollege love you both equally 💞
⠀⠀
Co-written with @mikemacandjulie and @shearemusic
art: @thisiskliti ⠀⠀
Welcome to Cloudy Covers, where I take songs you probably like just fine and make them slow and melancholy woo ☁️ This time is @zedd & @marenmorris “The Middle" ft. lots of mosquitos and my dog Kodi photo bombing @ 2:57.
