See Us On Tiny House Hunters

Our air date has been set and we'll be on HGTV's Tiny House Hunters Monday May 1 at 9/8c. This episode has been a year in the making. The very first audition we had with the producers took place in April of 2016 and now it's come full circle.

Our decision to go tiny has been a process. We first heard about the idea after reading about this family who lost their restaurant and decided to move out to a farm and build their house on a truck bed trailer. I didn't know what to think about that idea but it slowly started to resonate with me as we were shifting our own lifestyle so that we could live solely off of our earnings from music related ventures.  We lived in a 4 bedroom house and it was dictating our job choices and how we spent our money. One day we woke up and had an epiphany that a house should not dictate how we live our lives. We should be the ones to decide that and everything else should be determined by how we WANT to live our lives. Not the other way around. Unfortunately a lot of people work 8-12 hour days on a job they disdain all in the name of keeping up a certain lifestyle. I question whether it was supposed to be this way. Or, is this a reality that was created for us and we all just went along with it?

We all have choices! Rob and I chose to pursue a tiny, minimalistic lifestyle so that we can enjoy traveling, time flexibility, the freedom to do the work we choose, and financial freedom. It has been a phenomenal experience and I don't regret doing it. We get asked questions like what happens if you don't like it? Or if you have children? My answer to that is - Isn't that a fact of life?  Changes occur. Minds change, and children happen to all of us. What would anyone do in this situation? They would re-evaluate and make adjustments. What happens when you buy a house, and it turns out you don't like it?  What happens when you start a new job, and it ends up being the job from hell?  What happens when you live in a small apartment and you have a baby? You adjust. Nothing is permanent. The only thing we tend to get stuck in is our minds, traditions, and old ways of thinking. That can be hard to get out of.  But I'm a firm believer that you can do anything you set your mind to, even if that involves shifting your own paradigm of thinking!

Can you believe that at one point in history, a large home and a car was a rarity? It was considered normal for people to live in 200sf homes with lots of children. Now when most people think about living that way, they cringe!  It does take some getting used to, but it's not as bad as most people think. When people come by for a visit, they're amazed at how big and roomy our place actually is. When we filmed our final reveal scene for the TV show we had 15 people in the house and no one felt cramped. It's not as small as it  looks. And we found a model that affords more room and has a much more spacious feel than most tiny house layouts. We've been living in it for almost a year now and we are enjoying it so much.

This entire experience has taught me a great deal, but my biggest takeaway is to not be afraid to think outside the box and to be open to looking for unconventional solutions that work for you. I realize tiny living is not for everybody. But, there's no right or wrong answer to how one should live their life.

To the precious soul who banned us from your house for making choices to fit our lifestyle, I pray for you daily that you will be freed from the prison of your own mind and that you too will somehow find content in your own outrageous pursuits. Everyone has their own answer to life and each person should feel safe and comfortable pursuing it without condemnation, no matter how outrageous it might be as long as they are not hurting someone else.

I hope you all can tune in Monday May 1 on HGTV's Tiny House Hunters at 9/8c! I can't wait to see it!

How to Support Indie Music

It doesn't take a lot of money to offer your support to your favorite indie artist. In some cases, it doesn't cost you anything. We're looking to get our music to as many people as possible. We don't have the man power and funding of a record label, so indie artists rely on a hands on approach at the grassroots level. That includes people like you, our amazing supporters who encourage us, root for us, and cheer us on.  We need your actionable help both online and off. You can do things like:

• Share our music with others. I have a Soundcloud account here where you can share a song directly to your social media. It only takes a few seconds. It would also help if you mentioned something about the song or how you met me to give it a personal touch.
• I have free download cards too that I can send you, just send me your address and I'll mail them to you so you can give them away to your friends.
• Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
• Host a house show. Enjoy a night of live music in the comfort of your own house with your friends and family at the cost of whatever you want to donate. It's a win-win for everyone. Click here to learn more about it and to schedule a house show with me.
• Just come out and see me perform live! It won't cost nearly as much as going to see a mainstream artist, and it will be more intimate, more fulfilling. Plus, I promise to make sure you have a good time.  Here is a link to my show schedule.

I created this infographic to share these ideas and a few more on how to support independent music. Supporting independent music is like supporting your local Mom and Pop shop in your community. Out of convenience, we've been duped into supporting big box corporations and mainstream businesses which takes the money and power out of our communities and our hands into the hands of the 1%. After a while those little independent shops go away and we're left with large corporations controlling our economies. When you support mainstream artists more than you do local independent artists, we end up quitting or not putting out as much music, or not doing as many shows because there's no support. Supporting independent music is good for the community and the economy.

Whether you have just a few minutes or just a few dollars your investment of support will not go in vain. Every minute or dollar you spend supporting independent music is extremely important to us and it's an investment you're making into the community.  We thank you for your support! And if you can share a song with a friend who needs to hear something encouraging or a song relating to their circumstance why not do it with music from an independent artist? Also, if you are making any videos online on YouTube for example, see if we'll let you use our music! I'm pretty sure any one of us would be honored and it puts a dollar in our pocket as well through royalties.

Share this with others and spread the word. You matter and you're making a difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a singer-songwriter, I meet a lot of people while I’m out traveling and performing. It is so awesome to get to meet people from all different walks of life. What’s interesting is that out of all the different folks I meet, every one asks me some of the same questions. I’ve gotten so good at answering the questions, I end up reciting my answers automatically without giving it a second thought. Most companies have these questions posted on their site, I thought it would be fun to post a blog about my Frequently Asked Questions.  Here they are:

Are you signed?  Looking to get signed?

No. No. and No. If I happen to run across a record deal, I wouldn’t ignore it but I’m also not trying to break the label’s door down either. I’m enjoying being independent and I’m enjoying my freedom. Getting signed is not the end all of being an artist. Artists and Record Labels break up all the time. There’s a reason for that. It’s not all peaches and cream. Read why I’m not trying to get a record deal here. Also, don’t take my word for it. Check out what someone else had to say about it here.

Can you perform at my event in exchange for exposure or a free vendor spot?

I can, but I’d rather not. I’m fortunate enough to be able to do music full-time and to earn a living. So that means, I’ve got to cover costs and make a profit every time I go to perform.  When someone asks me to perform in exchange for exposure, I first have to determine if it’s worth my time. If my payment is exposure, I have to ask if the exposure is an equal value in terms of return on my investment of time in comparison to what I would charge.  Is it worth my while? Typically it isn’t.  So then I have to ask do I want to help this person or cause?  I do like to give back to my community and do free performances for people and causes that I believe in.  However, I can’t say yes every time.

Are you going to try out for (insert popular singing competition TV show here)?

No. Pretty much for the same reasons as my answer above. A TV show does not mean success. After your TV appearance, you are still left with the same needs you had before but now you’ve got a shady contract to weed through. There’s a lot of stuff they don’t tell you that goes on behind the scenes. Producers tend to fake things and skew reality to fit whatever story they are trying to write. You have no control over the way you are portrayed on the show. They don’t really care about your music. It’s not about the music for them, it’s about advertising dollars from commercials and viewers.

Do you still get nervous on stage?

Yes. I get nervous every time. Some times more than others depending on who’s in the audience and how big or small the event is.  I also get nervous around other musicians thinking that I’m inadequate and things of that nature. I remember one time I had a performance in Nashville at a coffee shop. People came specifically to see me perform. There was an artist performing before me, so I was sitting in the dining area and several people walked up to me  saying that they are looking forward to seeing me, they saw my posters and came for me. I thanked them for coming, but deep down I prayed that I wouldn’t disappoint them. I was scared they had come all that way and that maybe I wasn’t good enough.  I was intimidated and nervous. It happens from time to time.

What else do you do besides music? (In other words, “Do you have a real job?”)

I’m a full-time singer-songwriter. But this business is very very unstable. So I do have revenue streams which is something I recommend to anybody. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. I’m a freelance graphic designer and I also do business coaching for aspiring artists, and some other web-based things. My real job is music, and I’ve got a lot of side gigs to supplement that income.

There are also what I call standard issue questions that every one seems to ask without fail:

How long have you been performing?

I’ve been performing all my life. I can remember back when I was in grade school I was singing in my church choir. I sung solos, recited Bible Stories, danced, and participated in performances. I’ve always been a performer. I never could seem to stay away from a stage. I think I was born for this.

But, I’ll tell you something very ironic - I am very shy and introverted.  I get nervous being in the limelight, I get nervous at parties with lots of people. Also, I tend to be hypersensitive to other people’s emotions and energies so it’s very taxing for me to be in large crowds because my spirit is constantly processing other people’s energy. Most artists have this hypersensitivity and that’s how they are able to make their art so compelling. You ever wonder why a song or a painting touches you so deeply?  It’s because that artist was able to tap into a collective emotion and integrate it into their art.  After all this time, I’m just now coming to the realization that my sensitivity is a gift and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Where have you performed?

I’ve performed all over the eastern half of the United States and even in Belize!  Right now, my home base is Memphis, Tennessee although I do plan on moving down to Texas pretty soon.  I’ve toured in places like New York, Florida, DC, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and many more states. I’ve performed at auditoriums, schools, listening rooms, coffee shops, theaters, private residences, backyards, parties, and art galleries.

I love doing what I do. It brings me joy and I’ve seen it bring joy to others. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do this and I hope to keep doing it for a long time to come. Thank you for reading and let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Real Rootz Pride

Songwriting has always been a kind of release for me.  It has helped me to get out things, feelings, thoughts, concepts in ways that I can’t do by just speaking.  It doesn’t come easily for me, however.  There is a long process involved and sometimes I’m more successful at actually writing a complete song than others. I’m also honored to get to write songs for other people. I just finished a song for a sweet group of ladies in Florida, Real Rootz Naturals.  This group supports and promotes living a lifestyle of being natural within the African American culture specifically as it relates to African American women.  Historically black women have been encouraged to conform to modern European beauty standards of wearing their hair long and straight. However, a black woman’s natural hair is very curly and coarse.  Consequently, in the past 10 years, there has been a movement among African American women to go back to being natural and embrace the full nature of their hair without the use of chemical altering.  Groups such as Ral Rootz Naturals have offered a support system for women all around the globe for encouragement on their natural journey.

Real Rootz Naturals doesn’t just stop at hair though.  They promote a holistic approach to being natural such as healthy eating, healthy habits, using healthy products, and also promoting a healthy spiritual lifestyle.  They host events, meet-ups, produce video tutorials, and a lot more.  Check them out here:  http://www.meetup.com/RealRootzNaturals/.

In writing a theme song for them I drew from their principles of being natural and embracing who you were meant to be with no alterations.  Here are the lyrics:

Verse 1

They didn’t make no mistakes on me I came into this world already caressed in my beauty All of my skin tones and my high cheek bones tell the history from which I’ve grown

Chorus

I tell it in all the afros I wear and all the braids I twist and all the locs I grow and every cornrow Lets my freedom ring shows my dignity holds the power it brings and this beauty shows my

Bridge

Real Rootz Pride, Real Rootz Love Real Rootz Naturals, Unapologetically Me

Verse 2

The sun and the moon rise and shine let them be your inspiration Put on your dignity and your pride with your self-realization

Check out the song here:

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