October 2023

The Rock Harvest Farmer's Market will be set up right outside the entrance to the Worcester Public Market off of Harding Street. I will play with them for three hours, 11-2, and then will move to the Crompton Courtyard for the remaining hour.

The Dirty Gerund Poetry Show is a weekly open mic at Ralph's Rock Diner on Grove Street. I am a member of the house band and a regular performer. Any and all are welcome to sign up to express themselves creatively with this loving and supportive community.

First Fridays are a series of live music performances happening in all of your favorite Canal District venues. Several other talented musicians and I will be busking outside around the area to promote the party!

In Reflection:

stART on the Street

I have been a regular attendee of stART on the Street since I first moved to Worcester in 2014. It's grown so much since then, and it remains my favorite Worcester holiday.

I was absolutely honored to be included in this year's lineup of local musicians. This was the biggest event that I have performed at since my music career kick-off in May of this year; a huge and meaningful opportunity for me. I was prompted to look back on how far I've come, both musically and professionally.

Corey Lehman/CLE Photography

Busking is my favorite mode of performance; it feels more personal than being on stage. While on the street or in the Crompton Courtyard, my listeners feel incredibly inclined to approach me, and even say hi. I love chatting with folks while I'm out doing my thing. It allows me insight into the kind of audience I have and how I can best entertain them. Sometimes I'll run into an old friend that I haven't seen in some time, and we get to catch up for a bit. Sometimes I make new ones, who become regular listeners. It all fills my heart with pride and joy.

That is what I was most looking forward to at this year's stART. Worcester is a big city with a small town mentality, and I knew that I'd be seeing many familiar faces there that day. Among those, several were old friends from my teaching days! It's been almost two years since I left that career, and they and I all agreed that this creative pursuit looks much better on me.

I've been wondering whether I would have been able to achieve my current musical success had I not started out as a math teacher. I've been playing my horn since the 5th grade, it was a skill I certainly had, but my lack of confidence pushed me in a different direction. However, I do not regret the paths I have taken thus far. Teaching is a type of performance, and that allowed me to build a foundation for it. After I left teaching, I dabbled in educational administrative work, which strengthened my organizational skills. Now, as a self-employed musician/math tutor/pet sitter, I see that I do not have several careers, I have one: I create, I entertain, I help. Every professional position I've held has been a stepping stone leading me to where I am now. And with that being said, the point I am at now will be a stepping stone to my next big thing. I'm not sure what that big thing will be just yet, but that's the fun part! For now, I'm going to celebrate my progress, continue to improve myself, and work towards the future. Thanks for being here with me.

Corey Lehman/CLE Photography

Current Creative Endeavors:

My Dinner Table

My dinner table was for anything but that. My roommate and I tend to eat in the living room, so the dinner table became a landing spot, and eventually storage, for a buncha random crap: ripening bananas, freshly opened mail, several sweaters, tasks that I'll get around to at some point. It began to clutter up, and until recently, I had no idea that it was negatively affecting my productivity. If ever I needed to sit down and work on something, I would stress about needing to clear off the surface, which made me stress about the tasks I haven't completed yet, which created so many barriers for me mentally that I would end up paralyzed with too many tasks to do!

I decided to convert the dinner table into a little productivity area. I went to the dollar store for some colorful desk organizers, and spent a rainy afternoon creating a space to my liking: a container full of all types of writing implements; stackable letter trays; a notebook at hand in case an idea strikes me. Now my dinner table is much more inviting and conducive to my creativity. Whether I need to plan a lesson, draft my upcoming newsletter, or simply map out my day, I find it much easier to just sit down and work.

I also hung up some art on the wall to bring the space to life and to inspire me. I snagged a poster from this year's stART on the Street (it has my name on it!!!), and every other framed piece was created by someone I know: the kiwi and the shopping bag were both made by a classmate of mine; the piece in the silver frame was drawn by my partner, Andrew, as part of his thesis; and the two photographs were taken by my friend and colleague, Corey Lehman, at the Dirty Gerund Poetry Show, both of which I won at our fundraiser auction (Corey also took those super cool pictures of me at stART!) Having all these pieces up on display gives me something to look up to while I'm working. I look up to my community members for inspiration, for encouragement, for validation, for support. I am proud to belong with them.

My community is the key to my success. To all who listen to me play, all who contribute financially, all who like and share my content on social media, all who feel moved to support me in some way, big or small: thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here with me. I can't wait to see what the future holds.