In this episode of Embodying the Practice, I share a song that I wrote and recorded with some new (low-tech) recording gear. I talk about the meaning of the song as well as some of my feeling about the deeper-more spiritual elements of creativity and how we can all connect with those profound elements of practice. This is a very exciting topic for me and is a large part of what this whole show is about. I hope you enjoy!

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You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_nowOr check out my facebook page

Jaquita Straw is a musician from Boulder, CO. Jaquita has a degree in Folk & Bluegrass Studies from the University of Northern Colorado where she focused on banjo and vocals. She is known for her banjo playing in Pistols in Petticoats, and Musk N’ Boots a duo with her husband Adrian Engfer.

Jaquita currently fronts an Outlaw Country band called Jackie & The Racket. She is working on her first album, GoalDigger to be released Winter of 2018. Jaquita’s music has a brassy feel with a shot of Honky Tonk. She brings a feminine touch to the country/bluegrass community and believes it is important to empower female musicians. She annually collaborates with Cervantes to create female fronted events celebrating women in the music industry. To Jaquita, success is measured by expressing herself without inhibition.

 

 

-Jaquita's creative path

-Evolving from the "lot girl selling crystals" into a serious musician

-Putting in the effort required to excel

-Banjo musing and bluegrass appreciation

-Being humble about where we are as artists

-Getting out of our own heads

-Pursuing our passion

-Using creativity to share our message 

-Seeking equality for women in the music industry

-Recording her first full album

 

*Stick around until the end to hear a full song from her new album!

 

 

Links:

Follow her on Facebook

On Instagram @jaquitastraw

 

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_now

Emily Yates spent the first part of her adult life as an army public affairs minion, writing heartwarming news stories about the Iraq War to help build fellow soldiers’ morale. Two years after her release from the military in 2008, she learned to play the ukulele, and decided to merge her dual passions for writing and music. Quickly realizing that this would be the best way to get her many opinions out to the world, she set to work writing dozens of ditties and playing them for unsuspecting strangers, who luckily were delighted. In 2012 she recorded her first album, I’ve Got Your Folk Songs Right Here, a fun romp through myriad ideas ranging from human decency to sexual expression to foreign policy. She released her second album, Folk In Your Face, in 2014, and now travels all over the country spreading joy and disillusionment with her songs and stories.

In the few years since her initial performances, Yates has recorded three full-length albums, one entirely comprised of original songs for children (released under a pseudonym). She’s supported and performed with members of Americana bands (including Hot Buttered Rum, Railroad Earth, Fruition, Leftover Salmon and others) and rock bands (New Monsoon, Grant Farm, Good Gravy, Scott Pemberton Trio), as well as with other singer-songwriters and stand-up comedians. She’s toured America and performs regularly in the Bay Area and all over the west coast. Although she’s still in the beginning stages of “Eventual Ukulele Superstardom,” she is sure that soon she will be able to drop the “Eventual” and just move on to total world domination. Especially since she now also plays the tenor banjo – everyone knows how effective a communication tool banjos can be.

 

In this episode we discuss:

-Emily's journey from the military to music

-Using humor to address difficult subjects

-Building bridges between diverse beliefs through music

-Taking a strong stand for justice and equality

-Seeing the deeper meaning in art

-Being true to who you are despite what others may think

***Stick around to the end to hear a free song!

 

Links:

http://emilyyatesmusic.com

On Instagram @emilyyatesmusic

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_now

Chloe Brooke Watkins is a mother, musician, and lover of the earth and all her creatures. She is the co-creator, vocalist and cellist of the band Intuit. She also performs with Las Curanderas and can be found around Colorado and beyond sharing songs and stories. Chloe loves sharing music with children, in yoga classes, deserts, and in the woods. She believes in the power of music to heal and transform, getting us out of our heads and into our hearts.

 

In this episode we discuss

-Chloe's path as a musician

-Her path as a mother

-Finding balance as an artist and a parent

-Knowing your calling

-Finding stillness as a way to connect with creativity

-Dealing with the basic struggles of life

-Writing authentic music

-Writing music as a form of protest

-Leading through example

-Allowing the seasons of life to unfold

 

Links:

intuitband.com

Facebook

 

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_now

This is the second session of me attempting to embody the spirit of this show. In this episode, I share a brand new song and talk about its significance. I also go into a bit of my personal history as a songwriter and touch on some of the defining characteristics of my current style. 

 

 

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_now

Ash Avery grew up surfing on the south coast of England. Leaving home at 16 he followed those ocean currents across the world, in search of waves, adventure, and insight. 

Many years and many miles later he found himself alone on a beach in a tumbleweed town. A one-man band. There on the desert coast of Northern Peru began a deeply personal journey into traditional shamanic healing. This journey has since lead Ash to build a retreat center in the Amazon jungle where many other adventurous souls come to learn and heal from the wisdom and power of Mother Nature.Over time the icaro's (medicine songs) integral to his shamanic work have melded with earlier influences of reggae, folk and psychedelic blues. The result is this totally unique sound that is truly equal parts music and medicine.

 

In this episode we discuss:

-Ash's journey

-Surfing/skateboarding/travel

- Finding community and inspiration

-Leaving home in search of waves and adventure

-Being guided toward plant medicines

-Starting a Shamanic healing center in Peru

-Writing music that is inspired by traditional medicine songs 

-Lessons learned from plant medicines

-Integrating profound insights into everyday life

-Creating/expressing from the heart

 

Links:

https://www.ashaverymusic.com

https://www.thegardenofpeace.com

On Instagram @ashaverymusic

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_now

Daniel Rodriguez is a singer/ songwriter and founder of the genre-defying band 'Elephant Revival'. Few bands have the distinction of being the creators of a whole new genre of music. The label 'Transcendental Folk' and 'Progressive Edge are attempts to, in some way, describe those songs and words that speak of magical reality, of the thoughts and will which shape collective and individual experience, of the miracles that live within everyday events and of the authority of personal vision. Rodriguez's transcendent songwriting and poetry has played no small role in the creation of this new music and the energy of his efforts continues into his current work. His first solo record is to be released this autumn. Stay tuned!

 

In this episode we discuss:

-Dan's journey as a songwriter

-Being true to your calling

-"If ur gonna do it, DO IT!"

-Creative Inspirations

-The birth of Elephant Revival

-Making music from the heart 

-Resisting the urge to please people or to fix in a creative box

-Separating from the band and pursuing a solo path

-Learning to interact with the stage as a solo artist

 

Links:

Facebook

On Instagram @drodriguezmusic

Watch a video of Dan performing solo here

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_nowOr check out my facebook page

Rev. Heng Sure, a native of Toledo, Ohio, became a Buddhist Bhikshu (monk) at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Talmage, California, in 1976, after finishing his M.A. in Oriental Languages at the University of California, Berkeley. He ordained in the Mahayana tradition of Chinese Buddhism with his teacher in religion, the late Chan Master Hsuan Hua. In 1977 Heng Sure commenced a “Three Steps, One Bow” pilgrimage for World Peace, traveling up the California coast from South Pasadena to Ukiah. He and his monk companion covered a distance of eight hundred miles in two years and six months. During the pilgrimage and for three years following, Heng Sure observed a vow of complete silence.

Rev. Sure currently serves as Director of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery and holds a Doctorate in Religion from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, where he co-teaches a class on Buddhist-Christian Dialogue. He has been an adjunct faculty at Bond University, in Qeensland, Australia. He has represented Buddhism on the Global Council of the United Religions Initiative and has served on the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. Rev. Heng Sure is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and speaks French and Japanese. He presents around the world on topics as diverse as human values in the hi-tech world, eating a harmless, plant-based diet, and translating Buddhist music into the West. An accomplished folk musician and story-teller, Rev. Sure interprets traditional insights for contemporary students of the Buddha’s path

 

In this episode we discuss

-Heng Sure's introduction to the Buddhist path

-Falling in love with folk music

-Searching for meaning

-Using music to translate Buddhist stories for the modern world

-Using mindfulness and meditation in music

-Expressing deep emotions and releasing bottled up energy through music

-The practice of Mantra 

-Music as a mantra

-The healing power of vibration

 

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/hengsure

On Instagram @revhengsure

Listen to his music on Spotify

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_nowOr check out my facebook page

Drawing upon ten years of experience in Asheville, Noah Proudfoot’s heartfelt songs directly reflect the people, places, and rich culture of the area. Studied in poetry and certified as a yoga teacher, his lyrics aim to uplift and inspire while shining an honest light on the challenges of being human. His band, ‘Noah Proudfoot and the Botanicals,’ broadcast these messages on a much larger scale, using elements of funk, soul, and roots/rock to deliver a dance party with a purpose. And for the past two years, they’ve been doing just that- making waves in the transformational festival scene and gathering a dedicated following of like-minded fans.

In this episode we discuss

-Noah's personal journey with music

-Discovering his musical passion

-Using songwriting and music as a voice

-Noah shares some live music

-The origins and inspiration behind the lyrics

-Noah's journey to becoming a yoga teacher

-The connection between contemplative practices and creative practices

-Courting our passions like a lover

-Finding your personal voice

 

Links:

http://www.noahproudfoot.com

Facebook

 

You can also check out my blog/music/e-book by going to my website www.creativeawakeningnow.com Follow me on Instagram @creative_awakening_nowOr check out my facebook page

This is my first attempt at what I hope to periodically integrate into my show. My plan is to give a tiny little example of my own creative process through short episodes in which I share something I've been working on. This might be music or poetry or even just some thoughts I've been having in my day to day life-I don't exactly have a formula worked out for each time I do this but I do have a rough idea and you will have the opportunity to watch it come to life! In this episode, I read a couple of my blog posts and share my feelings about some of the potent topics that have consistently appeared in my interviews. I hope you enjoy!