sacramento artist

SYTYCD, Restoring the Honor, Megamorphosis Magazine & More!

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SOOOOO I just heard my song on So You Think You Can Dance last night.... it's one of many things happening! Read on to hear more..

Man, the last few weeks have been some of the busiest I've had in months. I may have overbooked myself a tad, but it was REALLY neat to see the things I was doing make income for my family! 

In that time, our car broke down & we found a new house to move into that was going to be $100 extra a month. We looked at our budget and with the extra money I was bringing in with music we were able to get a new car + were able to get into the house we really wanted. I felt like I was contributing to our family in a REAL way. It's not just a hobby anymore, I'm officially making more than I made when I worked at Starbucks plus some!

All that being said, I feel like I've been in the "Toiling Season" where you are working REALLY hard to hopefully have a healthy thriving garden some day. It feels VERY hard some days with lots of sweat & tears and a tad overwhelming, but I'm starting to see some things break through to the surface and I know it wasn't for nothing!

One of the Cool things I've been up to is making a series of videos with my friend Danielo of Sage & Wild Co that are going to be released in October for Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month. We already shot video 1 for "Deeper Still" and it goes through the emotions of grief & it is powerful. You can watch the behind the scenes video below! We'll be recording the 2nd video sometime this month!

I also met with Megamorphosis Magazine a few months ago and shared my Story. They just released the Magazine and the Story turned out great! It truly goes along with the lyrics of my song in The Good Life "It's not been easy but it's a good life still." Life is NOT easy, but there is so much good intermixed in it! Check out the Article by clicking the link below.

https://issuu.com/megamorphosismagazine/docs/mm-issue-4

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My Filmmaker friend Stephen Wollwerth recently reached out to me about using my song 20 Years From Now in the most recent episode of his Show about Fathers called "Restoring the Honor" & of course I said yes! He interviewed his Step Father & it was powerful! I am so proud of him for creating a show like this! It's organically spreading on Facebook like crazy. People are definitely resonating with the show! You can check out the Episode Below, you'll hear the song at about 12:35. 

 

You ready to hear about SYTYCD?! When "The Life EP" was released last October, I sent out at least 1,000 emails. I was on the computer until late in the night and got an eye twitch from looking at the computer for so long. I did a ton of research on Music Licensing companies that place music in TV and Film & started contacting them. I heard back from 2. Well, 20 Years From Now was just placed in the 4th Episode of this seasons So You Think You Can Dance! I happened to be watching it last night with my family and saw it and we SCREAMED and went NUTS!! Such a cool moment!! Also, I'm grateful it was in such an inspirational story!

I've been praying about getting my songs on TV & Film again so this is a MAJOR answered prayer. I also got word another song was placed in another show, so I'll be finding out which one soon! Heres to many more placements! 

You can watch the clip with my song below! I think its about 30 sec into the clip.

Can't wait to see what happens next. 

Keep chasing those dreams friends! Don't just dream them up, but put legs to them. For every dreamer, there has to be a DOER. If you put in the hard work & PRAY A LOT, you just might see something grow. 

You're a Lion, not a Mouse.

Photo by: Sage & Wild Co

Photo by: Sage & Wild Co

This post is a pretty vulnerable one. I want you to know that I am a huge proponent of being real and authentic in hopes that it helps others to do the same. I express my faith beliefs here, but I want you to know, you don't have to believe the same thing for us to be friends. You are loved and accepted no matter what place you are coming from! :)

I went through a season of delay recently that made me question everything. I questioned whether I was good enough, I questioned if I was headed the right direction, questioned my voice & songwriting & wrestled with some major fear.

I got prayer from a few friends and told them that I was majorly wrestling with confidence & fear. That no matter how much I told myself or other people told me I was good enough, it never sunk in!

They prayed for me and one of my friends got a powerful word for me that I've held onto, moving into a very busy season. She said "I feel like God is saying that you see yourself as a Mouse but He sees you as a Lion!" Hearing those words resonated so deeply in my heart and I realized, I was looking for affirmations from other people, when really I needed to hear those things from GOD. To know that HE sees me as strong, capable, bold, and courageous. That even though I FEEL small and insignificant, it doesn't mean thats WHO I am.

THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME.

I no longer walked into situations feeling insecure and small. I held my head high, knowing who I was. I had MANY situations to test this out and it wasn't fun, BUT in those moments when I was faced with something scary I heard the voice of God quietly but steadily say, "Remember Heather, You're a Lion, not a Mouse." What a reassurance! I know I can talk to anyone and be assured of who I am because of WHOSE I am.

All that being said... Since coming face to face with my identity, SO many things are opening up for me. Just go to my Tour Schedule Page & Video Page and you'll see!! 

I think that God is very much about forming our character and Identity FIRST before He takes us into more, because He knows that if we have more first, we might not be ready for it! I am thankful I had that identity discovery before all I'm doing now because I would have felt very small and mousey heading into everything!

Want to see some cool things happening?!

I Just released a Single and Music Video for my song "Change Your Mind", a Song that I wrote for Blue Heart International, an Organization that is helping Victims of Human Trafficking right here in Sacramento! It was really cool teaming up with them on this song and video!

I also released another song about Motherhood called "Thrive". I made a super cute "day in the life" music video for it that follows me through daily life. It's not a professional music video but the sentiment remains the same!

You can find BOTH of those songs on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Napster, Amazon & more!

I also Started an amazing Songwriter event called the Sacramento Songwriter Circle! It's a live music event that happens the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month at Fig Tree Coffee! Artists perform in the round and answer questions from the host! It's been amazing and it's really thriving.

On top of that, we started a songwriter only Meet Up that happens Once a Month too! It's an incredible opportunity to learn and grow as a songwriter as well as share your music!

We recently started The Songwriter Circle Podcast (it's on iTunes & SoundCloud!) that has all the interviews from the Sacramento Songwriter Circle event

In my Element at the Songwriter Meet Up!

In my Element at the Songwriter Meet Up!

Sacramento Songwriter Circle Event at Fig Tree Coffee!

Sacramento Songwriter Circle Event at Fig Tree Coffee!

I also had a great opportunity to play at the Calaveras County Fair with my friend Danielo!

Playing at the Calaveras County Fair!

Playing at the Calaveras County Fair!

I also have a BUNCH of cool events I'm Hosting and playing at coming up this and next week!

I have also been heading up Jesus Culture Sacramento's Kids Ministry Worship Team, Building teams and growing community! It's been incredible to be apart of. Seeing the kids engage with God through worship is soooo powerful and encouraging!

 I've been playing at The Sacramento Library's all over Sacramento for their Children's Story times! I feel like I'm living my best life when I get to do these! The kids are the cutest and I've applied a lot of what I've learned from Kids Worship to Story Time! Plus, I get paid. BEST JOB EVER.

The last thing I've been doing is Guest Leading worship at different Churches in Sacramento and at Women's Conferences & special events! It's been really great connecting with other churches in the area!!

See???!! It's A LOT!! BUT the crazy thing is I am balancing it all really well and I am LOVING EVERY SECOND. If I'm not doing music, I feel like a shaken pop bottle! I could explode! But I'm doing exactly what I love and feel like I'm making a difference in people's lives young and old. 

What every you do, do it with your whole heart. See the people in front of you and love on them well. Get over yourself and get over your FEAR, because more times than not WE are the ones getting in our own way! 

Face your fears, deal with them head on, then GO AFTER YOUR DREAMS!

Behind the Scenes of the Mom Life Music Video & The Good Life Music Video

Behind the Scenes of the Mom Life Music Video & The Good Life Music Video

I Wrote "Mom Life" in a VERY hard mom season. Story was maybe 8 months old, not sleeping through the night, teething, very clingy, whiny and I was having a tough time with nursing and Trust was feeling like I wasn't giving him as much attention as Story and was majorly acting out. I was feeling very overwhelmed.

I felt like the only way I could get through some days was lots of Coffee and LOTS of "breath prayers" that were more like distress signals, saying "Jesus, HELP." I counted down the seconds until my husband got home so I could take a 10 minute break and decompress or just be by myself for 2 seconds, only to find a little kid in the doorway telling me about some deep theology about lego mini figures.

I snuck away one night and sat on the bed in my room with my guitar and the song "Mom Life" came out all in one moment! I honestly think it's one of the most clever songs I've ever written and it literally just flowed out of all the situations I currently found myself in.


About 2 years ago, after I had written the song, I had a dream about making "Mom Life" into a funny, heartwarming Music Video, to encourage other mom's walking through similar seasons. Something moms could relate to, find comfort from, laugh at and cry with..

SO, WE DID IT. I made that tiny dream into a reality with the help of Pete King, Joseph and Adam!

Here's a behind the scenes video of the day of shooting!


It wasn't all roses and butterflies. In proper Mom Life fashion, the kids were whiny, didn't want to do the scenes and I felt a little disheartened, wondering if it was going to work. Pete, Adam and Joseph hung in there with us and by the afternoon, things started to get better for me. I think I sort of let go at a certain point and was like "Well, it'll be an honest video about Mom Life!" haha!

I had a lot of fun getting to "act" in the video! I felt like it was something that I really enjoyed doing.

At about 4pm we shot some band shots with some friends from my church's kids worship team: Emily on bass, Paul on Electric, and my brother in law Jesse on the drums and Sister Amy on the Keys!

 I changed my look from PJ's to glam, dressed in a Lularoe outfit styled by my friend Ali Gattison! Check her out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/lularoealigattison She did such a great job finding something in my color palette!

My husband Brett did a GREAT job being extra support for the kids AND shooting behind the scenes footage on video and with his fancy camera! He's amazing! Here's some of the photos he captured:





The Life EP is being mixed and mastered as we speak! I am humbled that I got to work some music all-stars like Jeffrey Kunde, Andrew Jackson and Jeremy Edwardson at SoundHouse in Redding! I am chomping at the bit waiting to hear the final versions of the songs... Then the Mom Life Music Video can be edited by Pete, then released when the EP is officially out, HOPEFULLY at the end of October.

I am also about ready to shoot a video for "The Good Life" next week with my friend Sergio Perez! It'll be really simple and heartwarming with lots of shots of our family at sunset and around a campfire! I love that it's been my friends that have been the ones to help make these videos. It makes it much more special for sure.

I also got some REALLY COOL hand scripted lyrics from my friend Elizabeth Hosford to sell at my Merch Table! Check out her creations on Instagram at: http://www.instagram.com/choicearrowcreations

I'm working really hard to come up with some really fantastic, one of a kind Merch items and Bundles, I can't wait for you to see!!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, Join the Email Newsletter BELOW! I have 2 people that have subscribed so far haha! Lets add some more! You'll get all sorts of fun info and freebies, so make sure you're not missing out!







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