Music on MTV's 16 and Pregnant

It finally happened!

I got an email from my music licensing rep that the MTV show, 16 and Pregnant is using "I"ll Stay With You", a song that me and Mike Meiers wrote together, in the Tuesday, April 6th Episode!! I can’t wait to see how they use the song in the episode! Music is like another character in the show. It sets the tone and the emotion for the scene.

If you’ve been following my journey you know that licensing my songs in TV Shows is a big focus for me. I’ve been building my catalog the past 2 years, working with a ton of talented producers, educating myself, going to music conferences, meeting music supervisors, connecting with people, pitching my songs at listening sessions, writing and releasing a song a month, promoting everything myself, sending out hundreds of emails and more… It’s hard some days to keep your eyes on the prize. It’s hard to know if all the time spent is one day going to pay off, but IT DOES!

One thing I’ve learned in this journey is you just have to keep going. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, keep your goals in front of you and chip away at them one thing at a time.

This is the 9th song I’ve had on a TV Show. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but for real, how many people do you know with songs on TV?!?! I’m celebrating the little wins along the way!

If you can, tune in to 16 and Pregnant on MTV Tuesday, April 6th!! Also, Check out I’ll Stay With You on all Streaming Platforms Here: https://www.distrokid.com/hyperfollow/heatherevans/ill-stay-with-you

Thank you for being on this journey with me!!
Heather Evans

Attending a Music Conference LIKE A BOSS.

In 2019, I attended 3 super cool Music Conferences and gained a TON of knowledge about the current music industry, made incredible industry contacts and I even made some friends along the way. :)

The first conference I went to in 2019 was SYNCKEEPERS in LA and I was absolutely CLUELESS as to what I’d need and found myself STARVING because I didn’t want to leave to get lunch because I was busy meeting such amazing people! Plus my phone died halfway through a session and couldn’t charge it because I was in the middle of the row!

My second conference was the CD BABY DIY Musician Conference in Austin, Texas, and I wised up! I found a grocery store right when I got into town and stocked up on snacks and even packed lunch on a super busy day and saw that my friend had a portable battery charger! SO SMART!

My third conference was the TAXI ROAD RALLY in LA and let me tell you, I CONFERENCED LIKE A BOSS! I figured out all the tips and tricks and felt WAY more prepared and confident.

I’m going to the Durango Songwriters Expo on February 20th-22nd, and I’ve been thinking of all the things I did at the other conferences that made them successful! I hope that some of these tips help you with your music conference adventures!

Here we go…

1.) MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER WHILE CONFERENCING: Be kind to every person you meet & be your authentic self!

Everywhere you go, every person you meet, whether it be the people checking you in, a panelist or a musician. BE KIND & BE AUTHENTIC.

You never know who you are sitting next to! I met so many people in the hallway, bathroom and EVEN AT DINNER that were industry professionals. I ended up sitting next to a Music Library owner and panelist one night at dinner and we were just chatting it up and he asked if he could listen to my music! I ended up getting his email and sent my music directly to him!! CRAZY!

Also, I think that people can sniff out the folks that are overselling themselves at these conferences. Don’t be too hungry or pushy. You’ve got to build relationships first, then share your music. Be authentic, don’t be sales-y!

2.) When you get the opportunity to share your music, BE READY.

Have EVERY form of media on hand in case you get a chance to share something. I carried around a Bluetooth Speaker (I have an Ultimate Ears Wonderboom that sounds fantastic) in my backpack and used it quite often! My friends even borrowed it from me a few times!

Also have a QR code linking to my Disco Playlist ON EVERYTHING (Business card, postcards, lyric sheets), Physical CD’s, A Dropbox link to your music (MAKE SURE IT’S WELL ORGANIZED), and a UNIQUE Thumb Drive. On my thumb drive, I attached a keychain with my name and Logo to make it stick out and it TOTALLY DID! It got picked for a listening panel because of its uniqueness and they commented on how great the branding was! I got the Key Chain with my logo on it on www.zazzle.com

2022 Update* I JUST went to a conference pitching music to music supervisors and on my postcards, I made in CANVA, I put a QR code with a Flowcode (free) that linked to my Disco Catalog of songs! I got a bunch of downloads right in the moment. I also put the code on my lyric sheets as well.

Below is an example of the front of the canva cards I made! (I crossed out the QR CODE) Also an example of the key chains I got on Zazzle!

AREN’T THESE CUTE?!

3.) STAY HYDRATED & PACK SNACKS & COFFEE.

Bring a refillable water bottle and every time you go to the bathroom, fill it up! I didn’t bring a reusable water bottle to the first conference and I felt soooo dehydrated by the end of the day.

My second conference, we found a grocery store right as we got in town and I got a bunch of hearty snacks that would carry me through the day. I got a black ICED coffee bottle at the grocery I could throw in my backpack to help give me some pep in the afternoon! The lines at the Starbucks were INSANE in the afternoon and you don’t want to miss a session just to get some coffee!

4.) Bring a Portable Charger Pack for your phone.

My second conference, my phone was dying midday!! LUCKILY my friend had a charger pack that I plugged into. I figured out QUICKLY, these are a MUST HAVE! You can get them for under $20 on www.amazon.com/portablecharger

5.) STAY FRESH.

This one is funny but SO TRUE!! Bring gum, mints, even a small mouth wash because YOU’LL BE TALKING TO TONS OF PEOPLE!! I also packed deodorant in my backpack plus essential oils to stay pleasant-smelling throughout the day. hahaha!

6.) Have UNIQUE Business Cards or “One Sheets”.

I made my own “One Sheets” on www.canva.com and they are basically a postcard-sized website with a Photo, Website, social media, bio, and recent accomplishments. Lots of folks were impressed by it and I even saw a Music Supervisor post an Insta Story of all the business cards she got at the conference, and mine stuck out in the pile! :) Definitely have a smaller business card on hand too though!

PRO TIP Put a QR Code (I used Flow Code) on your business cards and postcards that link to a Disco.ac playlist or a place where they can listen to your music on the spot. Disco is great, because they can download your songs DIRECTLY into their library if they like what they hear.

If you are going to listening sessions sharing multiple songs, make a stellar lyric sheet in Canva and put a QR Code on it linking to the songs they are listening to.

Front of the card made with www.canva.com

back of the one sheet!

7.) Know why you’re going to the conference and have a clear vision of what you want to get out of it.

I went into the DIY MUSICIAN CONFERENCE with a clear vision of what I wanted to learn and anything that didn’t fit into that vision I didn’t invest in or go to. I had a laser focus to learn everything about SYNC Licensing and put all my effort into it and I learned a ton and even got to talk to all of the panelists and got their email addresses because I knew my goal!

8.) Bring a Backpack to put everything in!

I had a super cool leather backpack from Target that is trendy, but also fits a lot of stuff!

9.) Stay Healthy.

Bring Hand Sanitizer, bandaids, ibuprofen, eat healthily and TRY to get enough sleep. The days are LONG if there is an open mic night, choose one of the nights to stay out late and try to get to sleep early the rest of the time! (OR just drink lots of coffee!)

10.) Dress like an Artist.

Represent yourself well as an artist and dress how you would for a gig or photoshoot! Be professional and people will treat you that way.

I saw a few people dressed in sweats and comfy, which yeah, everyone wants to dress like that at a conference! BUT is that how you want industry professionals to view you? SHOW UP AND BE PROFESSIONAL!

11.) WAIT UNTIL AFTER listening sessions to give your card, music & talk to panelists and music professionals about your music.

Everyone else does NOT want you to high jack their collective time while you pitch yourself. There is usually a time limit they give you to present, so make sure you honor that!

12.) Receive the critiques, feedback & encouragement with GRACE.

Glean everything you need and realize that they are sharing their opinion. If they don’t like a certain part of the song, hear it with an outside view and ask yourself “is this helpful feedback or is it just their opinion?”. DO NOT DEFEND YOUR MUSIC IN THAT MOMENT. Take the feedback with professionalism and grace.

One critique I got from an AD agency mentor was one of my Women’s Empowerment type song was DEAD ON with the sound and lyrical content, but it was too slow to be used in an AD!!! I took that to heart and thought about how the next song I make could be more uptempo with the same feel.

13.) STAY AT THE HOTEL the conference is held in.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend you stay at the hotel. If you forgot something, want to take a midday nap, want to bring extra food for the hotel refrigerator or want to change or freshen up it’s sooo nice! Also, by staying at the Hotel you can bump into industry folks you met earlier in the day and create relationships with other musicians! I ended up doing a co-write with an artist in the lobby because of that! You never know what can happen and being at the hotel is a HUGE deal.

If you can’t afford a hotel, find an AIR BNB ultra-close and take an UBER to get to the hotel so you don’t have to find parking.

14.) Go with Friends!

Every conference I went to in 2019 I went with friends. Every time it was with 3-4 people.

#1 you can share travel expenses, share the hotel room or Air BnB, get food together and get an uber together. Everything gets cut in half when you do that!

#2 you have a safe place to go back to and can share information. In between sessions we’d meet up and talk about what we learned! I never felt scared or social anxiety because I had people I knew with me. We’d also divide and conquer and go to different sessions and share notes. We made friends easily because people would want to hang with us! :)

15.) FOLLOW UP.

This is ultra important and most people get super overwhelmed when they come home, so they forget to do this. Keep track of all the business cards you get and either follow up that night, or when you go home after the conference. Keep note of people by writing on the card who they are and how you met. I even found folks on LINKED IN and friended them there.

LINKED IN is the BEST way to professionally connect with Music Supervisors or Music Industry Professionals at these sorts of things. Instagram is ok too sometimes! Especially if you a posting about someone on a panel. They appreciate having a memory of the moment!

I looked up one of my mentors on LINKED IN BEFORE meeting with him for my one on one session in the morning and messaged him saying I was looking forward to meeting with him! He totally messaged me back! Then after our session, I messaged him to say thank you. He ended up friending me on FB and we created a great relationship!

I also got to know one of my music supervisors on a panel that played one of my songs and we got to talk at an open mic I went to. That night, I followed her on Insta and we talk through Instagram!

It’s all about cultivating those relationships and being a good hang. DON’T PITCH to people unless they ask.

16.) Stay up on your social media at the conference.

I was posting regularly on my Instagram Stories about what was happening at the Conference and I got a TON of reposts by the conference. Through those reposts, artists at the Conference started connecting with me and I met up with a few people through it! The Conference will also be on a first-name basis with you and they really appreciate that you are sharing your experience with others. Think about not just yourself, but how you can help others.

17.) Get to know people.

Go out to lunch, have a drink or just hang with Musicians at the conference! One of the coolest things about these conferences is the sense of comradery. The fact that everyone in that room knows what it’s like to be a musician, you automatically have common ground with people. We hung out with so many cool people all over the world and if I ever go to Florida, Maine or Tennesse, I have friends I could team up with on a show. I can’t even tell you how valuable it is to be kind, welcoming, and have a friendly face. Many people are coming alone and when they find a group of kind, welcoming people they’ll want to hang with you!

18.) Realize Panelists and Music Industry folks are people too. This seems silly, but remember, Panelists, speakers, and mentors are coming alone, probably feel weird about talking to a bunch of people they don’t know, so be sensitive to that in your conversations! Also, don’t treat them differently just because they are someone “important”. They are just people! They can sense that inauthenticity a mile away. Be kind and be yourself!

At one conference we were all sitting around a table and a mentor would come to the table every 15 minutes and we’d get to ask them questions plus give them our music. Well, as the mentor would approach our table, no one was greeting them and you could tell the mentor felt AWKWARD! I ended up sensing that awkwardness and as a mentor would come to the table I’d greet them with “Welcome to Table Lucky 13!! We can’t wait to hear what you have to share with us! Tell us who you are and what you do..”. The mentor would smile and felt at ease that we weren’t super awkward! hahaha!

Also when you see an industry professional in the lobby or somewhere, be aware and respectful of their time. If you approach them, ask politely, “Do you have a moment to talk? If not I understand!” If they don’t let them go, but if they do, ask them about themselves FIRST! Have it be a conversation don’t just blitz them with your pitch. That’s ultra annoying. Ask them how they are enjoying the conference, where they are from and what they do. They will probably be aware of how to have a conversation and ask some questions about you too. :) Then you can answer but definitely keep the convo on them, not all about you. If you get an opportunity to share a card or get their email address go for it, but don’ t have it be the main point of your convo. You can follow up with an Email after your convo and it’s more helpful to have a face that goes with the name.

——————

19.) LISTENING SESSIONS - What you need to be prepared.

If you are going to a music conference with Listening Sessions with Industry Professionals, here’s a few tips to help you stand out!

a.) BE ORGANIZED & HAVE A PITCH READY.

Don’t waste your precious time fumbling with your stuff, be ready and prepared!

Have a Dongle that connects to your phone or device just in case. Have your laptop to connect to the speakers and have various ways to listen, just in case the internet stinks!

Have your lyric sheets handy and ready to pass out!

Greet the Music Supervisors and thank them for their time. Have a BRIEF pitch ready. Tell them about who you are what you do as a musician and be relatable! Have a fun fact ready that helps them remember who you are.

b.) MAKE A REEL.

A reel is usually a mix of different songs showing the best of the best of what you do. a typical reel is usually 3 minutes or so. I suggest doing a verse and chorus of a few songs! You can edit a reel together in Garage Band, Logic or whatever DAW you use.

Put the reel in Disco, make Cover art for it that you can link to : Here’s an example in DISCO.ac REEL EXAMPLE IN DISCO

Also put the FULL versions of the songs in the reel playlist so they can listen later.

c.) Make Lyric Sheets

I made really professional lyric sheets with Canva.com that had my bio on it and socials + my disco catalog linked with a QR Code.

Have the lyric sheet follow the lyrics in your reel.

Again receive feedback with grace. Say thank you for your time!

I hope this helps give you a game plan for your conference experience!! Please Comment Below if you have any other tips! I’d love to hear what you do to make your conference experience better!!

By My Side OUT NOW!

Artwork by: Chyna Lorene

By My Side is OUT NOW!!!! It is my 1st release in the 12 Songs in 12 Months Project AND IT IS SO FUN!! Nashville Producer Adam Agin did a phenomenal job producing this song + Mixing guru Paul Kimsal did a great job with mixing and Grammy Nominated Philip Shaw Bova Mastered it! I have HIGH HOPES that it will be placed in a TV Show or AD and maybe even get some local radio play! 

If you want to support this song, add it to your playlist wherever you stream music or download it on iTunes! The more streams and playlists it's on the higher the chance it will get the attention of bigger playlists! :) Here's the link to the song on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5S5fh0sV9dNVGwY1DTyExS?si=hix2YQ1PQ4uY-ex3QzoluA

Link on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/by-my-side-single/1454187986

Thank you for your support of this crazy dream on mine! I am so excited to show you MORE SONGS to come!

The 2nd song in the 12 Songs in 12 Months Project: Anything’s Possible

The 2nd song in my 12 Songs in 12 Months Project is DONE!! It's Called Anything's Possible and it will be out in April, so be on the lookout for it! It's produced by Jeffrey Kunde, the lead guitarist and producer for Jesus Culture! Can't wait for you to hear it. It's a SUPER encouraging song! 

On Monday, me and Adam Agin are discussing the direction for the 3rd song in the project called The Top. This is going to be the most different song in this project and it will have more of an electronic, dark vibe. I can’t wait to get started on this one!! EEEEEPPPP!

Stay tuned for all the latest and greatest news. I release a lot of info on Instagram & FB so be sure to follow me there and I’ll be posting VLOGs regularly on YouTube so be sure to subscribe to my channel: www.youtube.com/heatherevansmusic

Hope you are living The Good Life and living out the dreams in your head!!

Heather Evans

SYTYCD, Restoring the Honor, Megamorphosis Magazine & More!

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

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

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!

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!

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!

The Highs & The Lows.

These last few months have been a rollercoaster, full of high highs and low lows.

I released my 3 song EP called "The Life EP" on October 27th and it took sooo much to get everything in order to make it happen! This is the 4th project I've released on my own and I really went for it this time (and still going after it for that matter!)

Here's some of the High's:

- With the help of my friends Sara Castro, My husband Brett and my friend Elizabeth Hosford, I've been able to make custom merchandise pieces that I LOVE like coffee mugs, Coloring Pages, T-shirts and Water color Hand Lettered Lyric Art!

-I've played many awesome paying gigs and have made some really great connections and friends through them! The paying gigs have paid for things like my Coffee + Jesus Owl Mugs and T-shirts and a recording of a new song that has a LOT of promise!

-At those shows I sold out of physical Copies of Out of the Woods and Songs for Healing! I'm hoping to get more printed of those 2 CD's soon! The songs on those CD's are some of the "musical meat" that I usually play in my live shows.

-I signed with an awesome Music Licensing company that finds music for TV and Film with a possible Commercial spot in Europe for Mom Life in the works!!

-I released 2 Music Videos: Mom Life, which went semi-viral with 340 shares and over 38.4k views and a bunch of comments about how people are resonating with the song! Let me tell you, THAT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME to know people are resonating with something I have written! Especially something as honest as Mom Life.

I also released The Good Life on Thanksgiving day and it turned out SO beautiful. The scenery and imagery captured the song really well and I felt super happy to be able to release it on Thanksgiving.

-I wrote an amazing follow up song to Mom Life, Called "Thrive" recorded it & made a "day in the life" video of it. Still finishing that one up and it should be released in January! I think this is one of my favorite songs that I've ever written and it's really raw and captures an emotional snapshot of where I am in my mom life right now. I'm really trying to find the balance between Surviving and THRIVING. It's not easy most days, but I'm figuring out it's just a season and I can make it!

-I emailed at least 1000+ music contacts and mom bloggers and got a few emails back! I heard back instantly from a few bigger Mom Bloggers and some smaller ones that Featured the Mom Life Music Video. I heard back from 2-3 music bloggers. It's hard to break in to the music blogging scene because they hear from so many people in a day, so to hear anything back is a miracle!

-I won the opportunity to play Mom Life for a professional songwriter and Music Publisher in Nashville and they loved it! The feedback from that session, REALLY got me thinking about the way I write and how I want to move forward in this business.

-I've bumped into people literally in the grocery store, on Instagram, at church or just friends who have told me how my music has resonated with them and it reminds me why I'm doing this.

-I recently met a guy working at Guitar Center that is a Recording Student and offered to give me a 4 hour session in the studio FOR FREE! It happens to be near San Fransisco and I scheduled it for a time when we are going to be in San Fransisco for a family trip anyways! Such a Devine moment because I've been wanting to record a specific song and get a more professional vocal on Thrive, the new song I'm working on!

The Lows seem dumb compared to all the good happening, but I think they are worth sharing.

As a creative it's SO EASY to be a perfectionist and get upset when things don't happen just the way we planned them. SO many things did not go as planned with this project, but in a strange way I think it was good for me! I had to Trust God in a way I never would have if things just worked perfectly.

I had little to no budget to work with on this EP and the fact that it was fully funded along the way is a MIRACLE. I couldn't have made that happen, in fact I tried to make it happen on my own so many times and FAILED MISERABLY. Yet these seemingly random opportunities would present themselves RIGHT at the moment I had need of them. I KNOW that isn't an accident! Just because all that breakthrough happened, doesn't mean it was easy to walk through though. I cried A LOT. I prayed A LOT. I questioned A LOT.

I currently find myself in the place of "What's next?". I released everything, now what? I don't want the buzz from this project to die off. I still want to make a music video for 20 Years From Now. I feel like there are more opportunities, but I don't know what door to knock on...

I just heard Eric Johnson say this quote at my church that I thought was perfect for where I find myself..

"When God closes one door He opens another, but it can be Hell in the hallway."

I am in the hallway, knocking on doors. I'm not where I'm supposed to be yet and it gets discouraging knocking on doors with no answer, but I've gotta keep trying.

I get choked up every. single. time. I sing a line in my new song Thrive that says:

"These dreams in my head, they seem too big, but I cannot give up on them yet.."

I can't give up. I want to give up. The discouragement swallows me up sometimes.. But I know these songs aren't just for me to sing to myself, but that they were given to me to give out, to encourage others where they are at.

So I combat the voices that tell me to quit. It's not easy, but it's so good. My faith is growing everyday and songs swell up in my heart in these moments and I know all the pain and wrestling isn't the end of the story.

The thing I'm realizing right now is how much God is working behind the scenes on my behalf. I wasn't aware of it for a long time and I think it sort of made me stressed out and made me think I had to make it all happen on my own. I'm realizing I don't have to be SO STRESSED OUT because I'm working hard, praying harder and HE'S working it all out behind the scenes. I can't even tell you how many times I've been on the other side of an impossible situation and thinking, "WOW. HOW DID I GET HERE AND HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!?!" 

SO I'll TRUST even when I can't see. I won't let fear lead me, but FAITH. I'll Trust Him in the Highs and the Lows.

The Life EP Release Show 10/27/17

I wanted to write a little recap of The Life EP Release Show that happened on my Birthday October 27th!

The day of the show was a WHIRLWIND.

I prepped like crazy ahead of time to make sure everything was ready. From the order of the Show, to Set Lists (I played 3 mini sets!), to the photo booth props, to making sure the video stuff ran well (projector, screen, videos from directors and more), to merch set up, to marketing on social media, to printing flyers, printing business cards and the cute little coloring pages for the kids! And SO much more.

It was QUITE the undertaking, on top of doing mom life and just LIFE in general! The day of the show I felt that sick, tingling feeling in my nose and I was like "REALLY?! TODAY OF ALL DAYS?!" I persisted and took cold meds, nose spray, tea and tried to take it easy on my voice. Me and Jesse ran through our set lists that afternoon and I felt like, "hey I can do this!" I got my makeup on, dressed up in my Lularoe dress from The Good Life music video and Brett packed up 2 cars full of sound equipment, merchandise and decorations.

I felt that nervous feeling building in my stomach like "Can I pull this off to the extent that I planned?! Will people even come?!?!" I REALLY wanted it to go how I envisioned it, but it's never guaranteed with an event like this, so I just kept moving, and pushed the thought away.

 I tell you all of this to REALLY show the behind the scenes of something like this! The show is just the tip of the iceberg. It takes a ton of prep and planning to make a show like this run "Successfully"! 

Here was my order for the Show. My Mom hosted which was really fun to bring someone else in (instead of just me) to guide the show. My mom also ran the merch table, Brett did the video stuff, Marco ran sound and my sister Amy watched my kiddos! It was a team effort for sure. 

***Order of Show***
*Heather Introduce Kevin*
-Kevin Schlereth
-VIDEO (Story about The Life EP)
-Heather plays 3 songs
-MOM LIFE MUSIC VIDEO
-Q&A VIDEO with Pete
-BAND plays The Life EP
-THE GOOD LIFE MUSIC VIDEO
***ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF RAFFLE***
-Introduce Heather and Jesse
-Heather and Jesse Play
 (LOOP VIDEO’S at the end or Photos..)

We Set up The Fig Tree for the show. We hung vintage lights behind us, set up a photo booth area, set up a really fun merch area, rearranged chairs and even set up a coloring area for the kids! I did all I could do to make the show awesome and I prayed people would come. I felt like the night wasn't going to just be about me (I kind of hate things being about me anyways!), but for someone else who had dreams in their heart that they didn't know how they were going to do it and I'd be able to speak into that dream and help it grow through my story. I was really expectant of what was going to happen!

As it got closer to show time, the Cafe started filling up with all of the faces of people who had spoken into my dream and the people I'd met along the way! My fear turned quickly to JOY and Gratefulness seeing their faces!

My Touring Friend Kevin Schlereth along with his back up singer Jay and Kevin's family were also in town and opened the show! It was THE BEST having him there. He has been really encouraging to me over the years with my music journey and is also an incredible performer!

Then Me and Jesse played 3 songs, that sort of took me off guard on how emotional I felt singing those old songs! I think because they were songs that LED to where I am today. I wrote them coming "out of the woods" of depression during a really rough season after losing our 1st baby, then also after having a nightmare pregnancy, delivery and recovery with Trust. I felt like I'd never be well enough to play music again and these songs came out of that time. 

I played the Wall 1st with Jesse on Drums and Hayane on Violin, and it says "You come tell me 'have faith in what you can't see', when I'm too focused on the things that try to break me, and you come sweetly, and I'm so humbled, oh God you love me, you bring life back to these Eyes..."

Then I played Awaken Me, a song that literally WOKE me up from the season of Depression I was in after losing our first baby. I added a part at the end that says "It's time to live, it's time to dream, it's time to lift up your weary head, time to lift up your weary head.." and as I sang it, I felt like there were people sitting in the room who had dreams in their heart that this song was for! Like God was waking them up! I sort of spoke out to those people I felt like it was for in the moment and felt VERY moved emotionally as I flowed into the song Ordinary that says "She thinks she's ordinary but I think she could change the world, change the world." Not only did that line move me again, I saw it moving others as well! I looked out and met eyes with specific people I felt like the song was for and KNEW it wasn't just a song for me, but a call for others too!

THIS is why I LOVE doing music. I get so insecure preparing for something, but at the end of the day, it's NOT ABOUT ME. It's really about making those heart connections with people through the music. When I just SING and let go of all my control, fear and doubt, that's when the breakthrough comes!

Next, we did the Premiere of the Mom Life Music Video and it was a blast to see everyones reactions! From laughing, to nodding in agreement with the video, to happy crying at the ending! I'm so glad I was able to share it with my close friends and family first! Pete King my buddy who directed it even sent a little Q and A video we showed after the music video too. Here's the Mom Life music video if you haven't seen it yet:


Next I played with a mini band the songs on The Life EP! Aaron was on Bass, Jesse was on the Drums, Hayane was on the Violin and of course I sang and played Acoustic Guitar. IT WAS SOOOOO FUN playing with a band! It definitely gave the songs a fuller sound and we had a lot of fun practicing for the show as well. Grateful they agreed to play with me! My favorite part of the band set was when everyone sang along at the end of The Good Life!! "This is our life, this is our life, we're living the good life.."

After the band section of the night, we Premiered The Good Life music video! It'll Officially be released in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout for it!

My Mom did a great job hosting the night and we had a fun raffle for some merch! She also ran my Merch Table and made it pretty :)

Me and Jesse Finished out the night with some songs that were a blast from the past like "The Driving Song", "Over You" and some new songs about turning 30, "This is my Time" and "Be Patient with Me" 

I felt so LOVED that night! I'm so grateful for each person that came and all the people that encouraged me along this journey! I know that this release is only the beginning and I can't wait to see what happens next!! 

Be sure to follow along on all my social media to see what I'm up to and check out The Life EP on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and more!!

Ready for Take Off..

WOW. I can't believe how far I've come.

October marks a one year anniversary of when I felt like God gave me a picture of me walking in the desert toward a downpour of rain. I felt like He was showing me that the outpouring and abundance was coming and as I walked toward it, to prepare on the way. I started practicing writing and getting ready for whatever that meant.

Later I got a word about being like a seed bursting open ready to grow and bloom.

Then, I got a dream in my heart to make a 3 song EP, had NO BUDGET, but felt like it was time and to step out in faith. I contacted Jeremy Edwardson at Sound House Studios in Redding, started recording with Jeffrey Kunde (amazing guitarist with Jesus Culture) and paid the Studio IN FULL from a miracle money provision situation. It was such an encouragement to be able to do that!

I made 2 music videos and got TONS of cool photos and promo video material.

It's definitely been a soul searching journey and I feel like I've grown a ton. I'm leaving behind not feeling good enough, feeling embarrassed about what I have to give, fear and doubt! I've tried to doubt so many times and God LITERALLY sends me someone I don't know that tells me "I feel like God told me you have a creative gifting, specifically music and He wants you to go after it." WOW.

Now, THE LIFE EP IS DONE.

-I submitted all my music files and artwork to get the hard copies of the EP to sell, and they should be coming to my doorstep on October 4th!
-I submitted all of my music to iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and more.
-I've been working hard to send my Electronic Press Kit to over 70 music bloggers, 50+ local media, my Columbus contacts and more.

-I'm working on unique merchandise items that I think people beyond my music are even going to love!

-I'm working on getting everything ready for the EP Release Party at Fig Tree Coffee on October 27th from flyers, to band practice (I'm gonna have a 4 piece band!), to marketing the show and making it super special..

It's exciting times, but it's a ton of work and takes COURAGE to put yourself out there like that. I have a lot of things in the works and it's hard to keep it all straight sometimes! I even made a little dry erase calendar to help me schedule out my social media posts!

 I've wrestled through my fair share of fear, but I'm pressing through and not letting it stop me!

I'm going to be reaching out to my amazing community to help me get the word about The Life EP out there, mostly through sharing the Music Videos on Social Media and I'll also be running some AD's to get some new listeners! I'm also hoping to land a few songs in some TV shows and indie films. I'm really going full steam ahead and will need all the support I can get.

Thank you to everyone who has been with me cheering me on on this journey. I am REALLY grateful for your voice of encouragement in my life and has kept me moving forward. Now, I think I'm ready for take off and I can't wait to see what happens!

The Good Life - Behind the Scenes and Wrapping up The Life EP

We had so much fun shooting The Good Life music video with our friend Sergio Perez and his family! They have 3 girls that our kids love. They showed us their cute little chickens and we shared marshmallow's with them after we were done shooting the video. :)

Sergio took us to a REALLY gorgeous secret spot on his property that ended up being part of the scenery for the video. There is a big pond & I played my guitar out on the water on a really pretty white paddle boat. I was a little nervous that I would fall in the water with my guitar, but I did it gracefully without any typical "Heather moments". Haha!

We also made a little campfire and got some shots of Me and my husband and the kids eating marshmallows and snuggling in a quilt my great grandmother made.

A few days later we went to a creek and I made little origami boats that we raced and of course we got into a splash fight! We played for a while in the creek with Sergio's family and on a nearby playground! I love that they have become some of our good friends through this.

Me and my amazing husband also went back to the magical spot where we shot The Good Life music video to get some promo photos and also some Story Behind the Songs video. I'll be releasing those one at a time to hopefully keep some interest up!

Here's some sneak peeks of some of those photos:

I also got all the MASTER TRACKS for The Life EP from Jeremy Edwardson at Sound House Studios!!! It's been such a crazy, fun, hard, exciting journey!! I can't believe that it's almost done!!!


The next steps for The Life EP is:

-wrap up artwork for the EP (I've been sort of indecisive about it, but I think I've finally landed on my idea!)

-order physical copies of The Life EP

-Get it distributed online to iTunes, Spotify, Amazon & more

-Plan the EP Release show on October 27th (My Birthday!) at Fig Tree Coffee in Roseville, CA

-Get merchandise that is really unique and cool (I'm so excited about this!!)

-sending The Life EP out to all the media

-create a buzz (with the help of my amazing friends & fam!)

-create a timeline on how to release the videos, lyric posts, story behind the songs videos and more!

-Enjoy the process, because it's finally HERE!


I know there are SO many more things but these are the main things to do for now.

You should see me smiling right now. I'M LIVING THE DREAM I NEVER THOUGHT I'D GET TO DO.

I'm not saying it's been easy, but it feels so good to be on the other side of all of the doubt. I'm sure I'll doubt some more along the way, but I'm more sure now than when I first started! :)

Not to go too deep here but what is holding you back from your dream? No time? Kids? Fear? Doubt? Lack of self-confidence? Not feeling good enough? --- Can I just reassure you, you can do it DESPITE all of those things, I know this because I did. It might mean early mornings, late nights, LOTS of coffee, frustration, plans that don't go the way YOU plan, interruptions, doubting yourself 500 times, crying (lots of crying in my case), smiling in videos where you feel like everything is going wrong because your kids don't want to be in your video (OH that's just me haha), BUT it's worth the blood, sweat, broken plans, fake smiles & tears. You'll be stronger because of that grueling process and by the time you're supposed to do something bigger, you'll already be prepared for it. So don't let anything hold you back. Don't let your fears stop you because actually, they'll only make you better when you face them head on.

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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Noisetrade, The "Mom Life" Music Video & Conquering Fears.

I am ALL about being open and honest about my "process" as a musician, mom & person. If you follow me on social media, you know that to be true. :) I hope that my transparency helps someone else in their process & helps you to know you're not alone!

So here's my process these last few weeks..

Last week I started a mini Fundraiser on www.noisetrade.com/heatherevansmusic to help raise some money to market "The Life EP". I'm selling "Songs for Healing" for $6 or donation of people's choice, to hopefully make the extra money I need to get "The Life EP where it needs to go.

Up to this point I had been self sufficient, paying for recording & a music video on my own, but I realized I needed some help! I didn't have a dime to actually make copies of the EP, merch & all the ways you need to pay for ADs on social media to widen your reach as an artist &so many other little things. If you're an indie musician, you know how quickly the costs can mount! I also want to make another music video for "20 Years From Now", a song that always hits people's hearts when I play it live. One of my goals with music is to have the music fund the music, & to never draw from our personal money, because we don't have a lot of extra.

In my heart of hearts, I REALLY want to do this EP right. In the past I've released albums, but I've never had a real marketing plan behind them. They each had mini successes, but it had nothing to do with marketing, just random luck really. This time around, I have a solid marketing plan, know what I want, & I know it's going to go places!! I'm dreaming BIG &it's exciting AND extremely SCARY at the same time!

So, I felt sort of embarrassed & discouraged when no one responded to the post about the Noisetrade Fundraiser at first. Fear rose up in my heart, "is this going to work? What if no one likes my music? Who am I to think I could do what I'm planning to do?" I even broke down  cried on a FB Live when I expressed my heart for this project & just longing for someone to believe in me.

I prayed, cried and God got to work. Right after I prayed, I got an Email from Noisetrade asking if I wanted to be featured in the "New & Noteable" section of their website & featured in their newsletter. They have a reach of 1.7 million listeners! What a PERFECT opportunity to build my reach right before "The Life EP" release! The Noisetrade Feature is happening on August 14th and my husband Brett captured some stunning promo photos for it! Can't wait to see what happens when the Feature runs!

Later that night I checked my Noisetrade Fundraiser status & I'd raised $100 in ONE DAY! Not only that but people were texting me & messaging me about how they were connecting to the "Songs for Healing" EP.

Talk about a humbling experience! I hate that I let fear corner me sometimes. I KNOW I'm supposed to dream big for this project, but I let fear tell me otherwise! I forget what The Lord has spoken to me so quick!

To ensure I wouldn't forget anymore, I made a DREAM WALL. My dream wall is there so that in moments of fear and doubt, I can look at what my community says about me, inspirational quotes, song lyrics, pictures, the words I feel like I've gotten from God about this project, My hopes, and my dreams for it. It's amazing to see everyday & gives me courage!

This weekend, Pete King is helping me shoot the "Mom Life" Music Video! I'm hustling this week getting my house cleaned, because we are filming it at my house! It will be a pretty realistic depiction of a "day in the life" of being a momma! I'm so stoked about that. My worlds of being a mom to 2 kiddies and being a musician are colliding!

My friend Ali Gattison, did an amazing job "styling" me in some Lularoe outfits for the Music Video! I had a blast trying everything on & I love how mix & match everything was. Here's a little peek at what she picked out for me, but you'll have to wait to see which one I chose! :)

ONE LAST THING! I'm diving into the world of Email newsletters! I plan on sharing fun life updates and EXCLUSIVE songs & videos with just my "Adventures with Heather newsletter" subscribers! The Journey is about to get exciting, so now is the perfect time to join! If you'd like to join, sign up below!

Subscribe to "Adventures with Heather Newsletter"

Don't let the Thunder Scare you Away from your Dream.

So, the last few blog posts have been analogy's of "Walking Toward the Rain", then "Standing in the Rain", meaning walking toward the dream God has for me & Standing in the middle of the dream happening! (If you haven't already, go back & read those posts!)

Well, it's not all butterflies & roses doing your dream. I had a moment of "Wow!! I can't believe everything is happening and I actually get to do this dream that's been in my heart for over a year!" Then, The thunder rolled in the midst of the rain & the tone changed to fear & I thought "How am I going to do this?!?! Am I good enough?? How can I do this with kids?!" I had a panic moment that almost scared me away from what I was supposed to be doing. Most of it wrapped up in insecurity of "what are people going to think of me?" Or "who am I to think I can do something like this with 2 kids & do it well?" Especially in a season with a cranky toddler who is getting her 2 year old molars and testing me more than ever! 

I'm telling you that voice of fear or the thunder can send you running, but you have to stand your ground in the midst of fear & DO IT AFRAID.

You see I'm not new to this concept of doing things Afraid. In fact, most of my music "career" has been BIG opportunities that I said yes to even though I was afraid & felt small & insignificant, but you know what? I did them! I didn't let my fear stop me!! Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's doing it in spite of being afraid!! 

It's not easy though. The process can be grueling. For this I am constantly in prayer, surrendering my fears to the one that brings the rainbow 🌈 in the midst of the rain. God is true to His word & I have to TRUST His promises are true. That "He'll never leave or forsake me." That "He knows the plans He has for me.." Also, remembering the words that He's spoken over me & holding tight to them.

I had the most incredible experience at church on Sunday that is like a crazy full circle moment. Hang with me as I describe this crazy/cool God Story!

Me & my hubby Brett were at our Church Jesus Culture Sacramento & worshipping & all of a sudden Brett leaned over to me & started praying for me. He told me he saw a picture of my music being like a Joshua Tree in the Desert. Cool & Unique, like how people come from all over to just take pictures of these unique trees. They also THRIVE even in the desert because their root system is very extensive... Remember my desert picture of me walking through the desert toward the rain?! I resonated with that picture so well! 

Also, When we in SoCal visiting friends a year ago, we pulled over to the side of the road to take pictures of the Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert! They were so cool & we were just captivated by them & kept looking up facts about them.  At the time, I was reading my pastors book "ROOTED" & he talks about thriving no matter what season you're in because you are rooted in Jesus. That rooted people have extensive Root Systems with Jesus. 

Get Banning's Book "Rooted" here 👇🏻

http://jesusculture.com/rootedbook/

All of that came back to my memory as Brett shared this picture with me!! 

As Dean, one of our pastors got up to share the message, he told his story about dealing with disappointment in his life in ministry & his dreams. Me and Brett resonated with everything he was saying! He shared a verse out of PSALM 107:4 that leapt off the page at me..  IT WAS TALKING ABOUT THE DESERT. 

"Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
    looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
    staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
*THIS PART THOUGH 😭* --> Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
    He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
    that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;
    the starved and hungry got plenty to eat."

Listen to the message here 👇🏻

https://jesusculture.com/sacramento/podcast/?listen=freedom-from-disappointment

Me and Brett went up to Dean to talk to him after the message & encourage him about how much his message spoke to us. We shared our story of disappointment of how we both gave up our dreams but how God has been giving us NEW dreams even in a desert season.

Not even a second later, I turn to leave & a woman is standing in front of me & she says "Hi! You don't know me, but I felt like God gave me a word for you!" Shocked, I said "ok.." she went on and said "I feel like God has placed a music & creative gifting in you & he wants to bless & use it!" -- I immediately broke down in tears! I told her, "thank you so much, you don't even know what that means to me! I'm a singer/songwriter & just started recording an EP & I've been really scared & that just means so much!!" 

Can we all just say, "WOW." 

I've never seen something spoken a year ago, come so full circle! I mean, I'm such a doubter, but now I don't know if I can doubt anymore! 😆 

I think that's the thing you have to cling on to in the midst of fear. Not your insignificance & how small you feel, but HOW BIG God is! 

But also, I think we don't really step into our power because WE DON'T KNOW WHO we are & WHOSE we are.

Gideon in the Old Testament was instructed to defeat an army of over 100,000 with 300 men. 😳 He was freaked out (as anyone would be!). But God let Gideon peek into the enemy camp to listen in on what they were saying about Gideon's army. And guess what?!?! The enemy was terrified because GOD was on their side!! That encouraged Gideon to know it was going to be ok! And guess what?!?! Gideon's army won & they didn't even have to fight! The Enemy army ended up turning on itself!

What if we realized WHO we are and WHOSE we are? What if we realized the enemy is scared to death of us walking out in our dreams because he knows how powerful we are? The thunder is just a scare tactic, but we can't let it scare us away from our dream!! 

We have to remember God is on our side! That He is our strength when we are weak & faithful to His promises! 

So, Dream Afraid. Conquer fear. Know WHO you are and WHOSE you are! You are more powerful than you know!!

----

Update!!

I just got some DEMO'S that my producer Jeffrey Kunde is working on & I'm SO Excited you guys!!! It had my parents crying within seconds of hearing & just really moving in general. This is going to be big & hit hearts, I just know it! 💓🎶🎉👏😭💕✨

How to Independently Release an Album

I'm about ready to start recording an EP & I wrote a little "step by step" of "how to independently release an album" a while back that I've been referencing I thought I'd share!!

You see, I'm a singer/songwriter & I've released 4 Albums independently! I've had some cool successes from each of those releases. I've had songs featured on MTV's Laguna Beach, Nickelodeon's teen channel Noggin, an independent film, Radio play & lots of local press! All of this doesn't come easy, it takes lots of emails, phone calls, connecting and more! Here are a few things I've done over the years when releasing albums. Hope it helps you get a better game plan for your release! 

How to Independently Release an Album

- It starts with an idea, that turns into a song, that turns into a group of songs that carry a specific theme or message you want to convey. That plus A TON of work, planning, scheduling & practicing happen in between all of that. You have to keep a timeline & have a plan to have a successful Album Release!

 Step 1: SONGWRITING.

-It starts with a song. Whether you get a melody & hum it into your iphone, or get some powerful lyrics that you scribble into your journal & piece it together later, or co-write with a fellow singer-songwriter, an album starts with songwriting.

-Everyone’s songwriting process is different, but going into making an album, I like to have all of my songs finished. Yes, you might get some ideas on the spot in the studio, but you don’t want to waste precious studio time trying to finish a song! That can get expensive because a lot of studios charge by the hour!

Step 2: CHOOSE YOUR SONGS. SET A THEME.

-Many times the songs you choose for your Album have a specific theme or message you want to convey. It’s great to have a theme or message as a jumping off point for photo shoots & music videos that help with promotions!

I released an album called “Out of the Woods” & I did a photo shoot & music video in the woods & most of the songs on the album talk about coming out of the “woods” of anxiety, depression & finding out who I was outside of all of that. It was a powerful message & I was able to convey that concept & message through not only the music but the art & promotional materials! It was cohesive & powerful.

Step 3. POLISH YOUR SONGS.

-Once you’ve chosen your songs, POLISH THEM by playing them over & over, make demos of them to listen to & memorize them, & show them to trusted friends. When you show them to friends, be sure to GLEAN from what they say, but don’t let other people’s opinions sway you from your heart about the project & songs.

Step 4. START FUNDRAISING.

-Whether you raise the money yourself or do a Go Fund Me or Kickstarter Campaign, make sure you have ALL of your funds raised before you start recording! Give at least 2-3 months for the process.

 Step 5. CHOOSE A PRODUCER.

-Choose a producer that GETS your sound!

-Really do your research of studios & producers. It’ll make all the difference! You don’t want to get stuck with a producer who doesn’t get your sound. You’ll end up getting frustrated instead of feeling inspired & excited about the project. I suggest sitting down for coffee with potential producers & interviewing them first to see if you mesh! Check their past work, ask friends, & go with someone who loves your music too.

 Step 6. FIND QUALITY MUSICIANS TO HELP YOU RECORD.

-Once you find the producer that will represent your music well, see if they know musicians or find musicians in your circle that will play your music the way you want to hear it. If you don’t know of any, throw it out there and audition a few!

I had a crew of musicians I could count on that knew my style & music.

Step 7. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

-Practice with your band like crazy until you have the feel & sound you want for each song.

A lot of times I’d have different musician friends or back up vocalists featured on different songs. So even if you don’t have a full band to practice with, shoot the artists the demos you worked on in the beginning to practice with then get together with them & make sure they have all the parts worked out.

Rely on your producer to help if you’re unsure of certain specifics in a song like interludes, lead guitar parts, vocal effects & more. That’s where your producer shines! As long as you have the base of the song, the producer can help you add the layers & flare.

Step 8. MAKE A PLAN FOR TRACKING & MIXING YOUR SONGS.

-Get together with your producer & make a plan for tracking your songs in the studio.

A lot of times I start with acoustic guitar & scratch vocals to a click track as a jumping off point. Then start adding the other instruments like Drums, Bass, rhythm electric guitar, lead electric guitar, keys or synth, strings.. whatever elements you want in that specific song.

-Get all your musicians scheduled & crank it out. The tracking process can be as quick as a week, or as long as 3 months, depending on your producer & your work schedule.

-After tracking, leave plenty of time for MIXING. It’s important to get all of your levels just right.

Step 9. MASTERING.

-After tracking and mixing the next step is to Master your album! Mastering makes your music “Radio Quality’, evens out the volumes & transitions from track to track. My friend has a quick turn over rate for mastering (2-3 days) but many times mastering can be a 2 week or more process from listening, to any changes, to the final product.

Step 10. COPYRIGHT & REGISTER YOUR SONGS TO A PERFORMING RIGHTS ORGANIZATION.

-While you are mixing & mastering your songs, send your mixed songs to the Library of Congress to be copyrighted. Also, register your songs to a performing rights organization like ASCAP or BMI so that you can get royalties if your song is played on the radio, used in a TV show or Movie.

Step 11. PHOTOSHOOT & ALBUM COVER DESIGN.

-While you’re getting your songs mastered, do a photo shoot for your Album cover & promotional photos. Make sure you keep with the theme of your album.

-Hire an artist to design your Album, promotional materials like a Bio with a picture, Facebook Banners, posters, T Shirts & maybe something unique like a plushie with a download card!

-Maybe even have your designer help make your website design more cohesive.

-Also, choose a company to duplicate your CD’s to get a template for your designer to design the front, inside & back of your CD. I go through Discmakers or CDbaby.

*DO NOT schedule a CD Release Show until you are in the final stages of this process! Sometimes things don’t go to the plan & you may not have your duplicated CD in time for the release show!

Step 11. CREATE A BUZZ.

-Once you have your Mastered songs back, think about making a semi-professional music video! It’s a great way to introduce your album to the world & have your friends SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!

-KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE. Know your marketing campaign towards for your audience.

-Another way to create a buzz is to take a bunch of fun video & photos of the studio process & share them on youtube, Facebook & Instagram. Make sure you use HASHTAGS! Also, following people with similar interests will most likely get you followed back! 

-When you know your Album Release Date, send a Digital Press Kit with your songs, Bio & Promo photo to Local News Stations, College Radio Stations, Local Bloggers, College Newspapers, Local Newspapers, Local Magazines, alllllll the internet radio stations & more. I did this not expecting much, but I had a TON of Press before my release! It was awesome!

-Offer freebies! Free Song, free song art, get creative!

Step 12. GET YOUR MUSIC ON THE INTERNET. (ITUNES, SPOTIFY, AMAZON & MORE)

-Once you get your Masters & Album artwork approved, get your album on the internet! I went through CD BABY to get my music on all of the Internet download & streaming sites! I think you could do it one at a time, but it would be a lot. I think it took about a week to get everything through. CD BABY tracks all of your sales & sends you money via Paypal when someone buys your music, it’s great for the indie artist!

Step 13. RELEASE YOUR ALBUM!!!!!

-After you’ve finished steps 1-12, you’re ready to release your album! Have friends & family help you spread the word on social media & hashtag like crazy! You’d be amazed at the amount of unique visits you’ll get to your videos & photos just from a hashtag!

-Plan an Album Release Party! Make the release special, get some local press on “the list”, invite all of your friends, family & everyone who helped you make the album. Have a table with behind the scenes pictures & video. Design the stage extra special. I used vintage looking lights, it set the vibe I wanted & made for cool photos. Also, invite local musicians to open with 3 songs to make it a music community event/celebration! Highlight the musicians you appreciate!

-Make your merch table EPIC. Display your Albums in a unique way. Find a Vintage Suitcase to display your CD’s in or get some cool lighting to display your music in a unique way. Draw people’s attention!

Standing in the Rain: The Life EP

This is an exciting follow up from my last blog post "Walking Toward the Rain"! It's a really cool story of FAITH. If you aren't into that sort of thing, just hang in there with me! You won't believe how this all plays out! 🙌

I have had a blast playing local shows & have had a really great response to my music which has been super encouraging. I've felt a stirring in my heart for a while that "Now is the time" to sort of pursue some of my dreams with my music, but it's hard & Scary to step out, you know?

To sort of set the stage I've gotta take you back a few months. 

I had the amazing privilege to attend the Jesus Culture conference in Sacramento with one of my friends in Ohio & God spoke SO MUCH through the speakers & the worship. They kept singing songs like "Fresh Outpouring" & "Let it rain" & I just opened up my hands to receive it! He gave me that picture of walking toward the rain (read last Blog) & I was ready to soak it up and stand in it!! I felt God sort of calling me out & giving me a fresh vision. Random People at the conference would come up to me and say things like "I feel like God is opening doors for your music" or "there is POWER on your music". I also felt like God was asking me "what do you want?" I sort of wrote out what I wanted to do with music & that I wanted my music to be heard, not on Christian Radio but everywhere. That He'd open doors for me to be able to encourage other artists & use my music to help people who are hurting & use my story to make an impact. I also got a verse in Isaiah 6 where God touches a coal on Isaiah's lips to anoint him to speak to the people God called him to. I felt like He was speaking that over me too! <---- This stuff seems so crazy right?! Who am I to dream this big or do this stuff?!?! Keep reading..

Fast forward a few months later, April 4th to be exact. Me and My husband went over to our friends house for a worship and prayer night & just as we were headed out the door, one of the guys there stoped the us in our tracks and says to everyone "hey everyone, this lady has an amazing gift for worship!!" Before I know it everyone is surrounding me and praying over me. Some really specific words were spoken over me that had to do with using my story to help others, restoring dreams I had when I was young pertaining to music & also that doors were opening & that people of influence would hear my music & that something big was going to happen in the next 60 days. So much more was spoken over me that was exactly what I had been hearing from the Lord & what I was about but they HAD NO CLUE. They didn't know me at all! That's how you know God is really speaking. <----- again though, I was thinking who am I that God would use me? I'm 30, I'm a stay at home mom, I don't know anyone here.. we'll see if all this really happens.. but a fire had lit in my heart. Hope was rising up!

I'm blessed to be in an amazing community of people who have encouraged me in this process! They have encouraged me to play music, invited me to lead worship at our city Group & prayed for me & championed me to not give up on my dreams! One of my good friends even took some promo photos for me to use for my music & I ended up writing a song for her project she is working on!! They called out things in me I didn't even know were in me! It gave me courage to try. 

I started dreaming again about a Project called The Life EP. It'd be all songs about my current stage of life, motherhood & marriage! I wrote out my concept, the songs I'd have on it & my dreams for it & started to get really excited, but I didn't really know any one who recorded here!

Well, I decided to just take a leap of faith & contact the ONLY recording studio that I knew of because a bunch of amazing artists at my church, Jesus Culture Sacramento record there. I got a reply back and found out it would be $50 an hour to record in the smaller studio (much more for the bigger one) & I got a little discouraged. I had maybe $150 in my music fund jar, and that would get me maybe a guitar track! Haha! BUT I remembered what God spoke to me & prayed as I was on a little walk with my family. My pastor Banning Liebscher gave a really good message one Sunday about asking God for specifics pertaining to what you need, so I asked. I laid out the amount I'd need & how I felt discouraged & didn't know what to do, but said I Trust you in the process & need your help. 

I came home & told my parents about the email & my prayer & they reminded me about some money that was coming in that was the exact amount I'd need to record the EP! I had an answered prayer that VERY NIGHT. 

I messaged the studio back & let them know I was good to go & they were so awesome working with me & with my budget! 

So, I am recording an EP. It's a miracle EP really. I can't even believe it's happening! Just as one of my friends said it's all happened within 60 days almost to the T!!

Jeffrey Kunde (amazingly talented guitarist for Jesus Culture)  is helping me with Preproduction & Jeremy Edwardson (pro producer/musician extraordinaire) is helping me record all the final vocals & instruments for a day up in Redding at Sound House Studios! & get this. I can record all the preproduction tracks in the comfort of my own home & won't have to worry about the kids!!  I was really worried about that as a stay at home mom! Every detail is just so perfect!
 
My dream for this EP is to get some of the songs licensed for TV & Film like I've done in the past with songs on MTV & Noggin! I'm also going to have it be sort of an introduction to the media & venues here in Sacramento to get to know me, since I'm new here. I'm also going to make a really fun/funny music video for my song "Mom Life" that I'm going to send to mom bloggers, mom conventions, mom YouTube folks & podcasters! Moms need so much encouragement, & I know the message will spread.

So here's to dreaming BIG & stepping out in faith! When it's God who is calling you, nothing will stop you! Seek out HIS will & don't be afraid when He calls you out! He wants you to use your specific story & gift to change the world. I want to be really vulnerable in this process, because none of us have it figured out! We need to know hey, if Heather can do it, we'll, maybe I can do it too! 😊