here we go, 2023.

in which I share **GREAT** news, musings on resolutions, and such. AND in which I need your help responding to a survey at the end. Thank you in advance!

Hello friends. Happy holidays; I hope you’re cozying up (or frolicking on a beach, depending on where you are in the world) with loved ones and feeling surprised by joy.

I myself have been FREAKING THE F*** out a little bit, if I’m honest. I’m sorting through it, but 2022 has been weird and discouraging for me in a thousand ways. So as I approach the new year I am feeling SO desirous of a shift in my experience.

I know it’s ‘just another day’ on January 1—but is it, though? We’re all bombarded by a million ads for self help and fresh beginnings (assisted, of course, by whatever product said ad is selling) around this time of year. It’s a chicken and the egg question; at the beginning of a calendar year are we inherently inspired towards fresh movement and improvements in how we feel / experience the world, or is it all just one giant marketing campaign? I’m not sure. but either way it sure feels like an energetic portal to me to leave the feasting and flashing lights of holidays behind and emerge once again into a year pregnant with possibility. It’s like starting a new journal; it’s hard not to feel thrilled by the as-yet-empty pages, or to feel curious about what words will fill them.

As for me and my house, we don’t make resolutions as much as we get intentional about imagining how we want to feel at the end of the year, and then doing things that align us with those feelings we’re after. For me, this year, these are the things I want to feel:

Organized

Connected

Powerful (as in, the opposite of disempowered/stuck)

In Flow

The great news is, I can already feel all of these things without changing one single thing about my life. I just have to practice! And by practice I mean ‘do things and make choices which are in alignment with the feeling I want.’ The harder news is that THAT Is the tough part — the everyday, seemingly mundane, weirdly intimidating and ‘ohmygodthisfeelsinsurmountable’ part. The million regular steps between me and the mountain’s peak.cWhen I’m feeling overwhelmed in this way (which I often do) I try to remind myself that no one step is remarkable, and yet they all matter. The water I’m drinking matters, the trying to get to bed half an hour earlier for a bit better of a rest matters; the dreaming, the crying with frustration, the feelings of shame and the return to self compassion and the journaling, the completion of a task that I think “shouldn’t have” taken me so long, the reaching out to friends for support, the daring to confront my own stories about my inadequacy for the work that is my life; all of that matters, even though no one of these things will completely get me where I need to go.

Every small action, especially when imbued with intention and presence, has the capacity to change the trajectory. What could feel more powerful than that? This water that I am drinking to keep my body hydrated is supporting me in chasing my dreams. This meal I am thoughtfully preparing is fueling my dreams. This is not because I am special, but because I am paying attention. EVERYTHING matters. If you are staring at mountaintops that look thousands of miles away and wondering how you’re ever going to reach them — please remember that for today, it might be more than enough to hydrate and take a nap. You are not lost. You are not behind!

And now, for the great news. I am officially booking 2023 shows / speaking engagements. 😭 Can I be real with you? I’ve been hibernating for like three years because pandemic and also because I have been trying to figure out who and what the heck I am. I didn’t really anticipate a giant identity crisis when I publicly confessed that things had shifted spiritually for me, but here we are. I’ve been cocooning. It might sound cute and cozy but in reality it’s felt a bit more like being caught in a sandstorm tornado alone in the darkness. 😂 But whatever, we out here.

I am so excited to be ready to book shows again, to meet y’all, to share songs and stories and to feel connected in a live music environment again. Please visit my booking page if you have any interest in bringing me to your city for a concert, a retreat, a conference, etc — I’d dearly love to share space with you in 2023.

Also, I’m excited to let you know that I’m booking weekly appointments / consultations on Zoom. These are SO fun. People often want me to listen to their music and offer feedback, or discuss spirituality after/during deconstruction. I even love pulling oracle cards and thinking through what’s next in life. I’m not a coach, but I do love to mentor and facilitate space for emotional and spiritual clarity, so if that sounds like something you’d be interested please reach out and book a session. I can’t wait to connect with you!

I’m also working on preparing what will probably be full-day, three session online retreats for artists/spiritual people and cannot WAIT TO DO THESE omg. I’m doing my best to keep them affordable (in the one hundred dollar range) and I’d love your help on the following in the comments if you are willing;

1. I am interested in retreats about songwriting, writing, music, spirituality, artistic discipline, embodiment, etc… fill in the blank.

2. Does $111 seem like a fair value for three sessions (1.5 hours each) and a workbook with exercises for post-event?

3. anything else you’d like to share in this regard.

THANK YOU in advance. I want to offer things that are of value to you, and this would help me know exactly what those things might be! I may start a chat about this as well.

Also, if you have any interest in an in-person retreat in Nashville I am very much considering doing that in the summer or fall of 2023, or both. I am thinking 8-10 people, small, intimate, cooking, singing, group processing, fun stuff too. :) Please let me know of your interest and what your hopes would be for a retreat if I offer one.

All the love and peace to you from my heart today, here in the womb of winter. Can’t wait to celebrate new growths and surprise seeds with you in springtime. Thank you for being here for the journey.

xoxo,

Audrey

PS — all merch is still 30% off in my store until Jan. 1!