There’s a voice in my head that says, “if you’re so good at marketing, why don’t you have more followers/clients/customers/fans…?”

But my focus hasn’t been on marketing, and “more people” wasn’t my goal.

My focus has been on creating the art that wants to burst out of me in a way that’s true to me, regardless of what’s going on in the multiple industries I’m in, the world, or anything else.

It’s been refining my craft at every turn, making my messaging, images, and visuals as accurate of a representation of who I am and what I offer as possible, and personally connecting with the right individuals along the way (at events, through referrals, etc)

… all while managing life as a multi-disciplinary creative, an entrepreneur, and a single mom.

My goals were to curate a website + social media presence that aligns me with the clients and opportunities that are best for where I know I’m going (so that when the right people find me, it is an instant “yes” for them), to make each opportunity even more aligned than the last, and to find a way to do all of this in a way that works for me.

My strategy hasn’t been based on “marketing” but on what it takes for my whole person to pursue the life I want to create for myself and my children.

My strategy has been answering the questions “what is most alive that wants to be expressed, and how I can do it in a way that most closely matches the vision + is within my means/capacity?” and “how can I capitalize on what I’m most natural at, love to do, and what I already know works best for me?” on repeat.

Those are the focuses, goals, strategies that are actually paying off.

Because I can’t control the algorithm or what my “followers” decide to purchase from me or not.

I can’t force every person at a festival to buy a t-shirt or subscribe to my YouTube channel.

(NOR DO I WANT TO, THAT WOULD BE NO FUN.)

What I can control (or put my time, energy, and focus into) is how I navigate my life, how in-tune I am with myself + what I’m creating, how dedicated I am to my craft, and how I present myself to the world.

I don’t want to build a life or rhythm or workflow I can’t sustain.

I don’t want to create or sell something that is dishonest or inauthentic TO WHO AND WHAT I KNOW I AM.

I can build a foundation, a reputation, and a body of work that speaks for itself.

I decided a long time ago that if I sell literally NOTHING ever again, I will still create. I will still perform.

I will still do exactly what I am doing right now regardless if it is my full-time career or the thing I do on my own dime at night while my kids are sleeping.

And it was in these realizations that the light switch(es) came on.

It relieved all the pressure I had put on myself to “market,” “grow a following,” or anything else.

It gave me permission to be my most full self NOW — regardless of the external metrics.

And when I made this switch, my life changed.

I started getting art sales from people I didn’t know from “unrelated sources”, I landed a $12k commission project, I was invited to perform which, one show after another, lead to having my own concert…

How is this even possible?

I don’t have a million dollars in the bank. I don’t have a patrillion followers or listeners on Spotify. I don’t have a manager, a social media team, an assistant, a partner…

I don’t have any of the things people “say” you need for all of these things to happen.

I have what’s most important — vision, passion, time, community, devotion, and trust. (and pixie dust)

With those ingredients, anything is possible.

And those are elements I will not run out of, regardless of what’s happening in and around me.

From this place, I no longer looked at marketing as “marketing.”

I began to see it as sharing myself with the world, letting others know what’s available, creating connection, sharing inspiration, and so much more.

Not all art is meant to be purchased.

Not everything I create is for someone else to own.

Not all work is meant to be sold.

Not everything I share online is to make you buy something.

Some things are meant to be free and given freely.

Some projects are just because I want to do it and think it would be cool.

Some creations are learning experiences, building blocks, puzzle pieces, and treasure troves.

Some art is for me to keep and no one will ever see.

And the last thing I want is a client I have to bend over backward to prove myself worthy or a customer that I have to try to convince to purchase something from me.

I set the intention that in everything I do, if it means something to me, it will mean something to the right person.

If I paint something I love, it will be perfect for the right client.

If I write a song that fills me up and makes me dance in the kitchen at midnight, it will do the same for someone else.

I have no business stifling myself or what I create because I need to “market it.”

I am done making sense to people who can’t see me.

I will share fully.

And I trust that the ones who are meant for what I’m creating will find me.

Because if I exist, they exist.

And then I took all that energy that I used to waste on coming up with a marketing plan or creating “content” and I funneled it back into my life, my children, my relationships, my creations, and myself.

I shared what I was creating from places of overflow instead of burnout or “shoulds.”

I played “show” not tell.

I did it in a way that felt great for me and my system where I was at, even if it was off-trend or didn’t make sense.

Even if I thought no one in my “audience” would like it.

And to be honest, at first it seemed pretty quiet…

But then

The ripples turned into waves.

What once was something only I could see is now impacting hundreds of people outside of me.

Visions I had of a future are now the reality I walk in.

Songs that have had zero ads, funnels, or campaigns are being streamed all over the world.

And this is only the beginning.

This is but a drop in the ocean (and as we know, it is the ocean in a drop).

And I believe that you, like me, are someone who was created to make not ripples

but waves.

The type of waves that create lasting impact beyond the moment and live on for years, imprinting the minds, hearts, and souls of those who need the medicine you bring.

You will be stuck at a ripple if you do not untangle yourself from all the ways you’re stifling your expression for the sake of “marketing.”

I want to invite you to take a good run and leap (a cannonball if you will) into the waters of your inner well.

I want to help you clear the channels and create the pipes that can share this deep, deep water you have within you with theworld in a way that truly flows.

I am not here to tell you what you “should” do. No one can tell you that.

I am here so you can see yourself.