Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Wasserman . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melissa , appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Earning a full time living as a singer/songwriter is not an easy task. For most of my life, I was set on pursuing my career as an artist and “figuring it out”. This is, in fact, what a lot of artists do but it can be very hard and financially/mentally draining. I was lucky enough to discover a second career path in music therapy during my time in college. I really resonated with music therapy as a feasible “day job” because it would still allow me to play music and exercise my creative skills while also helping others. I have been doing it for 5 and a half years now, am able to support myself and live on my own while also still pursuing my career as an artist. I think it’s important to find a balance between a day job and a separate goal, as this can be very difficult when you are working full time. In my opinion, as long as you are always working towards your goals in some way, it will be worth it in the end even if it takes a little longer.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Melissa Wasserman (also known as “Wass”) and I am a folk/pop singer songwriter and also work as music therapist during the day. I’ve been writing my own music on a serious level since I was around 14 years old, and have been singing for as long as I can remember. Throughout my life music has always been at the forefront of everything I do. Whether it was participating in singing competitions, taking voice lessons, or writing my own music at home, I was always involved in music. I ended up going to Berklee College of Music where I was able to further hone my craft, and also discover other ways to use music as a career. This is where I discovered the field of music therapy and became interested in pursuing this as well. Throughout my college career I was able to write and perform with other talented musicians and even record my first single. I booked my own first mini tour, traveled around the northeast and continued to build on my performing skills. After college I moved to Los Angeles to complete a music therapy internship at a children’s hospital. This allowed me to grow within the profession of music therapy while also exploring the music scene LA had to offer. Ultimately, I couldn’t decide if it was for me or not so I moved back to Connecticut where I am from. I began working as music therapist and planning my next moves as a singer/songwriter. During this time I was continuing to write new music, and play gigs as much as possible. Next thing I knew the pandemic hit and I was stuck at home; during this time, I had the opportunity to connect with producers located in Nashville who eventually I would record my debut EP with. My brother and I hopped in the car in the middle of the pandemic and drove 14 hours to Nashville. August of that year I released the EP!

I moved to New York City soon after that when a job opportunity arose. After moving to New York and meeting my partner who is also in the music industry, he began to manage me as an artist and we started booking shows around the city. Because of the strong connections I was making at work, paired with the friends and family that lived nearby, I suddenly had a decent sized audience for my gigs. I spent the next few years gigging and selling out local venues thanks to my amazing community. Fast forward to today, and I am still living and working in NYC, having just recorded 9 songs of mine back in November with another set of great producers. We’re currently in the stage of mixing the songs and the next steps will be gathering a team of graphic designers, photographers, publicists and more talented people to help me plan a successful release. I am looking forward to continuing to build on my career as an artist with this new music.

I believe that my experience as an artist has been unique given the nature of my day job and the ways I have experienced and seen music affect others. This gives me an even stronger drive to continue making music to connect and relate to others. I am proud of myself for never giving up on my dreams, and pacing myself with my career as an artist. It has not been easy, but I truly believe the patience and dedication together will make it worth the wait. I look forward to releasing my new music and working towards my next goals which include playing more shows and potentially touring.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is feeling others relate to you. When I write a song based on my own life experiences, sometimes it can feel very specific to myself and I might doubt whether or not others will “get it”. When other people hear my music and share their connection to it and how it affected them, it means the world to me. It is why I do what I do!

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve spoken about this a little bit, but I do consider my decision to pursue music therapy as a pivot. I had been set on only pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter for most of my life, with plans to work random music industry jobs or eventually “make it” as a writer. While this is the path some choose to go down, I happened to be drawn to the idea of pursuing music therapy as a way to make a living. In high school I remember mentors mentioning this as a career option to me, though I never really considered it because at the time I felt it would mean giving up on my writing. Now having worked in this field for years while also pursuing my goals as an artist, I know this is not true. You CAN do both, and I am happy with the decision I made for both the financial stability and the insight I have gained both as a person and an artist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @wassmusicofficial
• Other: TikTok: @wassmusicofficial