We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Linsley Hartenstein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Linsley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I sort of “fell into” writing songs and just happened to fall in love with it. My first guitar teacher practically made me write my first song and then after that, I was hooked. He must have seen something in me that I didn’t see in myself. I’m really grateful for that.

From then on, I became pretty obsessed with writing songs but, sort of kept them to myself. It became a private expression where I felt like nothing I felt was off-limits. I eventually formed a band with friends in high school and that’s when I started to perform original and co-written music.

As far as learning how to write a song, I don’t remember ever learning anything specific about the mechanics of songwriting until college. When I first started, it was just writing what felt good and emulating artists I was obsessed with at the time. I spent so much time listening to music and reading lyrics on the internet. Which was followed by me trying to write as song that was “as good.”

I studied songwriting in college for a few years before dropping out. In school, I learned so much about the formulaic side of songwriting; learning all of the “rules” and how to break them. As well as how music affects us psychologically and physiologically. Then of course all of the nerdy music theory that everyone learns in music school.

Although I am grateful for everything I learned in college, I think the most essential things I walked away with are discipline, communication, and a sense of knowing why I am writing. We wrote a lot of songs consistently, it really pushed my window of tolerance for how much I can write and I’ve carried that discipline with me for the most part. I really believe that the best thing an artist can be is disciplined. You never know what you may not be writing if you don’t show up consistently and try. Communication was also a huge thing. How do you communicate constructive feedback to other artists respectfully? How do you receive feedback and criticism? Learning the nuances of all of that is still on my mind when I interact with people I am working with. I also crave feedback and criticism with a more open mind. I actually love getting feedback and sitting with the uncomfortable parts is so invaluable. I just don’t think I would have been as open-minded otherwise. The last thing is figuring out why I make music in the first place. Sitting the question “Why do I write” and answering that for myself has given me a North Star of sorts to fall back on when I’m off track or discouraged.

My biggest hurdle has always been self-confidence. Which sounds a lot more sad than it is. It takes a lot of confidence to write honestly and ask people for feedback and prioritize a craft. It’s a journey of learning how to trust myself as an artist that I think I’ll always be uncovering what that means exactly. It’s a practice that can be affected by so many things like mental health etc.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Linsley Hartenstein and I write and release music under the moniker Darity. My vision with Darity has always been to write and release music that gives people permission to “just be.” Music did that for me as a kid and giving people permission with the environment that you create around your art is something I am really passionate about. I know that’s not a “service” that sounds very business minded but, I am just a human who wants to connect with other humans. The business side of the music industry is more of a strategic formality and participating in it on my own terms is a way I can effectively provide that space to people that may need it.

I consider myself a songwriter more than anything. I write music that is usually about my life. The people I know, the experiences I’ve had, and what I want in the future. Everything I release under the name Darity is very personal to me and I think vulnerability begets vulnerability. As I write I try to get to a place where I’m being more vulnerable with every song that I write. When I write for other people’s projects, my goal is to help them communicate. It’s an honor and a privilege to be asked to write with another artist. I try to hold space for them and listen and try to hopefully write something that they are proud of.

As far as songwriting for other people’s projects, I find myself being more picky these days about who I write with. I usually only take writes with folks that I think our tastes are compatible with each other or with close friends. This may be received as pretentious but, I think it’s a disservice to everyone for me to walk into a co-write for the wrong reasons.

Darity is undergoing quite an overhaul right now. I’ve been working on pivoting in some pretty drastic ways after some self-reflection. This has included taking a break from social media, doing more self-production, and re-branding the visual side of the project. I think that while the music I’ve made with Darity is very vulnerable, It’s been difficult for me to create an environment in a live show setting and on the internet where I feel permission to be vulnerable and not fit a mold. I’m really excited about all of the changes that have been happening and for more music to be released. Hoping to get to know the people who listen to my music and to be more open to them getting to know me.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think the biggest thing we as a society can do to support artists is to remember that artists are humans and to be mindful of that in how you support the indie artists that you love.

What I mean by that is there are a lot of expectations of artists that will only grow as they build a career. Indie artists that aren’t “successful” have so many expectations on them that someone who isn’t pursuing that creative field would never know about. This isn’t their fault but, as an indie artist myself, I think this all needs to be more common knowledge. So here are some things I think would be beneficial for people to know.

The rate of content consumption across the board is pretty inhuman. We all consume content like it is water and the algorithms and recommended release cycles reflect that. The expectation of an indie artist to post every day multiple times a day on social media, while playing and promoting shows, while writing and making music to release consistently is taxing and hard work. It could be and is for many of us a second full-time job on top of whatever job we are doing to pay the bills. It’s also a significant financial investment to do a lot of these things. Releasing a well-produced song will cost an artist potentially thousands of dollars when you include, paying band members, touring costs, promotional costs, mixing, and mastering, etc.

On top of the financial side of things, there is mental and physical health to be considered. The mental toll of pursuing a career in art can be taxing. Being on the internet every day and self-promotion is taxing. Going on the road and being away from home and loved ones is taxing.

Don’t get me wrong, we all believe it’s worth it but, I think the ecosystem currently is evolving without considering the wellbeing of artists. Indie artists also know that it’s part of the job we’ve chosen and it is evolving outside of our control. With that being said here are practical things that I think could potentially help.

1.) Listen and Stream music but support your favorites in more financially beneficial ways such as buying a ticket to a show, buying merch, tipping them, or supporting them via Patreon. Buying a t-shirt will support an artist then streaming their songs on repeat for a month and then forgetting about it.
2.) Don’t forget about them if they disappear for a while. So much is probably going on behind the scenes and they are people who need breaks to do what they do best- create.
3.) Allow space for artists to evolve and draw boundaries around their art. If your friend who had made a huge impact on your life evolved as a person and changed, you often will stick with them and respect their needs (as long as they aren’t doing anything wrong or morally questionable of course). Artists you value need that space as well.
4.) Tell artists that your value what they are doing. Share with them how their art has impacted you. This is medicine for artists and they want to build relationships and get to know you.
5.) If you are an artist, slow down. Pay your friends. Eat breakfast. Prioritize sleep. Do things your way and remember that the old rock n roll archetype is not healthy or sustainable.

This topic could be really more in-depth and an article on its own but, not remembering the humanness of artists is something I’m really passionate about. Too many indie artists get burnt out or live burnt out due to the ecosystem that is pursuing music right now.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m in the middle of a huge pivot when it comes to Darity and business.

I have always felt like I kind of fell into being an artist. Which sounds cheesy but, it’s true. Writing music has become my favorite thing and I feel like that part of being an artist is something that I have to do. However, clarity on the business, branding, and letting an audience in has become a whole other journey that has taken some time for me to focus in on.

I started performing at the age of fourteen which I’m grateful for in a lot of ways but, I was just a reserved, sensitive, kid that felt misunderstood a lot of the time. The more “public” side of being an artist was not something I was ready for even on a small local band level. I just wanted to play music with my friends and enjoyed the people I met through making art. But, the criticism and feedback on what I “could be” and “how I should be” on stage and on the internet really set me back mentally around the business and branding of my music. I think when you are a kid people feel more permission to speak about those sorts of things but, it can have long-term effects on people’s brains. I didn’t even realize how much it affected me until recently.

Like I could be and was the folk girl with an acoustic guitar, or the sad indie girl chick, or the synth-pop queen, or whatever. At the end of the day, I don’t resonate with any of those branding or images. I’ve gotten bored with each of the boxes I put myself in because someone said “I’d fit there” so I tried.

So After releasing my last record, I got off of the internet, stopped playing shows, or recording music, and just started writing alone; demoing songs out, listening to new music, searching for new music, learning, reading, watching films, prioritizing my mental health, and spending time with people I love.

It’s given me a whole new vision for Darity that’s actually sustainable for me as a person. I don’t want to give too much away but, I’m excited to re-enter the internet and music space as a normal girl who just wants to make music and make new friends. I feel more than ever that I know what I want and that I’m not overthinking things. I’m excited to get to know people and let people get to know me because I have no intention of being anyone that I’m not anymore.

The break, self-reflection, and re-aligning with my values has given me space to focus on some of the business sides of Darity and build a team that I’ve never had before and I feel like there’s more thoughtfulness and direction in where I’m headed now.

All of that to say, I had to get away to get back to the nerdy, music-obsessed, kid that just wants to make friends and sing her songs with her friends because I’m really still that kid in a lot of ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://daritymusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daritymusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@darity
• Other: Partreon https://www.patreon.com/darityscaffeine?fan_landing=true

Image Credits
Photos by: Martin Jernberg, Brodie Glaza