We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tara & Brad Harrison. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tara & Brad below.

Hi Tara & Brad , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Bleu Jay’s Guide to Living Far Out is a super meaningful project to us. As homeschoolers who live in the mountains, we spend a lot of time in nature, and a lot of time teaching our kids. We were always thinking of ways we could make the learning experience more fun. Like most kids, ours love when they get a little time to watch TV. We always talked about how we would love to make a character and music we would want our kids to watch; one they could learn from. After a lot of brainstorming we came up with Bleu Jay!

Tara & Brad , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Brad: I wanted to be a musician for as long as I can remember. When I got my first guitar for my 12th birthday present, that was it; I loved it. Later, my friends and I started a band called Days Like These. We were signed to a label and toured for five years. It was so much fun. After that, I toured with a band called Tokyo Rose. All the while, I wrote my own music on the side, but also wanted to do some behind the scenes work. I got a degree from Full Sail University and worked as an audio engineer. This helped me really be able to record my own music. It was only natural that when my wife and I had kids, I would make songs for them. Playing the part of Bleu Jay is awesome, and I totally vibe with the character. I really hope through our videos and songs that kids get inspired to get out in nature, and think outside the box…get thinking Far Out. It’s cool to be different.

Tara: I’ve always doodled. When I was a kid, you could find the margins of my school papers filled with cartoony monsters and line designs. I wrote a lot of stories, and created a lot of characters growing up. While I never stopped writing and drawing, I turned my attention to the creativity of hair as an adult. Cutting and coloring hair was a lot like drawing, and I worked as a stylist until I had my first baby. I’m a little obsessed with kid’s books, and needless to say, we have amassed quite the collection. I’ve dreamed of writing my own book for my kids to read. It wasn’t until my kids started watching some TV that I started thinking of a show with music. While the book will still come, the videos have been such a fun thing for the kids to watch and listen to.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Our mission is to get kids into nature, and care about the world around them. Sure, our videos are on a screen, but we keep them short, hoping to inspire everyone to get outside! There are so many cool things right outside our doors that we often miss because we aren’t looking. We’re also hoping to encourage kids to be themselves, and not just follow trends or do what the masses are doing. Get your mind thinking far out. Drown out the noise and be your true, creative self.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It’s been so rewarding to be able to create a character our kids and others love and look forward to seeing. It’s so awesome to get messages asking when our next video is coming out or requesting we make a video about something they love. Bleu Jay’s Guide to Living Far Out has also acts as a perfect creative outlet for us. It really lets us work together, and collaborating is something we thrive on. We’ve even been able to feature other artists on our songs, both friends and family. Hearing their voices on our songs is cool every single time.

Contact Info:

• Website: Bleujaysguide.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/Bleujaysguide/
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Bleujaysguide
• Youtube: youtube.com/@bleujaysguide
• Other: Bleujaysguide.bandcamp.com Check us out on iTunes and Spotify as Bleu Jay’s Guide to Living Far Out!