Today we’d like to introduce you to Aviva Jaye

Hi Aviva, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I’ve loved all sorts of things since I was young – reading, learning at school, music, dance…and arts basically took the front row on my interests from an early age. I started piano lessons around age 6, had already taken some dance classes for a couple years and just really enjoyed all of it. I would work on music and sometimes dance in my spare time by making up little songs or harmonies, or trying to plunk out the music to a video game level on my little keyboard, or rewind a scene in an old black and white movie musical to review the tap choreography, or just comment on the underscoring in a film or TV show. I loved academic subjects as well, and by high school I started peeling off extracurricular activities, leaving performing arts as the priority. To this day I can hardly believe I am still doing it and get to make a living connected to the things that lit me up as a child.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

The road has not been smooth. I bet most roads people take are not very smooth, but being an independent artist is a wild journey. There’s the financial aspect of it, how much money there is or isn’t to fund an album, or a production idea, or something else. There’s of course how independent musicians do or don’t get paid fairly or even a living wage sometimes and how that can vary not just across time and regions but within a single artist’s life depending on the job, project or gig. I sort of knew about those challenges going in, but it has a huge effect on overall quality of life. Some months and years feel healthier than others, and that is still the nature of being an artist in this society and economy, no matter how amazing you are at what you’re doing. I spend a great deal of time and effort creating a sense of wellness and groundedness in an ever-fluctuating industry. I am very grateful for the skills and tools and support I have to do so. At the same time, there are creative and artistic visions or goals for improving my craft that I have not yet launched due to lack of resources such as time, money or space and an unwillingness to severely underpay the people with whom I hope to collaborate. I wish this weren’t as frequent of an obstacle as it has been across my path thus far, and I know I’m not the only one.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I am primarily a musician who specializes in singing and is also a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer. I play keys, guitar, harp, ukulele and clarinet. I do have dance and theatre experience as well. Being a vocalist is what I’m most known for or called upon to do, which I truly appreciate. It’s a blessing that most of the time I’m invited to sing and play one of my instruments or sing, play and act or to do two or more of these things in a single project. I really enjoy the pleasure and the challenge of it.

I believe I’m most proud of not quitting honestly. And I want to be clear that for some people at some point, quitting is the most true-to-themselves choice they can make. Life is pretty vast, it happens in chapters, you know? For me I think it could be tempting to say “Okay, that was fun, I did it, it’s really hard, there’s little to no external pressure to keep walking this unpopular path, this can be relegated to a hobby pile and perhaps being something like a ‘normal’ is the move now,” and if I surrendered to that, I would not be true to myself actually. Not giving up in the face of doubt – internal as well as external – is true to myself thus far. I’m proud to have continued to do this thing that adds immense value and depth to my life, not just my inner life but my relationships and connections to and in the world, which is the most important thing to me, genuine connection.

For better or worse, I think part of what sets me apart is that I’m not playing at a game or trying to hack some formula or find a shortcut to “making it” or a sense of success or acceptance. I know there have been quicker routes, I’ve stared down the road at them, sometimes longingly, but I prefer to stay intimately connected to myself and others in a sincere way that hopefully resonates when I perform or share original work or just collaborate with others. I have a mountain of flaws like anyone else, but I believe that my kindness and empathy in combination with the skills and any talent I have allows people to call me in good conscience, even when we have never collaborated before.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?

I used to feel sad and embarrassed about not being better at having a mentor, whatever that means. What a strange thing to feel shame about, but I used to think it was because I wasn’t tenacious enough or an extroverted enough performer or didn’t know the invisible rules about how you keep in touch with professors or something. Now I know that mentors are sometimes peers, co-collaborators, not just people who are doing what you hope to do in the future but those who are doing as you do, alongside you or in a different sphere. If you’re looking to expand your community in your industry, it does help to get out and do things in the real world. You can always find events by doing keyword searches in your area. Of course social media can be a great connector; so many of us find our next collaborators or jobs that way as well as friends and fellow artists across miles and oceans. If you’re doing your best to be mindful of your time on socials, or being out at restaurants, cafes, shows and the like is cost or accessibility-prohibitive at any time, know that there is no one right way to network or find a mentor. Ask questions in your community, be generous with what you have to offer in terms of listening and attention, even ideas to share.

What has worked well for me is letting others know when something they are doing has had a significant impact on me. So many times, especially if we are perhaps inward or shy or anxious, we think it to ourselves but don’t say it to the other person. We may assume we’re imposing or that they hear it all the time. Let’s not assume. If there’s someone whose work or approach continues to resonate with you, explore that. Let them know they are having a positive impact, feel free to ask follow up questions if they respond. The last thing I’ll share is to budget time. Fatigue is real, overworking is real, excitement, apprehension…all of these things use energy. Even just choosing to stream shows or a movie instead of going to an event uses energy. Always preserve a bit of time, or whatever resource you have, to say yes to the things you’re interested in doing or exploring, including connecting with a mentor or a satisfying network. Being able to say yes has been a keystone for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.avivajaye.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avivajaye
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/avivajaye
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/avivajaye