We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Camie, CCM a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Having the ability and learning the skills to hone a craft takes time, persistence, and a commitment to creating what you are inspired to bring forth into form for others to experience. Developing my craft of unique self-expression that builds bridges of compassion within and around us, has been, and continues to be, a journey of self-discovery.
My foundation of learning to play music began at age five, with classical training continuing through college. As a professional harpist, predictable avenues of expression included gigs, orchestral work, teaching, and concerts – all of which I continue to enjoy. However, there was a time when these traditional paths were not fulfilling, as something was ready to change.
Inspired one night, I sat down to record a cassette tape for a family friend in hospice care. The music helped her relax and transition peacefully. This was the spark, that lit the fire, that illuminated each step along a path I’ve taken for the last 25+ years. This unexpected path included: developing questionnaires, studio recordings, collaborating with doctors, creating new research, fundraising, starting a nonprofit foundation, conducting pilot study research, presenting at conferences, publishing research, developing clinical trials – every step developed skills of patience, persistence, practice, and a commitment to helping others through music.
Being curious and adventurous, I also listened to those whispers of intuition guiding me to put away my sheet music and start expressing my own music. One fortuitous afternoon, I found myself sitting with open-hearted musicians encouraging me to play with them without music. Frightened, yet feeling incredibly supported, I timidly played a few notes. Just as an infant learns to speak by making sounds with their voice, I was learning a new way to communicate through the language of music.
My musical expression has always reflected my personal spiritual growth. As mentioned above, there was a great hesitancy to play without sheet music, as one of my greatest fears was thinking I didn’t know enough theory to write my own music. This stemmed from a fear of being judged, since competitions and musical contests were an integral part of my upbringing. Exploring those fears, I discovered a deep subconscious connection to being adopted and a fear of being rejected. This type of self-discovery has been critical in developing my craft of self-expression.
Slowing down to allow for the natural process of growth to occur helps me remember that everything happens in its own time and there’s no need to rush the learning process. I love the saying, “You can’t force a flower to bloom and you can’t stop it when it’s time.”
Some of the most essential skills and lessons I continue to hone are:
* Be Curious and Ask Questions
* Stay Open to New Possibilities
* Be Observant and Grateful
* Be Gentle with yourself as you continue to grow and learn
Finally, when asked about obstacles that stood in the way of me learning more, I can honestly say I trust everything happens as it needs to happen for me to learn whatever it is I am learning in the moment. If an obstacle is present, I have an opportunity to grow and learn new skills to deal with it. From this perspective, every step, every choice, every action and reaction is part of my unique journey to remembering who I am and why I am here – to create and share my unique expressions of love.
Amy, 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?
Known as, “The Healing Harpist,” I love inspiring others to embrace the fullness of who they are – just as all the strings of a harp create the fullness of the instrument, every aspect of ourselves create the fullness of who we are – even those low strings!
My life is a tapestry of continual personal growth through marriage and motherhood, deep spirituality, classical and therapeutic musical training, research development, two journeys with breast cancer, healing concerts & events, hundreds of presentations on the power of music, resonance, & conscious self-care, and sharing original music that sings from the depths of my soul.
Growing up with two music teachers as parents, I naturally began lessons early, with piano in kindergarten and harp in the fourth grade. Being the only harpist in our area, opportunities to play for a variety of events offered insight into different cultures, traditions, and lifestyles. These early experiences planted unexpected seeds of compassion and empathy that continue to grow today as music magically opens doors and creates new paths for me to follow.
After graduating from Indiana University, my journey with music and healing unexpectedly began with a homemade cassette tape for a family friend going through hospice care for ovarian cancer.
Music and healing converged again several years later when recording a CD to help my father relax after prostate cancer surgery. I will forever be grateful to all those who contributed their gifts to help explore what we were observing. As a result, brainwave and immune system biomarker pilot studies were designed and implemented. More questions surfaced as other scientists and researchers offered their insight. A clinical trial was authored and a nonprofit foundation was formed with the support of a compassionate community of visionaries who all wanted to explore how this music could help newly diagnosed patients and their families reduce the stress, anxiety and fear of going through a journey with cancer.
Before we could implement the clinical trial, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer and became one of the patients we were trying to help. Listening to The Magic Mirror, music we had researched, helped support my body, mind and spirit through biopsies, surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Two years later, I was diagnosed a second time and shortly afterwards published the book, Loving Life…All of It – A Walk with Cancer, Compassion and Consciousness.
My journey with breast cancer was an opportunity to remember how to love myself, while transforming old patterns of taking care of others first. Through personal journaling, Life Lessons naturally emerged which continue to sustain my daily practice of Conscious Self-Care. Inspired to empower others with an expanded perception of self-care through the lens of resonance, I developed live trainings and on-line webinars that are now approved for contact hours and CEUs for nurses, social workers, mental health professionals and more.
Marrying my best friend and soulmate, John Camie, was one of the greatest risks I’ve ever taken, as we are 25 years apart in age. Our union opened additional forms of musical expression early in my career as a video editor and events coordinator for our production company. Booking major fairs and festivals in St. Louis, Missouri, being the Music Director for a pilot television program at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and editing our first documentary fund raising film for an international organization helping children with heart disease, all contributed to developing the skills of resilience, persistence, and patience that continue to support me today.
Of all my projects and adventures, the one I value most is being a mother to two incredible young men, who have always been, and continue to be, my greatest teachers. We are a family who has walked through trying experiences that tested our beliefs and forced us to look at our deepest fears. Through it all, our love endured.
My deep spiritual connection with John and my love for our family inspires all of my original music. A friend once said, “You touch others in such a deep place with your music…because it comes from such a deep place inside of you.”
My passion is encouraging others to embrace the fullness of who they are through self-care, self-discovery, and self-expression, so they can share their love with the world. Recently certified in Intercultural Creativity®, I look forward to recording more inspired music and presenting new workshops, trainings and Keynotes as “The Healing Harpist” and Certified Clinical Musician who creates bridges of compassion within and around us.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Over the years, I’ve come to believe every expression brings that which is within us out into the world. My mission is to create bridges of compassion within and around us, so people feel safe embracing the fullness of who they are. To do that, I need to continue traveling inward, exploring, discovering and embracing the fullness of who I am – loving those hidden aspects I’ve judged, awakening those forgotten dreams, and transforming those fears that feel more comfortable in familiar patterns. One of my favorite sayings is, “Compassion grows from within as we lovingly embrace all aspects of ourselves.” Hence, self-discovery drives my creative journey of self-expression because my desire is to create clear, clean, compassionate connections that remind us We Are One.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Growing up with unconditionally loving parents who valued structure, tradition, and classic musical training, I always felt safe, supported and loved. We followed daily and weekly routines that offered a strong foundation from which to thrive. Practicing for performances and periodic competitions in front of audiences and judiciary panels were a natural part of my development. Playing the music perfectly was expected in order to receive high marks and praise. Mistakes were often judged and corrected. Thankfully, my musical mentors were kind and caring teachers who understood the difference between encouragement and criticism. However, my young mind and heart often took those words personally as they unconsciously wove themselves in between my undiscovered fears.
When I eventually became a harp teacher to several older women who had experienced unkind music teachers growing up, the lesson of perfection became apparent.
It was time to unlearn the lesson of ‘performing for the outside’ and transform it to ‘sharing from the inside.’
It was time to unlearn that our unique creative expressions of love cannot be judged by others. When we are connected inside to what we love, and then express that love through music, the notes are irrelevant. The feeling moves through the sound and touches the hearts of those who listen. The lesson of having to be perfect begs the question, Why? Who determines perfection when love is being expressed?
Yes, I understand there is a time and place for a technically perfect musical performance. However, in the context of daily enjoyment of music, the only lesson I now need to remember is to play with an open heart and allow the music to simply flow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/TheHealingHarpist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyCamieTheHealingHarpist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amycamie/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHealingHarp
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bluestarvideo/about
- Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AmyCamie Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2iDwRJBxt0u4APCeYmYLVg Bandcamp: https://amycamie.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Lisa Fioretti and Julie Enstall