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

Bianca, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

When we experience professional problems in our careers, although sometimes challenging – we learn to pivot. But when we experience hardships in our personal lives that bleed into our “professional” lives, it feels a lot more challenging to conquer.

I suddenly & unexpectedly lost my father 7 months ago at a point in my life where I began to take more risks & initiative in my entrepreneurial efforts. For context, I had a great relationship with my dad. He’s been there for me my ENTIRE life and is also the reason why music and the arts became such a vessel in my life and my pursuit of purpose. I was just launching an event series, our band got a new manager and we’re killing it during festival season, I had been traveling a lot and just truly enjoying life. When I got the call, I felt my entire world had gotten turned upside down, and never thought the day would come that I would lose a parent at such a young age.

I had gone through waves of emotions and could not see my way through such a significant loss it completely changed the meaning of life and purpose for me. In my distraught, God IMMEDIATELY showed his comfort, grace, and compassion throughout the entire process. I knew the only way to get through this was to trust God because it is beyond my control and for some reason, I am still here to continue my life’s work and journey.

I reflected on my Dad’s life and how despite some of the hardships he went through and the suffering he experienced while being a full-time musician all his life and a PK (pastor’s kid), he lived a life of faith and always desired to honor God. I took this with me.

Through funeral planning, designing his obituary, song selections, family visits, and daily text messages – I just could not believe my current reality. However, as this is all happening my band was going through a career elevation, being presented with amazing opportunities that have propelled us forward. For example, 1 week after my dad’s passing, my band had gotten booked to open up for and be the backing band for October London for 2 sold-out shows at City Winery. Shocked by the contrast, I could only thank God for planting seeds of hope in what could be such a hopeless situation.

No one tells you it gets worse, they only say it gets better. It doesn’t become easier with time, there’s just a bigger gap of time from when it happened to now. But it’s ALL about perspective.

7 months later, this still stands true. Although I cannot “resolve” the death of my father. I choose to recognize that I am his legacy and that I now carry the torch. If nothing else, this experience has fueled me and helped me to value time, important relationships, my faith, and my gift.

It brings me peace knowing I am choosing to make him proud because I know he would be.

Bianca, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Yes! So, I am a musician (singer/songwriter, producer, violinist) and I have been doing this “professionally” for the past 7 years when the conception of my band We Are Root Mod happened (although I grew up a theater kid, sang in church and was classically trained on the violin for 12 years, I didn’t commit to becoming a full-time musician until my brother asked me in 2017 after I graduated college). As I stated, I started this band with my brother and cousins and we come from a musically inclined family (my dad is a Grammy-nominated pianist/organist/songwriter/producer) who toured with some of the blues and gospel greats ever to exist) it was the perfect time to start once I moved back home to St. Louis, MO.

Simultaneously, I had just graduated from Stephens College with a Fashion degree, specializing in Graphic Design. I had finished my last semester in Study Abroad at The London College of Fashion ( I had also previously studied fashion in Milan, Italy my sophomore year of college), so coming home from big city dreams to local restraints was a bit of a challenge for the first couple of years.

Looking back, Root Mod saved me. What I thought I desired as a career, took a significant turn when I didn’t see those opportunities in front of me like I was used to. I quickly learned that at home, I had to create my opportunities. I am incredibly proud of what we built with Root Mod and we are just getting started. We are an original band that infuses Gospel, Funk, Soul, R&B & Hip-Hop and desires to make the Love of God and our real-life encounters with him cool & popular from a musical standpoint. We simply share our stories and perspectives. In no way are we super religious from a cultural perspective, but we know that our relationship with Christ is the foundation of our lives and that’s something to be proud of and represent.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That you have to be starving to be an artist.

What an insane and unfair rule to apply to yourself, am I right? I have this conversation a lot with my bandmates and I think artists tend to overexert themselves into the idea of who an artist is supposed to be. As if, we can’t create and be inspired unless we are going through something challenging.

Life alone is hard.

It’s OKAY to have a part-time or full-time job while pursuing an artistic career. It’s OKAY to lean on your village to support you as you pursue your dreams. It is OKAY to switch back and forth between entrepreneurship and corporate life if that’s where your journey takes you. It’s OKAY (and probably wise) to have 3-4 streams of income while you’re in your artistry. We do NOT have to starve and struggle unnecessarily to be great artists.

Remind you, I have a family filled with creatives, literally almost every single cousin. aunt and uncle, etc. I witness some of them make their lives more challenging by staying in the trenches when they have a choice and the resources to operate in a manner that will lighten the load they’re carrying. Meanwhile, their potential and gifting are out of this world and they could be so much further if they would step out of their own way.

So I encourage any artist reading this, to lean in on your natural strengths and gifts as a creative and even any seemingly non-creative attributes because ALL of our skills are transferable and we can apply the same grind and energy to put us in a better position to create freely one day without worry of how we’re going to survive.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Honestly, my goal is the journey.

We never do truly arrive, do we? I mean yes, we check goals off of our list and move on to the next big thing but are we ever truly at a point where we are 100% satisfied?

I believe that my true growth and state of maturity and wisdom come from the journey. My goal is to completely give in to the journey and experience of life. That’s where you truly discover your mission and purpose. I also believe that singing is just a vehicle to my true purpose and impact so I try not to get lost in this one pursuit during my journey, which can be a difficult thing to do. Many of us define ourselves by what we do and I think it’s only a small part of who we are.

What’s for you is for YOU. Do not be swayed by what you see on social media because only a small percentage of it is true. We are all human, we all struggle, and things don’t always turn out the way we expect. That goes for everyone on planet Earth. Enjoy your journey, own your story, and keep God first and he will honor you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wearerootmod.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beauuutifulbee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biancafitzpatrick34/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancafitzpatrick/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWrIhejZxYowModWhMnKDlA

Image Credits
Vertrell Yates Shannon K Dougherty Jessica Page Bailey Elizabeth