We were lucky to catch up with Bri Dimit recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bri, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Great question, in December 2019 I quit my 9-5 job and started my full-time business as a Storytelling Musician. I interviewed individuals in the community based on their life experiences and shared their stories through my music.

I began providing services for colleagues and friends with the intention to gain feedback on my process. From there, I was building my client list but was charging a very low rate where I was still spending money for each song production. Once I spent some time developing my mindset and building my confidence I started charging an appropriate amount for this one of a kind experience and eventually started paying myself back, making a profit, and am now providing services for not-for-profit organizations and corporate agencies that allow me to comfortably live full time as a Storytelling Musician.

Bri, 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?

I transform life’s challenges into celebrations through music, speaking, and storytelling.

As an Artist I invoke joy and confidence when I’m on stage. My personal songs are rooted in the life lessons I’ve learned along the way with a sprinkle of sass. I have been working on a brand new album that will be released this year and you will not want to miss it!

As a Keynote Speaker + Storyteller I use the stage to empower change and transformation by sharing my own stories of navigating adversity. From my experiences with epilepsy, grief and loss, and responding to pain and isolation I’ve learned that anything is possible when you move through life believing in yourself and I am passionate about supporting others in building systems and strategies that set them up for success too.

As a Storytelling Musician I work with corporate agencies and not-for-profit organizations that support children and families experiencing grief. I interview them based on their personal life experiences and create a custom anthem using their own words. I lost my mom to a rare liver cancer when I was thirteen years old and as I navigated my healing journey I leaned on songwriting and music as a strategy. Becoming the Storytelling Musician and creating the opportunity to share this gift with others brings me immense gratitude and fulfillment.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Absolutely. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was five years old. At ten years old I had a two and a half hour seizure that caused me to be airlifted to a children’s hospital where I was pronounced dead. Although this story has a happy ending, at the time that experience impacted my brain quite a bit, especially academically, which resulted in being turned away from three different schools. I was testing years behind my peers and as a family we kept being told that the schools couldn’t provide the services I needed.

Fast forward three years and I was back in the school system, in eighth grade, having an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting. We were discussing my plans for the future around where I wanted to go to high school, if I had plans for college, etc. and I was told that due to my epilepsy, I would be dependent my whole life and that it was important for me to mentally prepare for a life with those conditions. I was told I would not be able to drive, I would not be able to live independently, I would not be able to go to a college away from home, and many other “you won’t” and “you can’t” statements.

So as a response, by sixteen I earned my license and was driving independently.

By eighteen I earned my high school diploma and received my first acceptance letter from a University.

By twenty-one I earned my bachelors degree while living and working independently.

By twenty-six I earned my masters degree with straight A’s for the first time in my academic career.

By thirty I created and built a business that has allowed me to live independently doing the things I love.

And most importantly, the greatest “achievement” that I’ve received is the mentality that when I believe in myself I can accomplish anything.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Self expression. What a gift it is to create something that is the fullest expression of you as a being.

Comparison was at the forefront of my childhood and upbringing and to be able to cultivate a life that allows me to fully be myself while simultaneously continuing to grow into my highest self is a privilege.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bridimit.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridimit/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridimit/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Ndbaseballbabe

Image Credits
Jeff Purdue