We recently connected with Darcy Nelson and have shared our conversation below.

Darcy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on so far has been preparing for my first TEDx presentation this past fall.

I was invited to apply to my local TEDxWomen event as a performer but wanted to bring more than just songs to the stage. I was accepted as a hybrid speaker/performer, and along the journey of preparing mix of storytelling and song sharing, several visceral moments of grief and pain surfaced as early reasons why I turned to songwriting as “medicine” to process life.

Preparing a presentation that was so tender and vulnerable sharing snippets of my personal background around addiction and loss was both beautiful and terrifying. In each of my practice sessions, I found myself welling up with strong waves of emotion, and I fully anticipated that in my live performance I would be crying on record in some shape or form. As a younger person, composure was always something I valued over connection. Allowing myself to express emotion publicly and on record was huge for me. From an external perspective, I felt like I was witnessing the moment when the Grinch’s heart grew a few sizes, ha!

As a creative, owning my story for this moment, and being willing to share from such a vulnerable space helped me grow into a braver and more rooted version of myself as an artist. Brene Brown’s thoughts on vulnerability inspire me to think of it as a superpower and a tool for connection rather than a weakness.

My hope for the “Music Is Medicine” TEDx talk is that even if the video doesn’t reach thousands of people, it might reach one person who needs to hear the invitation and see the model of someone willing to name the shadow sides of life in pursuit of healing.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I sort of accidentally discovered my passion and purpose in songwriting and storytelling in the midst of a significant life transition in 2018. I had quit my job as a marketing director on the West Coast in a matter of two weeks and moved away from my family and home state with only what fit into my small sedan (to Denver) in hopes of a much needed fresh start and reset on life.

I needed more sunshine, new faces and places in my life and assumed I would get one of the senior level marketing roles I was in the interview process for and enjoy living in a fancy downtown high rise for a season.

But as I continued to be a finalist and never a final pick at my dream jobs, I decided to pick up my guitar and see if I could earn some extra side cash busking since I was living from my savings account.

Back in Washington state, I had felt visible as a marketing and PR figure in the arts scene and struggled to let myself be seen as an artist sharing vulnerable songs from my diary, and letting myself be less than perfect at a creative endeavor as I was learning. In Colorado, no one knew me and it felt like the stakes were zero. Who cared what these strangers thought of me? I would never see them again. They had no preconceived ideas of who I was “supposed” to be.

I started busking at farmers markets and along Boulder’s Pearl Street, and slowly began to learn how to engage with folks in these informal settings. To my surprise, I also discovered that my songs I was most afraid to share were the ones people tended to take note of or express extra encouragement for with an approving nod or by tossing a few bucks my way.

That summer, I fed myself and paid a few bills with my guitar. The realization was life changing. If I could feed myself with my creativity while I was still a baby in it, what could happen if I really chased my potential and grew my musicianship?

I’ve been on a slow but steady journey since 2018 growing my courage to share my life experiences and original songs for my own medicine and to encourage and uplift others.

I share music at retreats, community events, intimate concerts and at house concerts of my community and their friends.

My intention is to share love and to serve with my music in every opportunity. I am passionate about creating sacred and nurturing spaces where folks connect over stories and song, and I am excited to attract more opportunities to share Music Medicine experiences with folks on a path of self development and discovery at intimate shows, house concerts, and wellness retreats. Send me some ideas of places I should play, or please feel free to reach out if you’re curating a heartfelt experience that needs live music.

As I fundraise for my first album project (my first two singles are streaming on Spotify, Apple music and all the places you stream music), I’m also handcrafting custom “dream catchers” and “song catchers” for folks using up-cycled guitar strings (which are hard to recycle). These strings have made beautiful songs and sounds, released all sorts of emotions, and now rather than be discarded in the landfill, they’ll go on to hold space to draw in intentions for dreams, creativity and wholeness. Each of these song catchers is custom made, and I’m still adding them to my website, but for now folks can see the “merch” highlight on my Instagram page for some previews of past works.

Fellow musicians can send me the strings they wrote their recent album on, and I’ll create a lasting piece of art that honors those vibrations and captures the next creative wind from the creative source.

I’m also open to using my creative and marketing skillsets to help brands and influencers create catchy jingles to promote their services with a musical catch phrase.

Folks can find my my music and more about me on my website and through social media:
Web: https://darcynelson.com/
FB & IG: @darcynelsonmusic

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think that as a society, it’s important for us to support creatives and artists with words of affirmation and also financial support: – Tell an artist what impact their work has had on you.
– Hire a local artist or musician for an event rather than just streaming a playlist at your dinner party or function
– Buy local whenever we can rather than buying from convenience at big box stores for gifts and goods.
– Ask artists if they are open to hearing feedback of what you’d love to see them doing more of.

A willingness to collaborate over compete is also vital to a thriving creative and arts scene. It can be hard to know how to get started as a musician, where to look for gigs, and who to connect with to grow their opportunities. The more we generously share our resources and knowledge with each other, the more we all grow and succeed.

Finding ways to trade services and shift from always placing money at the center of things in the creative process is also helpful, but I don’t know how we better systematize this outside of building relationships in our own networks and exploring works-in-trade as it fits.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As a songwriter, finding a satisfying way to articulate a feeling that feels just right is a simple reward in itself. When others resonate with a song I’ve written or even a particular hook or phrase in a song it feels rewarding and connective because it enables me to share a “me too” or “I see you” moment with an otherwise stranger, and that makes the world a slightly less lonely place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://darcynelson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darcynelsonmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darcynelsonmusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darcynelson/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/darcynelson253
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-WZsIhIEPVK2OZAlijfnQ/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@darcydoesmusic

Image Credits
Credit Lucky K Photography, John McSweeney