We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grace Christian a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have wanted to pursue a creative career since long before I understood what a career was. When I was a little kid I wanted to be a visual artist, an actress, a fashion designer, or a writer- always a different medium but always art. Neither of my parents were in creative fields, but they were always super supportive. I played and wrote on piano, but it wasn’t until I was in middle school when I first got a guitar and started writing full songs that I decided to dedicate my life to that craft. The counselor at my school started a songwriting club, so it was a form of therapy for me from the start- like literally in a therapist’s office. Something changed in the wiring of my brain that made it so all I could think about and orient my life around was songwriting, and I knew that I was married to it and that it was going to be the center of my life. As a twelve year old you have absolutely no concept of finances, so I really didn’t know what I was signing myself up for when I committed to a creative profession. In some ways, at twenty-three, I still don’t understand what I’ve agreed to. There’s been times where I’ve daydreamed about what it would have been like if I went to school for engineering or something, because I was always really into math, but I just know that that was never in the cards for me. I don’t think I would be good at anything else because my mind is just so stuck on making art. I’ve worked in film as well, which I really enjoy, but I’m prioritizing music right now, and there’s so many avenues within that.

Grace, 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 am currently performing and releasing music as Grace Hellen. There’s nothing cut and dry about being an artist, so it takes a lot of different forms. I play shows both solo and with a band around Nashville, and I also am planning some tours around the region. I mostly focus on recording and performing my own music, but I also sing back-up and play keys for some other acts around town, and I write with other artists. I think what sets me apart is that I approach my art from a holistic standpoint, I’m a singer-songwriter first but I’m also really into collage, drawing, and painting, so I sell my visual art as merchandise at my shows. I draw inspiration from so many different sources to make sure my art is never derivative. Right now I’m getting ready to release my first EP as Grace Hellen, and I’m in the studio recording the second one as well.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is there connection it creates with other people. I think that everyone gets so consumed by their own emotions, and we think that no one would ever understand. When you express emotions and opinions in your art and it’s received well, even by just one person, there’s no feeling quite as warm. I am so grateful for all of my favorite artists for making what they’ve made, so being able to be that for other people is such a wonderful thing. With my visual art as well, I sell one-of-a-kind collaged lighters, it feels great to be able to give that to someone who appreciates it. I just love to feel that I have enriched someone’s life in the smallest way and given them a pleasurable experience.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I hope that my music can encourage people to explore their emotional world and connect with themselves. There’s some music that is meant to be listened to with your friends, dancing or riding around in the car, and maybe I’ve made some music like that, but a lot of the work I’m creating right now is definitely late-night headphones-in-your-bedroom music, and I feel most passionate about that space. I’m mostly driven by my own spiritual fulfillment and emotional growth, but I think sharing that process with the world is the right thing to do, because if it helps just one person it was worth it. Another mission I have is to help people heal their brains and build their attention spans. In this crazy digital age where we’re all overstimulated, it’s so hard to sit down and read a book or listen to a full record front-to-back, but I think it’s so good for your brain and soul to experience slow art like that. Going to concerts is so healing as well, getting people out into the world to go experience something very real and tangible. That’s what I really care about. It’s hard because today you need to be on social media to promote yourself, even though I really don’t want to be, but I try to keep a balance. My dream is to have no social media, but it’s a sacrifice I have to make right now.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracehellen433
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl5TXc_ZgNjm8rY_2ZMiYfw
• Other: Bandcamp: https://gracehellen.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Zane Taplin, Delaney Fanning