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

Grace, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

The pursuit of happiness in a career choice is definitely an important goal for me. But that happiness is not achieved without some blood, sweat, tears, and unpaid bills. The times when I consider what it would be like to have a regular job are when unexpected expenses come up and I don’t have enough upcoming gigs or student tuition to cover them. A regular job means dependable income on a consistent basis, right?
I thought about that trade off of happiness in a career versus reliable income. How nice it must be to be able to know how much is coming in every week and the idea of being able to save for trips or retirement or luxuries. Then I am reminded of the last job I worked in a corporate setting. I was a 10-key data entry operator and file clerk. Was I happy at that job? No. I was a drone. I punched in and out on a time card Monday – Friday. Isolated in a cubicle with a mountain of reports to enter or in a large file room with a mountain of papers to sort and put away. Mind numbing work. The minutes would tick by so slowly I felt like time was moving backward instead of forward. The stacks of papers would grow larger after hours of clacking on the keyboard. Workdays seemed never ending.
The trade off is having to hustle for gigs, studying songs to teach my students, coming up with creative ways to engage students musically, learning songs to perform, networking with other musicians, building relationships with families, fellow creatives, and sharing the passion of music and self expression. I prefer the instability of income because the pay off is so much more than financial. Happiness, for me, is the fulfillment of a life lived passionately through the sharing of creative talents. I prefer the freedom of the hustle to the prison a cubicle.

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 am a private music instructor of piano, guitar, ukulele, and vocal performance at both a local music school (Gwinnett School of Music in Grayson, GA) as well as online and in my home. I have been teaching music for almost 20 years. I find a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment in guiding a student into learning their instruments and honing the skills of their craft in order to set them free to create all in their own. I have some students that go on to pursue music professionally after outgrowing the foundation I’ve given them. Going to a former students show or running sound for them is so rewarding to me. Performing alongside former students is equally rewarding. Being a teacher in this capacity is lifelong and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I’ve had the honor of playing in multiple original and cover bands in the metro Atlanta area over the years, as well as, performing my own original music and covers for a wide variety of audiences at events, local venues, bars, and restaurants.
I’m working on releasing another album soon. Currently my original music is on Spotify under my formerly married name, Grace Buford. I really need to update it since I haven’t released any music since 2008.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to start from scratch when my marriage dissolved. I was fully dependent on my husband financially and had to come up with a way to support myself and my children. My only skill was music and I had to make it work. I began performing at local coffee shops and through that experience I met a woman who owned a company pairing music students with teachers. I began teaching students and used my organizational skills (that I didn’t know I even had) to become a mobile secretary for the business owner. I also performed online in a program called, Second Life. Second Life gave me the opportunity to learn how to broadcast music online, develop technical skills, network, and build relationships with other creatives all over the world. The income derived from it kept food on the table and pay bills as I built up my student clientele and performed locally.
The technical skills came in very handy when Covid 19 shut everything down. I was able to seamlessly move my in person students to online students and retained 90% of my teaching income and gained more students online during that time. I trained other instructors on camera placement and apps they could use to assist them in teaching. I enjoyed the experience of teaching online and am thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to pivot in my career. It has filled me with resilience and determination to withstand circumstances out of my control.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @gracenewtron
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracenewtron
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cylindrian
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5xYKLQX2aThChf3rBq1Ywv?si=AIxF7LrxT7yOHMfb4Syh0g

Image Credits

Lee Heard of Heard Media Group