We recently connected with Lynsea Schurbon and have shared our conversation below.

Lynsea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I’ll preface that I don’t believe happiness is the goal. Am I fulfilled as an artist/creative? Yes. Without it, the world is robotic, formulaic, and sometimes cold. Being a creative, I find myself holding space for people, feelings, ideas, questions, that others don’t care to – the things that don’t fit into the gen-pop, societal formula. To directly answer the question though, yes, I am happy as an artist creative, but only with the understanding that it means that I may not always be happy, that I have a responsibility to notice, to connect, to tune in. I do often wonder what it is like to be content with a job-to-get-paid paired with downtime for family, fitness, the latest book… I envy it: the simplicity, the formula, yet I’ve tried it and I malfunction. I terribly want to fit into this mold, but have learned to appreciate the unexpected depth and nature of what it means to be a creative.

Lynsea, 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?

I was born in the backseat of Chevy Blazer somewhere in the middle of Texas to a traveling evangelist father and mother. I grew up seeing my father on stage preaching and many people in my family on stage whether in church, Mary Kay events, or community events. I was regularly exposed to music through church and my parent’s love for 90s rock and Texas country, but my personal connection to music and songwriting started after my parent’s divorce and my dad’s addiction became public.

I was only 6 years old, but songwriting, during this time, became a natural, very private coping mechanism. Family members throughout my childhood would ask me to sing or offer to pay for professional vocal training, but it wasn’t until I was 15 that I felt brave enough to start singing in front of people. My uncle taught me some basic chords on guitar and after that I couldn’t stop writing songs. I auditioned for Berklee College of Music at 16, and left Texas for Boston at 17.

The very personal nature of my music and writing kept me extremely vulnerable and insecure. I spent my time in Boston and post-college constantly comparing myself to other artists and over-analyzing what I “should make”, how I “should” sound. In hindsight, I can see I was waiting for someone to champion me, to see my potential, to give me permission. It wasn’t until Jan 2023, 12 years after going to Berklee, that I finally gave myself permission. I decided it was now or never. I started releasing a song every month until I felt like I had forced music back into my life. That was 17 months ago. I’ve released 8 songs, signed 3 with a sync licensing company, released 1 in Spanish, received 2 grants, and am now preparing to be part time at my day job in preparation for my next release in English, Spanish, and French. This is what I’m proud of – no longer making excuses and being devoted to the process, whatever it looks like!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Grants! I have a degree in Music Business, yet it wasn’t until 9 years after I graduated that I applied for my first grant. Finances are a huge part of what kept me from creating for so long. If I had known that I could potentially get funded by my city or county, I would likely have created sooner. Whether hundreds or thousands of dollars, grants are a huge resource for artists of all types.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

A huge part of what has equipped me to build my career in music alongside my full time day job, is my mindfulness practice. I began meditating during our COVID shut down and it has led me into studying psychology and the many different cultures of meditation. My mindfulness practice has played a significant role in being able to prioritize the many demands of life: how to manage my time and emotion, set boundaries, be human and aware of what is going on in the world, while also continuing to create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://imlynsea.com
• Instagram: @lynsea
• Facebook: @imlynsea

Image Credits

Confluence Carolinas – live performance photo
Cassandra Jolie – blue and orange background photo
Colin Cassidy – black background photo