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

Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I had no idea what I was going to do. I had been attending Royal Military College, as an Officer-In-Training, when my Officer in charge made me aware that they thought I should really follow my heart and begin a career in music.
Wait – WHAT? You can make a living playing music??
Being raised in a small farming community where wheat was more likely to be cultivated than “the arts”, I had NO IDEA you that music was a career choice.
I quit the military as quickly as I could, and joined a band right away.
We put ourselves on a small weekly salary, and began looking for gigs to play – We played anywhere we could play; local bars, weekly house gigs, jams, cafes, schools, backyards. We played 4 to 5 shows a week and eventually bought a PA system and touring vehicle; Thus, began our TOURING!
Life on the road was exciting – meeting new friends and fans all over North America. We gained a lovely following and were super happy to be able to play music, create music, sell music and perform MUSIC!
And all along the way, we kept paying ourselves a weekly salary that went from $300/week up to $600/week.
When my band broke up, I continued my career as a solo artist.
I have been super blessed by people’s generosity and support of my musical career.
I have recorded 10 albums in my 12 years as a solo artist.
I have performed all over Canada, USA, Caribbean, and Europe.
I have played on big stages with International acts like Melissa Etheridge, Nancy Wilson, Sass Jordan.
I have been the recipient of over 25 Canadian Independent Industry Music Awards.
All of this would not have been possible without one thing:
WHEN WE SHOW THE UNIVERSE THAT WE ARE WILLING TO TAKE A RISK AND FOLLOW OUR HEART’S DESIRES, THE UNIVERSE WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE.
ALWAYS!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a singer/songwriter and performer of my own original music. I am authentically me – no bells or whistles, no fake lashes or push-up padded bras. I am just me. I give my entire self to a stage, song-writing session or collaboration. I allow myself to be an open vessel for creative energy to flow through. Some people have called me a Raw Canadian Roots Rocker, while others have compared me to Janis Joplin, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow.
I have a passion and desire for music, and I hope that all who hear me sing and play guitar will walk away from their meeting feeling like I gave them a piece of myself that I will never take back. It’s theirs to keep forever.
I write music from the depths of my soul.
I write music for other people based on their life experiences of loss, love, grief, growth, pain and joy.
I perform this music with lust and vigor for this beautiful gift.
I am full of gratitude for this life.

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

The pandemic changed everything. I was a full-time touring artist who had been performing close to 300 shows a year for 20 years straight.
Then – travel was halted.
I used to hate that word “pivot”. It made my skin crawl and I swear it gave me PTSD for a few years after the pandemic.
Now, I know it was the only word that could describe what I did during this crazy time. Pivot.
I decided to move my touring life onto an online format. I performed a tonne of corporate online events, I performed online concerts (fundraisers, birthday parties, anniversaries, gatherings) for fans who kept me financially stable through it all.
The biggest change happened when I started reaching out to friends and fans, despite their level of musicianship. I asked them if they had ever wanted their poems, song ideas or life experiences written and recorded into a song. I collaborated with many people throughout the pandemic and actually released over 30 songs that I had co-written and recorded during that time.
After the pandemic had passed, I continued these collabs and am currently working on creating my songwriting collaborations website. My goal is to help people put their emotions into songs. I know how much music has been my therapy in this life, and I hope that other people can feel that feeling as well.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I just recently sat down with my friend and musical mentor, Tim Steinruck, to help determine exactly what my mission in this life is! WOW! What a powerful experience it is to write down such a focused intention. Here is what I came up with:
My Mission is to divinely inspire and help illuminate people’s paths of transformation by creating, co-creating, recording, and performing meaningful, hopeful and purposeful music ❤️

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahsmithmusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahsmithmusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahsmithmusiccanada
• Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sarahsmithmusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarahsmithmusic
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/sarahsmithmusic
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@sarah_smith_music

Image Credits
Main Photo – fotografievanaarle