We were lucky to catch up with Shaina Shepherd recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shaina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

Legacies so important to me. I come from a family who prioritized service in the home – from my fathers active military career inspiring daily sacrifice, to my mother’s teaching career leading to watching her endure long nights of study and endless empathy to families outside our home, to our family focus on faith and my grandparents leadership in their communities. I’ve always considered myself the off-the-wall character. Am I family tree. My self prayers of my personal growth has lead me to seek that type of self- work in others and I hope that when people remember me, they see themselves striving to their family tree, better and longing to be an empathetic, well informed member of society. For me, Art is not just a passion or communication style; it is a way of life in which we soak in the rich history of those that came before us, and interpret our lives in the similar pattern. It is an anthropological statement of protest and pride. I hope that all of the worker leave speaks to the life I’ve lead.

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

I started in the music industry as a struggling adult, looking for answers in the world. Music was not much more than an invested project or a living journal for me. It wasn’t until I experienced the injustices in the music industry that I felt emboldened to become more than a performer. I felt the need to evolve into an event producer when I came to understand pay inequality in the systems I workers in. The combination of struggling to make a living wage and the pressure to not be priced out of the city we build community and serve our art in has greatly affected the type of art that comes out of my town. Songwriters, write songs about the struggle of just feeling human and creative spaces have often become call list, and and functional in a way that impeded some of the best musicians I’ve ever seen from expressing their true art, and therefore, making all of the artist and audiences. They serve better, the wage gap was grossly affecting our entire ecosystem in ways that felt removable. I took on the roll of producing events in a way where everyone is paid the same. The goal of this was not only to get the best out of the creators, I was working with, but embolden the community to think about the way that they purchase tickets and enjoy music in a live setting. I started a movement called the A.R.M (Artist Resistance Movement) the focused on crowdsourced and private equity funding every project from conception – eliminating that horrible moment when your work on a heart project for ages only to head home with barely enough cash to buy dinner that night. Also, standardizing the practice of budget transparency and focusing on crafting events that include multi-disciplinary art forms so that artists of all types contributed to projects. This created events that inspired focus on greater humanist themes than “I wrote a song” but fed audiences in a potluck style that increased the ticket value exponentially over time. Artist that eat better produce healthier art, not just for them, but the audiences that they serve.

During the pandemic, we dealt with severe drought. I lost my 9 to 5 and was forced to rely on music to pay the bills from teaching over resume, to Facebook live concerts in my living room, to getting inventive with twitch, and so many other media companies attempting to make things easier for those of us stuck at home – I realize the mountable challenges were to face in the changing climate. Inspired by other facets of the entertainment industry, I decided it was best to focus on local community driven companies to produce entertainment, and content that spoke to their clientel and include the artists story as apart of their community engagement.

We learned how to use cameras, light alleys, shoot interviews and do sound – and by the end of 2022 we had produced 27 segments for 14 companies in need of content to promote their business, inspire their workers or teach the power of music to their kids.

It was definitely a sacrifice to take time away from my own art, and order to instill in the community. But I believe that that has improved the art that I make both technical and emotional scale. I also believe that it has improved the music ecosystem I live in to be more inclusive, express, the financial needs and expectations that I require to do my job, and allow me to build healthier more transparent partnerships with the venues, sponsors and industry workers I have had the pleasure to build projects with over the years.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that time is of the essence. It is not. What is of the essence is planning and communication. Having a personal matrix that connects my dreams with my goals and provides space for me to connect details based on the needs and goals of the people I want to work with, has transformed my business.

It’s not about being the first person to show up or the first person to respond to the email. It’s about having a lasting idea, being able to execute it, and being the last person to leave until it’s done. Not every opportunity is for you – we have to have the space and clarity to jump in on projects that inspire us. Leadership comes from sacrifice and endurance. While some strategists might disagree, I have found the most fulfillment when I have the ability to watch a project fully thrive off the page.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I must admit, I’m a very sentimental gal, but I am very rarely rocked by big industry losses or deaths – This was different when Tina Turner passed away. I’ve always been a huge Tina fan. Her legacy and music has very clearly helped shape my sound, my worldview, and my resilience. I was riding in the car with friends when I heard the announcement on KEXP. I felt an overwhelming devastation, the kind you feel when you hear a good friend or family member passes away. Am I immediate reaction was to activate and throw a concert in her honor – But I paused out of fear. Who was I to put together a memorial up to the standard of Miss Turner, but I knew I wanted to do more than sing in her honor, and deep down I knew that I had the resources to put together some thing up to her merit.

So right then and there, I snapped in the action. I opened up my personal matrix and re-prioritize the next five weeks of my life that I slept on it. The next morning, I got up and started making calls every venue in town, every good friend in sound and lighting, all of the incredible singers I knew.
Within 48 hours I had a full budget and on our 50 I was asking local entrepreneurs and city funders to support us. I was so proud the concert turned out: We had 50 people in personnel, 10 voluenteers, studio space to rehearse, dancers, Original arrangements of huge hits, the best singers in town on deck, and a full house with only four weeks of promotion. It was by far my biggest production endeavor, and I learned so much. But more over, it has gone down as an inspirational night of music and that is the biggest gift of all.

I can’t wait to do it again!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shainashepherdmusic.com
• Instagram: shainashepherdmusic
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/shainashepherdmusic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaina-shepherd-721422115
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6yEncyKbB3A