We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shelley Thomas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shelley below.
Alright, Shelley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I have been a creative person and an artist all my life. I knew I wanted to be a singer by the time I was seven, and I went to school to study music. Music is in my blood and singing is my first love. Now I pursue all of the things I’m interested in. I’ve had odd jobs and worked in the hospitality industry some years, but I love working for myself and integrating my various creative and spiritual pursuits into a meaningful life.
Shelley, 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’m a performer-composer-producer creating a new genre of music called World Chamber Pop. I sing, play the oud, percussion, and write custom music for various projects, commissions or media scoring work. I’m working on an album! I also teach music, create portrait and travel photography, and give intuitive astrology and tarot readings. I find spirituality through creativity and my whole life is viewed through these two lenses. I have the gift of sensitivity, and I’m an artistic being. I can sense what people are feeling and going through, and connect to them on a spiritual level. I’m very interested in healing, uplifting and inspiring others through my work. The various metiers I practice are but different expressions of this divine creativity. Music is vibration which shifts us into a higher state of being. Composing and songwriting gives an outlet for emotion, and can create beauty out of pain. Through photography, I can capture beauty, stories, and the essence of one’s spirit to shine through. Through astrology and spiritual readings, I personally find great meaning far beyond coincidence. I offer guidance to people who have questions and wish to be seen and understood for the challenges or changes they are going through. Above all, I try to activate a sense of hope, connection, and empowerment for people.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
People have often told me, “you can only do one thing”, ” you need to focus”, “be clear on your offering or no one will know what you do.” But I *don’t* just do one thing. I do many things, and I love being a multi-hyphenate spiritual artist. My musical journey has been diverse and varied, through many genres and styles of music to find my own voice. And on top of music, I have these other creative and spiritual pursuits. But these are the forces that drive me. I’m not putting myself in boxes anymore. And I’m certainly not selling myself. Anyone who’s interested in what I do, will let me know, and we can have a conversation. There’s no need to make yourself smaller because someone else can’t imagine doing things the way you do. Also, you don’t have to be #1 at everything. I’m not trying to be the best anything, or impress anyone. I just wish to be myself, express myself, live a meaningful life, and find meaningful connections with others.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Ah, I think perseverance is the most important (and underrated) quality a person can have. I have experienced a lot of rejection. Many closed doors, many rejection emails. Things that didn’t work out as you hoped. But you just keep going. I’m also in recovery, and my life has blossomed because of sobriety over the last several years. That’s a healing journey in itself that takes a lot of courage and resilience. And I’m very emotional, so sometimes my emotions feel like they get in the way of my plans. But you have to give yourself down time to process, heal, integrate, and prepare for the next thing. I share vulnerably about all this because if my story can help or inspire one person, then I have done something right.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/shelleythomasmusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelleythomasmusic/, https://www.instagram.com/starswithshelley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelleythomasmusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShelleyThomasMusic
Image Credits
Shelley Thomas, Cynthia Munoz, Jesse Selleck c/o Banyan Studios