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

Suzanne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is my Children’s Album, “Bounce.” I had a background in musical theatre and in yoga therapy, and I was passionate about both, but they seemed like very different paths for me, and often I felt like I needed to choose one or the other for a career. When I had my children, though, I realized that there was a lot that I had learned from my studies of yoga and the closely-related field of positive psychology, that I wanted to teach them, and I realized that I could do that in a fun way using music. It took me six years to write the songs, find collaborators (The Pop Ups), re-write the songs, record, and produce that record. It was a passion project that sustained me through the sometimes difficult years of parenting small children. And now, I am happy that they will have the album forever, with the knowledge that it was made with and for them, and for all the kids who hear and get something out of the music and messaging in “Bounce.” That album was released mid-2020, and it brought me a lot of joy to know that it helped families get through that difficult year.

Suzanne, 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 have a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University, and spent many years in NY and LA in theatre, and also working in commercials, film, etc. I love to sing and to express characters and stories through my voice. I recorded an album called “A Sun-Up Sky” with LML Records in 2009. In 2012, when I had my daughter, I was looking for a lullaby album that I loved, and I couldn’t find one at the time, so I decided to record one for her. That album, “Shine: Lullabies for Everyone” was released in 2014. That album started my work in children’s music, and I have found so much joy in this space. I got the idea for my album “Bounce” in 2014, and released it in 2020. I have since released several singles, and will be releasing an EP of Holiday music at the end of this year. I have begun working on another album that I am so excited about, and will hopefully be released in the fall of ’24. I am equally excited about an amazing show that I have written with Justin Stein using the music from my “Bounce” album to bring into schools. It teaches Social Emotional Learning skills and tools for happiness and productivity with fun pop music and lots of goofy humor.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think there is this tendency to label people as one thing. So, when we see a model take an acting job, or an actor write a cookbook, or a comedian sing release music, we think, “What, what?” Yet, all humans are multi-faceted, and most of us can/want to do more than one thing forever. For years, I thought I needed to choose between being a yoga therapist (where my area of most interest was not in asana (poses) but in philosophy) and in singing. It was only when I realized that that was a lie that I was telling myself that I was able to come up with a way to combine those two loves. There is something innately satisfying about making something from nothing, whether it is writing a poem or cooking a pot roasts or building a birdhouse. Additionally, there is creativity not just in artistic work, but in most work. The more we open our minds to the fact that our minds are so capable of all kinds of different pursuits, the more interesting, authentic, and exciting work will emerge.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the fact that I get to play, every day, and that playing is my work. I love to sing…I am so grateful for every opportunity that I get to sing, whether it’s in my children’s music, or in the Angeles chorale, or in a church or a wedding or for a session job. I believe that if we are able to view success not as making a certain amount of money or winning a certain kind of award (though that stuff is great) but instead on being present and embodied enough to feel and experience the joy of creating while it’s happening, then we will be so much happier and more satisfied. And, of course, that kind of energy will only beget more of itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.suzannejamiesonsings.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/suzannejamiesonsings
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzannejamiesonsings/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV_gvo4IHPixHu24HzcAdDw

Image Credits
Jennica Mae Photo, Dana Patrick Photography