We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vicki Lynn Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vicki Lynn below.
Alright, Vicki Lynn 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.
Music, being a creative has been a part of my life since I was small. I’ve played an instrument, written little songs my whole life. When it came time to pick a career in high school, between my parents and guidance counselor, music wasn’t a viable career so they led me to music’s partner, math. I majored in math and computer science in my undergraduate studies. To be honest, there was nothing about any of that fueled any fire in me, through college or in my career. To make a long story short I became a single mom when my children were toddlers, I was just doing what I had to do to survive. I sold my piano to buy my son a dirt bike so he could race, I put down my guitar to focus on raising my kids. I ended up changing careers in my 40’s. My daughter and I were involved with horses and I became certified to do equine psychotherapy and I ended up going back to school for my master’s in clinical mental health counseling. I truly loved that career, helping others in definitely a passion for me. I started my new career and got back to music as my children were older and I had more time to do what I wanted. I picked the guitar back up, started writing and playing out. When covid hit and life slowed down a bit I took a course on writing for film/tv and well as courses on learning how to produce my own music. That’s what I knew it was time, music could be a viable career. I dove knee deep into learning the industry, everything I could, any way I could. Today I’ve had music on TV, I have production clients, I help others learn the industry, clients that I take on to handle their administrative side of things, I even got back to playing out and writing songs for myself. I am proud that I can also say I am now an award winning songwriter!!! Sometimes you just have to trust in the passion God has put in your heart and go for it! When you feel the passion, deep inside, you know it’s something that is worth pursuing!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I guess I answered most of that in my wordy last response :) I tend to get wordy when I’m passionate! But… I am a songwriter, a musician, a producer. I often work with lyricists who don’t have any musical talent and bring their words to life. I love to write songs for film/tv, songs to play out, but my dream is to write songs for other artists. I want to hear someone else sing my songs! I also help others in the industry with the admin side of things as well as utilize my mental health program to provide supports. It’s a tough industry, a lot of rejection, burn out, addiction, stress, anxiety, financial insecurity. I do all that I can to be a support, provide tools, etc through coaching sessions as well as speaking in groups, on podcasts, etc. Whether it is coaching or writing, it’s my passion to give something back that someone else can connect with, wether they need to know they are not a lone, they are loved, they are strong, need, hope or even just need an upbeat song to dance in the kitchen to and let go of their stressors! Music is healing! I am on social media and can provide all of those links as well as I have a website vickilynnmusic.me.
https://www.instagram.com/vicki_lynn_music/
https://www.facebook.com/healinghorsesmusic
Tweets by healhorsesmusic
@vickilynnmusic
https://www.vickilynnmusic.me
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
There is, I spent my life doing what society perceived as right, smart, secure, pleasing others, my parents, my guidance counselor, etc instead of doing what makes my heart happy. I raised two kids on my own and always did the next “right” step, even pushing music aside to be practical. If I could go back and give my young little self advice, I’d tell her “don’t do that, do what’s in your heart, chase your dreams, don’t give up… a dream isn’t put in your heart by accident, it’s put there to pursue!” so, enjoy that and don’t worry about what everyone else says you should be doing!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I have won awards, had songs on TV, over two hundred songs signed to different publishers and libraries, but the biggest reward for me is knowing that my songs touch somebody. When I first started playing my songs out I was afraid to look at the audience, sharing your songs is putting a piece of you out into the public, open to judgment. That’s hard. One day I finally looked out and saw people bobbing their heads, tapping their feet and even singing a long! That is an amazing feeling! But the biggest reward happened a few years ago. My cowriters had just released an EP and the title song was called “Be Brave”. The inspiration for that song is about having to be brave as a songwriter. But writing it for film and tv we wrote it in a way that was generic, so anyone could connect to it in any way they needed to. Sadly a friend of mine her lost her son and at the wake, right around the time of the release, I heard people whispering, “that is her, the woman with the song”. I wasn’t quite sure what the chatter was about until I reached my friend and her husband, in that moment they thanked me and told me that that song was what was getting them through. There is no bigger reward than that!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vickilynnmusic.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vicki_lynn_music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091253262557
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-lynn-smith-7615109/
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/ft0QKszRx8WYhYLRWJ
