We were lucky to catch up with Whitney Blake Myrick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Whitney Blake, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I feel like any creative takes risks in some way any time they put their work out there. It is so fulfilling but sometimes terrifying. I still struggle to overcome the fear at times…but I’m proud of how far I have come when I look back to where I started.

The first time I performed in public was one of those terrifying instances. Other than my ten-year obsession with karaoke, I had only played guitar and sung for friends. I think I had posted one video on Facebook at that point.

My friend Jonathan (an amazing guitarist) had booked a gig and asked me to do the gig with him. I asked him how many songs I needed to play. He asked how many I knew. I told him I knew six songs. He said that would be perfect.

We were playing in a dive bar that had a one-seater unisex bathroom and patio furniture indoors. They served beer only – well, in addition to the questionable (probably expired) food behind the bar. The owner/bartender would leave occasionally to go man the grocery store next door. All of that to say – this was not a crowded bar. But I was still terrified and shaking.

After I played three songs, I took a break. I chatted with Jonathan, and he told me that his date had commented that she thought I was good enough to do music professionally. I was shocked and flattered. That compliment got me through my next (and final) three songs.

Jonathan asked me to make this a regular, bi-weekly gig. I agreed. Little did I know that the next gig would take place right after I found myself unexpectedly unemployed for the first time ever. Music became even more important to me as I processed yet another change in my life.

I’m so thankful for friends like Jonathan who have encouraged me to take risks. If I hadn’t started playing that bi-weekly gig at a dive bar (playing only covers), I don’t know if I would have continued playing. If I hadn’t been playing music, I may not have ever finished writing a song.

Now I have written dozens of songs and recorded five of them. They may not be hits, but they’re mine. And they’re all 100% true.

Trials, love, and risks got me this far, and I look forward to how much further they will take me.

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?

For the past 16 years, I have worked full-time in higher education. But I have wanted to be a singer/songwriter for much longer than that. It just took a midlife crisis to push me to go for it.

Some people think I am joking when I say I had a midlife crisis. I’m not. I was going through a divorce at the end of 2019 while living over 700 miles from my family. I hiked alone and sometimes cried on those trails as I tried to figure out my next steps. I was finally feeling optimistic about life and starting to live my best life as an extrovert at the end of February 2020. We all know what happened about two weeks later. The gyms were closed. The hiking trails were closed. I was injured and couldn’t run. I turned to at-home workouts and music to keep it together.

I didn’t finish writing my first song until a few days before my 40th birthday in early 2021. I reluctantly played the song at an open mic and am proud of myself for doing that; but if I am being honest, I have to say that the song was pretty bad. But I kept going, and I found myself cranking out more original songs that I wasn’t ashamed to play in public. I finally recorded and released my first single at the age of 41.

Finding your unique sound can take a while, and I am trying to embrace the process. I feel like I’m getting close to finding it though. I was coming out of a really dark time in my life when I finally found my groove with songwriting. While life was much brighter for me when I was writing more, I still had a lot to process from the previous two years. I hope that by writing from this side of my midlife crisis, I am able to write music that is both relatable and encouraging.

As I mention in my Spotify bio, I was born and raised in Louisiana; educated in Mississippi; divorced and unemployed (on the same day) in rural Appalachia. And now I’m living and loving in Texas. My life experiences and the places I have lived have shaped me as a person and as a songwriter. You will find references to my home state of Louisiana and new home in Texas in many of my originals. While not everyone can relate to every “purple and gold” reference in my writing, I hope people can relate to the heart of it and appreciate the authenticity with which I write.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Sometimes I will suddenly remember an incident that I had forgotten…or something will trigger a memory of something I wish I could forget. Those memories often turn into song lyrics. Many of those lyrics have remained unfinished songs, but it’s pretty cool when I see one of these memories – whether it was of something truly traumatic or something that seemed inconsequential at the time – turn into a complete song. Kind of a “beauty from ashes” type of thing in some instances. It’s even cooler when I get to play that song for people who tell me they relate to it in some way.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

We beat ourselves up enough as it is…if you have never pursued a creative outlet, we really don’t need your unsolicited advice or negativity. And sometimes one negative comment from you can be enough to discourage someone for a long time.

I remember being embarrassed and discouraged when this stranger at an open mic told me that playing covers was like “coloring in a coloring book.” At the time I didn’t have any originals I felt comfortable playing….I was just trying to get more comfortable playing music in public. Unfortunately, I let that comment discourage me from playing at open mic for a few weeks because I felt like I had nothing to contribute. Side note – that guy wasn’t even performing at open mic. For all I know, dude couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

Also, we sacrifice a lot to pursue our creative interests. Music is an expensive passion. Our expenses include instruments, instrument repairs, gear for live gigs, recording equipment, production, and merchandise. Many of us are pursuing this while working full-time jobs, so we are sacrificing a lot of time as well.

We push through the self-doubt and make the sacrifices because our creative pursuits are worth it….but I hope more people will respect the sacrifices by supporting local music and encouraging their friends who are pursuing music (or any creative outlet).     

Contact Info:

• Website: whitneyblakemyrick.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyblakemyrick/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitneyblakemusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@whitneyblakemyrick
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FikCAvpK13FNgbT0JKRkD?si=gUgRURsnTgq6LqsORi4eog