The Artist's Way: Surviving on Music this April

Hi Friends!

We all know how perilous these times have been for creators -- especially creators dependent on collaborative efforts to get by. This call for action comes from Seattle musicians; working hard, trying to make a living, fighting an uphill battle.

My name is Shaina. 
I'm a hard-working performance artist living and thriving in Seattle, Washington. Eight months before the quarantine, I gave up my full-time job in order to pursue music. It was a thoughtful decision, I have spent the past four years working to understand the local industry -- I had done my research and decided to apply my education and life experience to this discipline. When the quarantine began, I was racked with the same fear as my other artist and industry friends. I was on the edge of poverty in a second. The past 13 months I've been on the edge of poverty. But I keep making, because that is what I was built to do.

Things been looking up over the past few months. I am apart of a group of incredible creators, all working together to build lasting content while developing our art. And we were lucky enough to be granted the opportunity to bring our creations to you via a live show. That show was cancelled - those are the breaks sometimes.

But the reality of it is, when I got the call telling me the show was canceled I was terrified. Terrified because now the products that me and my team built will no longer be purchased. Terrified because each and everyone of us has rent to pay, food to eat and the trauma of getting laid off yet again continues to be the echo of my work life. The investments, the time, turning down other jobs for the opportunity to make for breathing people again -- for another empty paycheck. It's really devastating.

But we are resilient. We have truly built something beautiful and necessary during this time, and we would like to share it with you. Help us recoup the losses of this month by helping us produce our own show.

I am lucky enough to be able to work with some of the most talented musicians and visual creators in the industry. Creators respected for their individualism and knowledge of the craft, for their hearts of service. We guarantee to bring you the highest quality performances and captures we can -- because that is The Way. 

Our $5,000 goal goes to paying each artist and producer so that another job is not lost.

Thank you for your support and keep a lookout for Friday, April 23rd.