This is the story of why I started doing @thesongmom chats on IGTV live. If you would rather skip to the videos check it out HERE. For those of you who love hearing all the details, well here is the story:
When it comes to relationships with creative women, I have lived on an “island” for most of my post-college, adult life. My family moved from Nashville, TN when my husband and I began full-time music ministry, and for many years that left a big hole in my heart over the loss of a creative community, and especially a community with creative women. While it’s true that I am married to the most talented musician I know (Mike Murphy) which means that I had a creative community built in, right? In some way that’s true, but partnering with your partner creatively is different than partnering with an external creative community. That’s that struggle. The place where reality meets expectation. I know you’ve been there too.
You see, since Mike held the title of music director, and I, the title of mom, there was a long season for me where I just threw my hands up and said, “Well that’s just not what I do anymore.” I don’t regret it. I threw myself into the season of the little years (which I’m honestly still in: hello, surprise baby number four!) and I loved making that my full time thing. We began homeschooling and even more of my purpose was fulfilled in pouring into my children. But in the process I left behind my first love: music and songwriting.
The fault was mine. I can’t blame giving up music on the lack of creative community or the roles that Mike and I hold respectively. Hear me again, I don’t regret leaning into the small years and being there for my kiddos, however I do regret letting that part (the songwriter part) of my identity waste away, allowing myself to cultivate a mindset that songwriting was what other people did. Sure there was the occasional late night piano sob song when I was going through something difficult, but it wasn’t something I worked on with intention.
In the last few years, the Lord has been doing something. He has been graciously inviting me back into using those songwriting skills, and I have been allowing myself to see an existence where I am both: Mom & Songwriter. And that’s when I changed my handle to @thesongmom.
But this venture is not just about me. Growing alone is not much fun. Growing with other friends who hold the same passions as you, that is something special. So I started hosting a few friends here and there as part of a series of conversations on finding out how others were managing the balance of creative work alongside motherhood, and I believe that if you are a creative or songwriter with any other job description be it copyeditor or mom, teacher or barista, you can benefit from these conversations too.
We have already premiered our first two episodes on my IGTV channel, and the series will continue through April on Fridays at 1:00 pm central. I feel so thankful to have had some of these women take the time to do this with me, and I am hopeful that this is the beginning of a beautiful movement where we come together and create community over competition.
Thank you for joining me in this journey!