The Active Violinist Podcast

Triggered. My relationship with a toxic teacher

You can hear right from the beginning of this one that I am so nervous about sharing, and you can feel my anxiety. My thoughts are scattered and rambling. I tried many times to record this and always stumbled, so I eventually just said f8%! it and put it all here for you to hear. I'm going to the ASTA conference next week and will have to face off with a deeply traumatic teacher. In this episode, I recount what happened, my headspace, how I feel, how my community supported me, the realizations I've made since, how your body holds onto trauma like this...and some very candid and visceral thoughts. Language warning for this one! Especially towards the end - my unfiltered feelings came out, and I decided to let them stay in this episode. The student I speak of is the one and only Dominique Hammons, who is an internet sensation - check him out [https://dominiquehammons.com]!  A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about this teacher and my experience. You can read it here [https://www.activeviolinist.com/blog/the-bren-brown-made-me-feel-things-post]. As always, thanks to you, my Patreon Besties [https://www.patreon.com/activeviolinist] - if you're curious, take a look, and thank you so much for your support!

Current Habits for My Future Self

This episode reflects some business and personal development advice I heard recently that stuck but also took a while to "hit." I talk about carving the path towards the future I want, how I've started crafting that in the present, and some of the surprise gifts from the "future" that have already revealed themselves throughout this process.  I've been a little busy running corpSonore recently - so please head over there and join me for a movement class or 2. https://corpsonore.com/ [https://corpsonore.com/] Also, I reference a previous episode for accountability's sake. I'm talking about Episode 11, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-active-violinist-podcast/id1630833587?i=1000591392689] released on December 27th. As always, thank you to my Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/activeviolinist] Besties (and all supporters) for your help in making these episodes happen. I'll be updating all the tiers soon, but please consider checking it out and supporting this adventure. Also due for an update is my website - stay tuned for that as well!

The Power of the Process

I performed at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in early January and was so star-struck. All the big names were there: Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, and so many more. It was insane! The one thing that came up repeatedly in their acceptance speech was a fanatical, obsessive commitment to becoming the character, crafting the film, and bringing the story to life. So often, years before filming even started, these stars that we glamorize on the red carpet were tucked away voraciously working on a project without regard for any award or medal. This episode is me remembering that the reason we become artists or invest time and energy into a craft isn't the awards and accolades. Instead, it serves as a reminder to recommit to the things I am genuinely passionate about and pick them apart from every angle, to lean into the new and unknown of building new skills and moving forward regardless of if I "win" or not. Maybe being a great artist is more about attitude and commitment than talent. Also, has anyone made a vision board or manifestation list for the year? I did. Should we talk about it? Let me know As always, please join my Patreon party [https://www.patreon.com/activeviolinist] and keep this podcast alive and thriving. And if you have a chance, please leave a rating and review. It helps so much! Share this episode with anyone who might have insight and perspective worth sharing.

Teacher Appreciation Episode

Happy New Year! This is my first episode back after a little break for the holidays. I always intentionally get quiet and slow down at the beginning of January to look forward, plan out my projects, get centered, and build momentum for the new year, so it took me a little extra time to get back to podcasting. In this episode, I talk about my time spent with my violin teacher Sally O'Reilly and how it brought up so many emotions and inspired me on multiple levels. I reflect on building a legacy, taking care of my students, showing up fully for them, where I think I'm failing and where I think I'm succeeding, and so much more. This one definitely has some rose-colored nostalgia glasses on.  You can read her official bio here [https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/oreil004] Also, my shop is now on Etsy, and I'm offering free shipping and a gift to my first 50 buyers, so check it out!  [https://www.etsy.com/shop/ActiveViolinist?ref=seller-platform-mcnav] If you believe in supporting independent voices and artists, please consider subscribing to my Patreon Channel [https://www.patreon.com/activeviolinist]. And I would really appreciate and grow so much from a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts. It helps small fish like me grow and reach a larger audience. Thank you for all of your support!

Looking to the Future - Sharing for Accountability's Sake

True confessions: I am so nervous about sharing this one with you because it makes me feel vulnerable because I'm spilling the beans I don't have. Maybe another way to put it is that I wouldn't say I like talking about things BEFORE I do them, and this episode is all about my dreams and plans for the future, which I have a clarifying vision of, but no proof of hard work yet.  So what am I up to? Well, you'll have to listen and find out. Many updates and up-leveling are coming in the future, and how things will change as they evolve...in real-time. It was beneficial to look back on the year and pay attention to what I was grateful for and what caused resentment and anxiety. I'm moving forward following gratitude and joy. As always, thanks to my Patreon Besties for your support (another platform I will be reconfiguring with more benefits soon) - if you want to join the party, click here [https://www.patreon.com/activeviolinist] Make sure to grab 25% off everything in the AV shop [https://www.activeviolinist.com/active-violinist-products] before midnight on the 31st. Use code FINAL22 at checkout. Love you so much and Happy Holidays - and Happy New Year! 🥳