Especially if you are coming back to music after a long season of raising kids, working another job, caregiving, recovering from health issues, or just trying to find your footing again.
It can feel vulnerable to show up and be seen.
And for women in music, there is often another layer to it. We wonder if we have aged out of some imaginary window. We secretly think, "Is the audience expecting someone younger?"
We wonder if the venue, the fans, or the people online are measuring us against artists who are in a completely different season of life.
But Tara said something that felt so simple and so freeing.
She said that now, instead of worrying so much about what the audience thinks of her, she asks herself:
What can I give them?
That question is not only a grounding question that reminds us why we are doing this in the first place, but it changes the whole energy.
Because when you are focused on being judged, everything feels like a test.
But when you ask, “What can I give them?” you step back into your role as the artist.
You are not there to prove you are still allowed to make music or that you deserve to be taken seriously.
You are there to lead them in a transformative experience through songs and stories.
That is the gift. And I believe this is one of the beautiful things about being a mature artist.
You offer a depth of life experience - you've lost things, rebuilt things and had to keep going when life did not look anything like the plan.
You have stories now that you simply could not have told in your 20s.
Instead of spiraling into “What will they think of me?” try asking, “What can I give them?”
That does not mean the fear magically disappears. But it does mean the fear no longer gets to be in charge.
Because your music is meant to reach people. And you, exactly as you are right now, have something unique and valuable to give.
Tara and I talked about this and so much more in the full podcast episode, especially around the gifts and challenges of being an older, mature artist.
Go listen to the whole conversation here.
Always in your corner,
<3 Bree
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