A lonely beginning
Nashville, in a lot of ways, is a community like no other. Imagine as a professional blogger (or whatever your current field is in), moving to a specific city where everyone you meet seems to blog professionally. Every store, every cafe, every park you visit, someone you talk to is either already a pro or is aspiring to become a pro in your field.
That is how it feels for me, The Nashville Wife, to move from the midwest state of Missouri (Go, Cards!) – where the work is ALWAYS different from person to person – to a state where you can’t go 10 feet without running into someone employed in the music industry.
“When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.”
– Howard Shultz
To me, that was very isolating. Everyone here seemed to have a purpose and a direction. This town is full of people who are from all over the world. Just about everyone I’ve met has moved to Nashville for a purpose (usually for the music industry). So where does that leave me?
→ Where do I fit in?
→ Am I always going to be “the musician’s wife”?
→ Will I always live in someone else’s shadow?
Three and a half years later, I’ve come to realize that this is only the beginning for me. I came here with a purpose: to support my husband and help him reach his goals; to help him become someone that inspires greatness in others. However, I never intended for that to mean I couldn’t be somebody, too. And so “The Nashville Wife” was born.
“There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than you are capable of living.”
– Nelson Mandela
You see, it took a while for me to see that this town is not just a town for musicians.It seems to be coming alive with young entrepreneurs. The town itself might seem like a music city, and it is, but there’s also a sense of a greater purpose here. This town has a heart and a passion for working together – no matter what your expertise is in – and building a community based on that. (I touched on this a ways back when I wrote The Nashville Wife (or Husband)).
I was immersed into the field of music because my husband lead us there. We chose to eat, breathe, sleep music and it was suffocating me.
So… it was time to set MY soul on fire. And THAT is what I believe this city ultimately wants to be known for. A place where Hearts Bloom and souls come alive. Nashville won’t hand this to you on a silver platter. If you come here? You need to want it. You have to push and work and fight for what you want. But above all, and this is what is most inspiring to me… you have to believe in yourself.
My hope is to shine a light on all the places and all the people here that I can find that have helped shape this town, that have helped build this community into what it is…
a family.
My first starting point is a place that hits very close to home and that is with all the Nashville Moms. These women are the driving forces in this town that most of the time, remain hidden. There is so much knowledge, so much beauty and expertise in the voices of these women and I am so excited to share the experiences I have had with them. Get ready for my blog next Monday, When the Nashville Wife becomes the Nashville Mom (part 1). This series is going to be fantastic!
PS:One thing I want to point out is how important it is for those of us in the artist genre of the workforce to remember that we are not the backbone of this great city. It is the workers with (as one of them put it) the “normal jobs” that make this city stay alive. And you are absolutely correct. Without the police, firefighters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, those in the public office, animal shelters, garden/lawn industry, homeless shelters (I could go on and on) – Nashville wouldn’t exist.
I see you and I don’t forget you. I don’t know you, but I thank you.
So let me ask you, have you or has anyone you know had this same experience? Does Nashville feel this way to you or is there a side of Nashville you think I still have yet to see? I’d love to hear your voices. Feel free to comment or go to my Contact page and send me a message.
♥
