Notes On How To Create When Fear is Present

You guys, I'm super excited about this episode. Have you ever listened to a song that you felt like, man, that totally gets the vibe of what I feel or what I think or how I think things are in my own current life? Well, Laura Leigh is that lady. She has a song called Baby Steps that really connected with me, and before that, her beautiful cats and her amazing energy on Instagram truly caught my eye. She is a beautiful singer and songwriter based out of Germany. And I'm so excited to have her on the show because she's going to share her journey to being a singer and a songwriter, as well as what it takes to run a very creative business. Some of the things that we talk about in here is how to get over fear, the different mindsets that we have to jump over, how important collaboration is, and so, so much more. There are so many gems in this. What I absolutely love about this episode is that Laura Lara has a laugh very similar to mine, so there are going to be pops of laughter in here. You're gonna be like, is that Nikita or is that Lara? We both really love what we do. You could definitely tell in this episode, so I hope you stay tuned and definitely check out her amazing music on iTunes and Spotify. So stay tuned. Welcome to She's Crafted to Thrive. I'm your host Nikita Williams, and this show is for all the ladies who are making and creating things that they love. You will hear conversations about the real everyday struggles of juggling life and business while trying to maintain passion and harmony. As women, we have the skill of getting things done, but sometimes we get in our own way. It's here where you'll see that you're not alone. You'll discover that success does not mean perfection. Fear and negative thoughts and challenges are all a part of the journey. And on this podcast, you'll find the inspiration and tools you need to have a life and business that thrives. You guys, I am so excited to have Laura Leigh on the show because she's amazing and beautiful and she is an artist. She has beautiful music that she creates herself and she collaborates with other amazing artists. But I'm not going to tell you all about her. She's going to tell you a little bit. Welcome to the show.

Hi, Nikita. Thank you so much for that wonderful intro.

I don't even know what to add to that.

Well, I'm an Indian artist, so independent artist from Germany. I make indie pop music. My newest song is more direction neo soul, so it's always like a fusion of different genres. And yeah, I love it.

Oh my gosh, I don't even know how we like officially— obviously we connected on Instagram. Like everything I do for business is Instagram, but something about like you, I think you were posting something about your music and then you start posting pictures of your cats and I was like, oh my gosh, I love this girl. Like, I was like, I've got to get to know her more. And you've just been a really great cheerleader for me even in my journey with the show and with my business. And I was just like, I would love to have her on the show, but I don't know how this would logistically work because she's in Germany and I'm in Georgia in the United States. So I'm like, this will be interesting, but I am so excited that you're here on the show.

I'm so excited too. And the funny thing is actually it's evening over here and I'm assuming it's a very different time over there where you are, probably morning or—

Yeah, it's about 11:15 here. Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

We got 5:15 about. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool. But it works. We make it work.

Well, tell us a little bit about where you are, like what you do, like as an artist, as a music artist. I haven't had a music artist on the show yet. I think it's I'm sure there's different challenges and things that you have to deal with. And it's amazing that now that we can do this stuff, like produce and create this stuff on our own.

Yeah.

And like bring it to the world and to the masses. So tell us a little bit about your story and getting into music and what that's been like.

For sure. So I mean, I've always had music in my life since I was a little kid. I mean, I think since before I was born because my mother was in the choir and took me there and So I grew up around music and as a kid, my biggest dream was to play violin. So when I was 6 years old, for my 6th birthday, I got my violin and that was like a super big deal to me. I was obsessed, like, um, playing the violin, listening to classical music and of course also pop music and other things, but that's kind of like my musical beginning, I would say.

Gotcha.

Um, and then also my mom is also a singer. Singer and a piano player. She does that, like, she's a teacher professionally, but she always had instruments in the house. And so I grew up around music and then actually moved to the United States when I was about 12 with my family. That had a major impact because I started writing songs when I was 14, living in Miami. And that's because one could wonder, like, why am I writing songs in English, right, when I'm actually from Germany? But me living there really influenced me. And while I lived there, I really got like immersed in the culture and, you know, living there, going to school there, having my friends there. Um, and then that just led to me starting to think in English. And now, and now I live a pretty bilingual life, I guess.

Yeah, I would guess. Yeah.

Yeah. And that stayed with me until this day. So most of the time when I, hear, like, I hear a lot of melodies and lyrics in my head walking around, and usually the inspiration comes in English. It's more the natural flow in that case for me. Yeah, so kind of progressing from playing the violin, writing poems as a kid, then becoming songwriter originally just to process things that were going on in my life. And somehow I always had this thing deep inside where I thought like, I want to be a singer and I want to write songs. I don't know where that came from. It was like some sort of deeper innate thing. I don't know if that makes sense. I always feel like a crazy person. No, you're not crazy. But it was always there. And then it was just kind of there and I wasn't paying that much attention to it as a teenager. I just started writing songs, processing my life through that. And later on that progressed. So I actually went to university to study something completely different. I studied, um, business management in English. Yeah.

That's like completely different sides of the world.

Yeah. That's a very, you know, um, but I have, and I have to say like, it was, it was hard for me in the sense that it didn't feel like my essence or my true nature. And still I was, you know, I was doing well. I did it. But I had a struggle internally because I always felt like I'm a creative person and I'm a very social person. Like, I love collaborating with other people, working with other people, and kind of getting dry numbers and finances wasn't exactly for me, right?

I mean, right.

Yeah, no, I, I have a lot of respect for that, but like, for people that are really good at them, they love that. But for me, I always felt like I know, like, I'm my truest self, like, when I'm with other people creating something. Something, right? So yeah, fast forward a bit, it started like getting more and more clear to me that like music is the thing that I have to do or that I really want to pursue. So after graduating, I still graduated. I was like, I'm just gonna finish this because I started this.

It's okay to have some other backups. And I'm sure having that degree has helped you even in this endeavor of your dream. So yeah.

Now I am really thankful for it because actually now I'm seeing, okay, like so many of my artist friends struggle a lot with some things that are now pretty natural to me. Like I do understand concepts of marketing and that that's a part of the business. Like there's the creative side and there's the more business strategic side of it.

Yeah.

And I'm really, really thankful right now that I have all that knowledge. That I can go back to. So in that moment, I didn't know what it was going to be good for, but now I'm really thankful because now it is serving me well.

Like, exactly. Yeah, totally. That is something very different with a lot of creatives that I talk to. Like, a lot of them don't have kind of like that background of understanding business management. Like, that's why we have so many coaches that are creative business managers or creative coaches, because they're helping creatives like Beyond the creativity, you have to market your business and how do you do that? And that can be really frustrating and probably stressful for a creative person who doesn't have all of those principles in mind because they just want to create. You just want to create. And so not having time or having to spend time on learning this very like, do this, do that, do this, do that, can be soul sucking, you know what I'm saying? So it's really cool that you have, definitely have it. And then you probably are really great. Like your friends probably love you because you are like, hey, well, this is what you do. And they're like, oh yeah, how do you know that? I'm like, well, I went to school for that. You know, it's like, so it's pretty cool.

It actually, that's funny you should say that because it happens a lot that I advise a lot of other indie artists on these topics. And my friends do come to me like, ah, Irina, I don't know what to do here. And then they, 'How did you come up with that? That's so crazy.' And I'm like, 'Well, I don't know. It's kind of natural to me.' But yeah, I feel like that's also part of my cause, like to help other indie artists. Like I have a big community actually for indie artists as well. And yeah, because I really believe in supporting each other and helping each other out. And actually that's something I loved about you that I noticed very fast also. Thank you for all the support. Because it was kind of the same feeling that you had, you know, when I went on your page and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, she has cats too.' to be so positive. I love it.

Reunited with the cats. Yes.

You know, it's like, it's so many little things. It's like someone, someone has like a positive attitude towards life and towards running a business. And then, you know, also shares the love for animals and, you know, so like it adds up and you're like, oh my God, I love this. So now I'm currently working on my next release, which will be coming soon. And actually that's something I'm currently working on the next release always. Like that's, That's probably never gonna stop. So I have the next song already ready, and I'm working on the artwork right now. So I do all of that myself as well. Like creating the concepts for what I envision it to be, and then finding ways to make that a reality.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. So right now it's creating the artwork, setting up the next release, you know, setting up everything so that the song is available in all the stores online and there's like so much that goes into it. In the end, you see like, oh, 3 minutes, 30 song online. This must have happened so fast, but sometimes it's such a long process, um, from literally from writing the song to having the production done, to having the mixing and mastering done to a point where you're happy with it, right? Because it's not like, oh, you send it in and it comes back like perfect, but sometimes like, okay, I imagine this different, that different, and the mixing engineer or producer goes back into it and switches things around. So anyways, that's probably boring to a lot of people. No, it's really cool. Yeah, so the whole process like takes a lot and some things get like written faster. Some songs get written faster than others and some processes, you know, are faster or slower depending on what the song is, what the inspiration is, what the collaboration is. And in this case, the next song I'll be releasing was actually written for someone else.

Like, I wrote—

I also write for other people. So I originally wrote this for another band, but then in the end, like, my brother heard it and he was like, "Are you crazy to give this away? I love this song. I was listening to this with my girlfriend in the kitchen doing the dishes and we had fun." And I was like, okay, I cannot give this song away anymore.

Yeah.

And it was fine because it, like, it— so it was nothing official that I had said, like, I will give the song away. I just had that in mind. And so in the end, I decided, okay, I will just keep it. And actually, I love also writing for other people because you write different songs than if you would write for yourself. And sometimes that really pushes, like, the limit of your creativity, and I love that. So you get out of your own way because you're not like, oh, would I ever say this? Or could I say this? You just do it. Or you put yourself in the shoes of somebody else.

Yeah, right. I would imagine writing for yourself, like you said, is very personal, like, like coming from a very, like, you know, innate place in you, like something that you really feel. And then writing for someone else is kind of like you might know the other person or you might not know the other person. And it's just like writing something that could be more general. So it's not as deep, maybe. I don't know. I don't know, but what do you think?

Not necessarily, because you really try to get into the psychology of where they come from. At least I do. Like, I did like heavy, heavy research, like, okay, how do they think? How do they talk? What do they believe in? You know, if I write with or for somebody else, I really try to make the song something that can reflect them or, you know, what they stand for. So in some sense, and this was Something funny too that I've learned over time, sometimes you think, "Oh, I'm writing this impersonal song for somebody else," and then it ends up being like you put your own life experiences in there anyways, because it ends up having personal moments in it anyways. So now I feel like it's all kind of personal in a way, even if you thought it wasn't gonna be that personal. Yeah.

So do you have like any— so I'm gonna, I'm gonna like rewind a little bit from part of your journey. So you were mentioning that you graduated from school. Were you in school and then did you pursue business management or did you graduate school and then it's like, you know what, I need to do music. Did you just do music or was it like a little time period?

I didn't pursue management at all because at that point I already knew, no, I want to go into music. So I got a side job in a theater, like in a local theater. Wow. And I started pursuing music and that has been like a journey on its own because I've been like in several projects, like in several bands over the time. And I actually just recently started working as a solo artist, like literally end of last year.

Wow. Yeah. I remember you posting about that. On Instagram. I remember. Yeah, I remember. And you were like, I'm afraid, but I'm doing it. So I thought, yeah, that's for sure.

Well, I feel like I don't ever want fear to hold me back. And that's one of the reasons why I'm doing what I'm doing. I thought, you know what, I don't want to be one day like, you know, old and gray on my deathbed. I mean, not to sound dark, but I don't want to be thinking, oh, I wish I would have had the courage to pursue my dreams, or I wish I would have, you know, I want to be like, you know what, I did that, that worked out, that failed. I don't care. I did it anyways, you know?

Yeah. Yeah.

So I decided that's it. I'm gonna go for it. And it's like an interesting journey. You know, you meet so many people, some things work out, some things don't work out. But all I know is I'm not somebody to give up easily. So yeah, here I am, you know, still standing.

So it's so amazing. You guys, if you check out her music, You can find it on Spotify, you can find it on SoundCloud and stuff like that. You can find it pretty much everywhere. So, but what I love about you is that you are like, through your journey of doing your own music, you're sharing with us like on Instagram, like your creation process, like you're sharing like your video process, like creating. I mean, she does all of her stuff stuff, you guys. Like, she does her videos herself. She does like a lot of like the editing and all that kind of stuff, but she shares it along the way. And I just think it's like birthing a baby, like the way you have been like sharing that, that journey along the way. And I think that has probably helped you like grow your audience. Would you think?

First of all, thank you so much for saying that and for recognizing that, because while I do that, I'm never so much aware of the impact that that has and that actually really people get to see the process to the degree that they get to see it, you know? Yeah. But yeah, I think for me at some point, so I used to have this thing in my head where I used to think, oh, it all needs to be perfect before it can go out into the world. And because let's put it this way, now things have changed, but back in the day, major artists would just like release an album and you would just see this perfect piece of art and you would never know like what happened behind the scenes.

Right.

And there would be like a bio written in like, you know, third person's perspective on the website. And I just came to some, some point where I was like, what is right for me? Because I always felt disconnected when it said, like, on my own website, it says like, oh, Lara Leigh is this artist that does this and that. So then I thought, you know what, I made my website myself. So I'm going to write this letter to the person that is visiting in person. So now it's like a letter from me to you. And I just decided, okay, I'm on a journey and I'm going to take people with me on this journey. And let them see like how I do things and that it's not always perfect. And sometimes your computer fails, you know, you're in the middle of editing something or— Right.

Yeah. Real life.

That's just more real. Exactly. And I feel like that's what it's all about for me making music. Like I want it to be real and I want it to be able to connect with people. And I feel like that's the best way to do it, which is why I share so much of kind of the process and what I do and the trials and tribulations, if you will.

Yeah. Yeah, well, I definitely appreciate it. I'm sure, like you said, I think the industry, I think just people and putting anything out there now, nobody wants to just see like the finished product. Everybody doesn't like— everybody is hopefully starting to realize that it takes a lot of effort and a lot of work and a lot of ups and downs and emotional highs and lows to create whatever it is you're creating. And whether it fails or whether it soars, you know, here it is, you know, and I think people are there to cheer you on all the way around. And it brings me back to one of your songs, which is Baby Steps, which I love because I feel like sometimes we get so caught up in looking at like these huge strides of trying to do something instead of just taking those little baby steps just to get to the thing. And I just love that song because it reminds me of that and also reminds me of another song. I can't remember the girl. She was actually from Australia. I must have a thing for like music that's not here. But anyway, she has a song called Little by Little and it reminds me of that. And it's just like little baby steps, taking things, you know, small thing steps, small little steps at a time helps us to make this thing happen. And you're making it happen, which is a beautiful thing. And if you could give anyone advice on like trying to start something new or maybe they want to sing or they want to be a writer, like what are some advice you would give to them?

Well, one thing I would definitely say is just start, like don't be afraid that you're not good enough or, you know, because to be honest, that used to hold me back. You know, I used to think I'm not good enough. And then at some point I realized, wait a minute, like why are other people believing in me? You know, I should be believing in myself too, you know? And now I have come to that point, but I would just say, just start. Even if you think you're not good enough, just start, you know, step by step. And with just like the song says, because that song is actually really personal. And that was me realizing, like a moment of realization, you know, like realizing, okay, just sometimes you go through dark times. Sometimes you go through great times, but just take it step by step, day by day, and you're going to fly. You're going to find your colors, you know? So, yeah.

Yeah.

I would say just start. And then I would also say, try to find people to connect with that are maybe on a similar journey so that you can have a network to support each other. And, you know, even, even if you live like in a remote town in the middle of nowhere, there's the internet nowadays. So, you know, you can find people in whichever way, shape, or form to connect with, if it's online or offline and support each other, you know, and exchange like what the process is like, because It's not always easy and you sometimes face challenges, obviously on this path. I think as humans, we all, you know, face challenges in one way or the other. But it can really help to, you know, have someone to talk to. And also, if you can try to find a mentor or someone to kind of guide you, that has made a major difference as well for me that I'm someone like, I've done a lot of things by myself in my life, but things are just better when you have someone to give you feedback or, you know, to hear something that maybe you wouldn't have thought of in that way, or maybe you wouldn't even have seen yourself in that way.

Right.

Yeah. I mean, like one really kind of big moment for me, in some sense, it may seem like it was actually in one of my singing lessons. So I started out working with this amazing vocal coach, that I'm still working with now, that was recommended to me. And she like teaches all the professionals, you know, and teaches at one of the major universities for music here that is very like renowned. So I had like a lot of respect going into the lessons. And first of all, you have like a test lesson to see if you like qualify as a student.

So it's kind of like, whoa, whoa, big deal.

And then after the first lesson, she kind of made a comment about my voice, like that it's incredible what kind of range I have and what kind of colors I have in my voice. And I was like, is she talking to me about me? Well, I don't know. But yeah, I was really like baffled by that. And then in another lesson, she told me like she's never ever in her entire career worked with somebody with a voice like my voice. And that moment I was like, really? It took me like some time to process that because I didn't see myself like that. I thought like, oh, well, you know, let's see. And when now, of course, now I've like honed my craft more and the more you do, that's also why I would tell people just start because the more you do, the more self-confidence you get in what you do and the better you get at what you do. So, um, first of all, having this feedback from the outside was super valuable because then I thought, okay, maybe I need to marry two things like my own perspective and that of the outside and find like the truth somewhere in the middle, you know?

Yes. Yes. I love that. Yeah. It's so funny you say that. My husband and I were just talking about that last night for myself, for my own business. And I was like, you know, in the very beginning when I started my business, I had a coach, like I had a coach that was like walking me, talking me through the things that I needed to think about. But things, you know, your life goes through so many different, like, poops and valleys and things like that, and it shifts. And even when you start doing new things, you start discovering things about yourself that you're like, oh, like for example, me starting this podcast, like one, I never would have thought I was starting a podcast like 5 years ago. Like that's— I didn't even listen to podcasts. I didn't even really understand what podcasts were. Nevertheless, to like have a podcast. So the fact that like now it's such a huge part of what I do for my business, and not just for my business, for me, like I love like connecting with women like you and connecting with all the women I've had on the show and just getting to know their journey and a little bit about them and cheering them on. It's been so enriching to my life. I just love it. And so that is such a big part of it that it's almost taking over. It's almost taking over this goal that I thought I was going towards. So it's like, oh my gosh, what do I do now? And so I'm in the process of trying to find a coach to help me where I am now. And I think You know, obviously I coach creative entrepreneurs, but it's a completely different— it's always great to have a third party, like someone that's not truly invested. Like they under— like they're not going to hurt your feelings, but they might need to. And that's okay. They might need to tell you the real, like, no, don't do that.

And you might have to reevaluate sometimes.

Exactly. You might need to reevaluate. Like, hmm, like you said, you have to find the middle. I always like to tell people exactly what you just said. You know, you have what you know about yourself. And then you have what this third party tells you. But what they say is not like the all is be-all. Like, that's just what they say. But you have to take what you know about you and find what works in the middle. And I love that you just said that because, um, there's a lot of entrepreneurs and creative people or people that are just starting a business that they take from like mentors and everything, like what they say to be law. Like, they have to do exactly how they say it. I'm like, but they're not you. So you have to find a really good place in the middle that works for you, that kind of melds. And sometimes what they tell you isn't great for you, but it's good information to know, right? It's good information to know. And so having that other person inside of your business to kind of help you with your craft or whatever it is that you're doing really helps you to grow in a completely different way than if you were just to go on this journey by yourself. Journeys by yourselves are kind of boring anyway. Let's just be serious.

100% agree on that.

Yeah, right. That's kind of boring. So, um, it's really— I love that you mentioned that. I just think that's a really good point that everybody should take away from that. If anything, is, you know, have someone, but also know that how you feel about something is just as important. You just need to figure out how it works for you.

That is such a major thing. Like, honestly, everything you just said is like, is so true. And what I also just thought is that there used to be times when I had exactly that problem. I would be like, oh my God, this expert just told me this and that, like, it must be true. But in the end, only you can know what's true and right for you. And that's also something I would say, like, try to listen to that feeling that you've got, like your gut feeling, that feeling from within where, you know, this is right or not right for me. And it's like you just said, like it's a bunch of information. And what I like to do is like, okay, see what, what is relevant for me and what isn't. And then, you know, evaluate and do the thing that's right for me because it might be different for somebody else. Uh, you know, something else might be right or wrong for them. Uh, so knowing that is good too. Like not all advice is like, you know, right. The advice that you need to follow because maybe things might be completely different. And funny enough, a lot of people that have like done things that completely defied, you know, uh, the rules actually had like major breakthroughs or, you know, now that's the new standard. Then, you know, like, oh, do everybody do it like that? Before people were like, you can't do that. That's not good.

Right. Exactly. Totally. Exactly. Exactly. Um, so what is your favorite piece of work that you have out so far that you're like, obviously you love all your work. Like, I know this, like, obviously you wouldn't put it out in the world if you didn't. But what if you had to pick one song that's like really like, you feel like maybe represents you the most currently right now? Which song would that be and why?

That is such a difficult question.

I know, I know, I know.

I got a million things running through my head right now because for different reasons, I would like different songs. For different reasons, I would like different songs the best. So, I mean, obviously you mentioned Baby Steps and something that I love about Baby Steps is the message in the song because I know that's like a powerful message that is super personal and because of that, it resonates with other people. I mean, I had my brother actually, he heard it before it was released. Sometimes I send it like to trusted people to get some honest feedback.

Yes.

And he was actually going like through some like rough time and was on the subway listening to the song. And when he got out of the subway, so he thought, oh, my sister sent me the song, I gotta have a listen to it. And he didn't think anything of it. And he said it moved him so much that he thought, okay, don't cry, you're in public right now.

Oh my goodness.

And then he got off the subway and looked up and there was a graffiti on the wall that actually said the words of the song, like of the lyric that he was just hearing in the song.

Oh, wow.

And when he told me that, I was like, I had chills. I was like, what? I mean, I just wrote this little song here. And I thought, oh, let me just get some feedback. And in that moment, I thought, okay, I didn't realize that it could be that powerful, like that it could be, you know, that people could connect on that level. And that is one reason why I would say I love Baby Steps. And then on the other side, I really love I Want More, which is the new release.

Yes.

Yeah. Well, it's really hard to pick between the two because I would say for the message, Baby Steps, and I would say I Want More because I love that I tried such a different style of vocals in there, and it's very smooth, very soft, but very true to me also. Like, it was the most effortless vocal I have ever recorded, and I recorded it super softly when I sang it, like super low-key, but actually in a way it's still so powerful. Now I feel so— yeah, so I don't know, I'm like, that's my dilemma, one between the two.

Okay, so you have two favorite songs right now. I mean, that's okay. I love them all, you know, but It's awesome. Well, I just love that you are sharing that. I love that you share with us just going through different things, but just doing it anyway. Sometimes we can get caught up in trying to define all the fear. For some people that works. For some people, you do need to define your own fear so you can figure out, okay, why is that afraid for— why am I afraid of this?. But for some people, it's honestly just as good to just do something. Like the action creates this new energy of doing something different. And whether it does great or whether it doesn't, you have some— you, you feel like you've accomplished something, you've learned something. And I just love that you're sharing like, yeah, I was afraid, but I did it and look at how great it is now. Like, I just love that. And again, anybody that's listening to the show, I know I've had a lot of different women on the show that have like very like photographers and then like graphic designers and very like, I don't know what the word is I'm looking for, but very tangible kind of businesses. And for, I would believe for a music artist, you're like taking your feelings and everything and just giving it to the world and be like, hey, take me as I am or don't. Like, you know, and I think that says a lot of bravery and a lot of courageousness for someone to do that. And I always find that that's probably why I love The Voice, the show The Voice. I think it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there like that. And and to do a business and to create the music yourself and to market it yourself because you're doing all those things with help, but mostly by yourself. And that's crazy. Like, it's crazy. But what are some tools that you use in your business? Like, what are some tools that you use in your business that maybe if someone's thinking about trying to do the whole music thing on their own that you're like, you have to use? Like, these are things I can't live without.

Well, I would say something that really changed my life is getting my own recording equipment, which is a microphone, a DAW, which, which is like the sound card that can connect to your laptop between the microphone and the laptop. So I would say the equipment to do it myself has helped me immensely because before I would get really stressed like going to the studio because, you know, the budget, like, it's all like self-maintained in a way. And when you're a small indie artist, you have to think about these things, and studio time is very expensive. So it would be like, oh, uh, okay, the clock is ticking. You also often have like a random stranger recording your, um, voice, so you have to get comfortable with them first because in some sense you go into a studio and you're like bearing your soul and Somebody is sitting across from you pressing some buttons. So of course it's great if you get to know the people first, but it has happened that I've been in a studio, like first time situation, meeting the people the first time that I recorded. And I noticed that that would like really stress me out because you save up to go to the studio. You have like certain expectations and high hopes and, you know, you warm up your voice, wrote the song. Bring your musicians or band members and, you know, depending on what you do or how you do it, but that would really cause me some stress. And I always thought like, okay, but the sound quality must be better if I was in a studio. And the irony is now that I am recording my stuff mainly in like home studio setups. Like my producer that I've been working with a lot, he has a home studio setup, which is quite like a decent setup, but we made a lot out of a little, let me tell you. You know, so, and the same for me, I have my little setup, and that enables me to record anytime and to do as many takes as I want to do and really get into the feeling. And I remember the first time recording, just my brother, you know, who I'm very close to because we've also made music together for many years. He just pressing the record button and me just closing my eyes and singing. That was like a different experience, you know? And then I sent those vocals to a producer that I was collaborating with and he was like, "Oh my God, those vocals just opened my heart. Like, what did you do?" And I was like, "What?

I recorded this in my living room." So lesson here is you don't have to have all the fancy, you can just have what you need and it can sound as beautiful as anything else.

Get yourself the equipment, like the basics exactly of what you need, and then collaborate with other people that are good at what they do, you know, because you can take a lot out of really little and just get creative. And actually, one major thing that has changed a lot in the way that I do things now is when I want to do something and at first glance it doesn't seem possible, I don't think, oh, it's not possible, move on. I think, how can I make it happen?

Yeah.

And that just really changed the game on some level because now I always find a way. Sometimes it's different than I thought it would be, but I always find a way. And so I would say, if you want to do something, ask yourself, how can I make it happen? And then find the things that you need to do that. Um, and otherwise, of course, they're talking about programs and tools. There are like a lot of really great tools that you can use. I mean, I don't know if I can mention like names on here. Yeah.

Yeah.

And like one thing I really love is Canva. I don't know if you know Canva.

Girl, I love Canva. I talk about Canva on this show all the time. The thing is like the bee's knees of anything graphics. I'm just so happy that it's here in my life.

I am so thankful for Canva because I used to spend literally days watching YouTube tutorials on Photoshop and if you're not a photographer or like a graphic designer, it's kind of tricky to learn and it takes time to learn how all of that works. And the first CD cover I ever made, I made it with that and it took me such a long time to figure it out. I had such a headache. I did it, but then when I found out about Canva, I was like, oh my God, it changed my life. So now I do everything with it. Like I actually designed my album covers with it and you know, a lot of things. Yeah.

You know what? That's right. I have seen on there, there's even a template, like a CD cover template. In there that you can— I say CD cover, what am I talking about, Nikita? Nobody listens to CDs anymore.

I mean, like, yeah, well, in my mind it's a CD cover still too, so it's all good. Yeah, it already has the right dimensions, which is great. So in the end, if you have like a photo you took for the COVID or, you know, no matter what you did, what your artwork will be, you can kind of drag and drop it in there and it already has the right dimensions. And then you can try out, you know, what font you want or what you like. And it's already all like in place and you know, that's going to fit afterwards, which I'm very thankful for. Yeah.

Yeah. It's an amazing tool. Canva is the bomb.com. Like, I love it.

Yeah, I love it for sure. For sure.

Well, thank you again, Lara, for being on the show. Like, I'm so excited. You just shared so many amazing, like, mindset, like just how to be like positive and to think differently and go past your fears. I just love everything you shared with us today. How can we find you online and find all your music online? Tell us how we can do that.

Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure. It's been a real joy. It's been fun. You are an inspiration. Um, people can find me on social media pretty much everywhere at @leralaymusic. And, um, my music is pretty much on every streaming platform imaginable: Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud, Deezer, you name it, you'll find it. And if not, write me on Instagram and I'll make— find a way to send you my music. Yeah, I would say right now my favorite social media platform at the moment is probably Instagram. So like, if you want to really follow my process, I would say find me there because you get to see, as you know because we connected there, yeah, you get to see a lot of the behind the scenes and what I do.

And yeah, well, thank you again, once again, for being on. I appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

All right, ladies, that's a wrap for this episode of She's Crafted to Thrive. Thank you so much for joining me. Please share with your friends and be sure to like and subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. In the meantime, check us out at sheescrafted.com to check out the show notes for all the goodies and things that talked about, and there'll be links there for you guys. So in the meantime, just remember, you are crafted to thrive.