The New Frontier, The Wild West

The New Frontier,The Wild West

Hello dear music friend,

Last weekend I took a trip out west with my new beau.  It wasn’t super far west,  but a good 9 hours from Minneapolis to Western North Dakota where the landscape changes to plateaus and buttes and miles and grasslands.  Majestic beast roam:  Bison,  Elk, Wild Horse,  and Coyote howls.  The moon switched to new,  and a full day was spent walking to get water from a spring and then walking back to camp.  For some people,  this is their life ...Back in the city,  the wind is whipping,  I have to hold my bevvie tight so it won’t blow and my chips and pico are tucked into the bike panier as I munch and type.  Messy!  Wind that cleanses for fall,  whipping up all the dust,  while those on the east buckle down for the storms.  May grace be with us all.You never know what’s coming.  Out on the buttes of ND we were setting up to cook a meal on the plateau and a thunderstorm blew in, in a hurry,  turning the ground to grey peanut-butter thick clay.  Hunkered down in the tent,  winds whipping,  thunder and lightning SO close.  And then … a rainbow.Nature makes me face my true nature.  And I’ve decided once and for all that I’m an artist ... And a yogi,  studio owner,  runner,  vegan,  etc, -- but making things -- creating stuff out of nothing - is my jam.I wish for more space and time as I hustle to stay afloat in a world full of competition.  SO MANY of you are musicians.  SO MANY of you are yoga instructors.  SO MANY of you are entrepreneuers.  SO MANY of you are trying to make ends meet,  day to day grind,  and still wondering if we’re doing the right thing.  America tells us we can be whatever we want to be.  I don’t entirely agree,  but my family story sort of tells it so.  Coming from a small MN farm family and single mother fam,  my dad is a self made man in the medical field.  My brother is a rocket scientist at NASA (an electrical engineer, actually,  but he works with the Mars Rover and stuff!).  My mom stayed true to her artistic inklings as a piano teacher,  grant writer,  choir director.In somewhat rebellious, Uranian fashion I chose The Artist’s Way.Yes,  I finished college,  by the skin of my teeth (and gratefully so,  as I met many mentors and inspirations).  After college, it’s been an interesting slog of jobs.  Barista after barista job,  server,  bartender,  HIV prevention outreach,  clinical research in a prison and hospital,  then YOGA.  Yoga teacher turned studio owner.  Now,  teaching music lessons,  piano and voice and uke and guitar.But the music and the writing and the painting call my name, over and over.There is so much to say.  This is not a pity party as it is the life I’ve chosen.  It is not without shame.  Or vulnerability.  Some endeavors fail,  like my yoga + creativity retreat.  Some albums tank.  Some classes are empty.But the drive to make stuff is real,  whether or not shit fails,  and I’m not planning on stopping it,  nor,  at this time,  quitting anything else I'm doing (nor could i with the studio overhead and all the albums to record!)Here’s where you can throw me a (vegan) bone, if you want … if you want to become a patron of this here artist,  I’ve just joined a platform where you can do so.  It is called Patreon. It is the new frontier for artists and creatives to make a sustainable income.  You set the amount you’d like to give per month to keep the art flowing with freedom and love,  and basically “subscribe” to me + my work (or rather are “in the VIP fanclub.)”  Different levels bring different stuff,  special and private stuff that Facebook and instagram and the regular newsletter won’t get.  Like demos, and poems,  and photos.  In fact,  I’d like to back off those platforms and share more with people who actually really care and want to receive it!  So you’ll get pdfs of writings,  special artworks,  zines,  music live and real and sometimes raw,  and basically be part of the process in a monthly,  regular way.  In fact,  let me say that out loud,  I’d like to back off from Facebook SOON and just share with people who want it!  WOW,  what freedom!So if that interests you,  here is where you can learn more.https://www.patreon.com/marybueAnd I sure hope to see you at VegFest 9/16,  Femn Fest 9/22,  Paint River Landing, MI (9/23) and my support slots for Kari Arnett 9/20 at Cedar Cultural Center,  Shawn Colvin 10/6 at Sheldon Theatre in Redwing,  and Gaelynn Lea at Icehouse Mpls 10/26 this fall!With the hugest gratitude,Mary Elizabeth Bue