Thursday, March 26, 2009

NSAI night!

Gerald and I recently re-upped our membership with NSAI, and tonight was our first meeting in ages! It felt so good to be back there, seeing a few familiar faces, and enjoying a truly unique Nashville experience.

Tonight's meeting featured NSAI membership coordinator, Sheree Spoltore, speaking on "My Hometown - Success in Your Own Backyard." Basically, the focus was on making your songwriting career work when you don't live in a major music centre like Nashville.

It was interesting timing for us. As I've already written, Gerald and I are in Decision Month. Within a few weeks, we'll decide whether we'll move back to Toronto next year, or apply for a visa extension to stay in Nashville. Our visa ends in January, and the visa is never guaranteed, so Toronto could definitely be the place. As we think about moving back there, we've realized that we wouldn't be moving back to the same Toronto we lived in 2 years ago. Not because the city has changed, but because we've changed so much. We've gained new skills and accomplishments, and if/when we move back to Toronto, we'll be living different lives than we did before.

So, it was interesting that this week's meeting focused on how to make it work outside of Nashville.

Sheree is passionate about songs and songwriters. She was one of the first people we met here, and was one of our first supporters. She is always inspiring, and tonight was no exception. She gave lots and lots of practical ideas, and everyone left the room ready to write songs and spread their music. (If you're a member, they'll have it on the webcast archive soon.) Great night!

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