Meet Jeannie Caryn

We were lucky to catch up with Jeannie Caryn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jeannie, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I am very lucky in that my brain seems to be hardwired with the notion that there is no quitting. I think I’ve always been this way naturally, but surely I had experiences as a child that pushed me to believe this. One I remember happened in the third grade: I read Walt Disney’s biography and remember loving how he fought for his art — I’m not sure I understood this then, but one quote that I always return to is: “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keep leading us down new paths.”

I firmly believe that every day is a gift, and we need to make the most of it, so I never let any of my anxieties or problems consume me entirely or take me off the path for too long. Of course, sometimes it feels like I’m on the wrong path, or that I’m entirely lost on the path, and I have moments of utter despair like we all do, but I find that in taking some time to reset my mind with reflection on what I am grateful for while blasting some good, loud music, I can overcome anything that has me down, and just keep moving forward.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
While I do many things, at my core, I am a Creator.

As a Singer Songwriter, new music fills my mind daily, and I capture snippets of songs on my phone throughout each and every day, all day long. The goal and the work then is getting at least some of those songs into a final form so I can play them at shows and then ultimately, record and release them. I am blessed in that the words and music find me. I never sit down to write until I have had one of these inspirations – little transmissions from the universe into my brain. I find they come to me most intensely after some kind of conflict or change in my life, but often, an idea just comes to me while I’m vacuuming or doing something mundane and my mind is simply bored. I’ve also found that a lot of music comes to me when I’m forced to sit quietly — as in at a banquet dinner (My song, “Just Like the Movies” came to me during a long, formal business dinner — the details of the room found a rhythm in my brain and the song was born.) My original music can be found on Spotify and all major platforms as well as on my website: www.jeanniecaryn.com/music

As a children’s author, I want my content to be fun and inspirational. Since I live with SEVEN animals (5 dogs and two cats), I am inspired all day long by their antics and personalities! Sharing these “kids” with the world is just exciting to me and my book series, HTRP – THE ADVENTURES OF HUGO THE ROUND PUG is based on the personalities of my animals. I find it so fascinating how parallel their issues can be to humans – dietary issues, aging issues, bullying, sibling rivalry, friendship bonds and boundaries, etc. etc. – the list goes on. My goal with my HTRP Elementary Reader Book Series is to inspire kids to enjoy reading poetry while learning about pet care, and hopefully, gaining some help /support with their own issues ! Note: I am also putting out Picture Book versions of each book in the series so that the littlest readers can enjoy Hugo and the gang. Visit Amazon or my website to find these books.

As a performing musician, I love playing to the crowd– When a gig begins, it’s an unsolved puzzle – What does this audience NEED to hear? Want to hear?? So I play a variety of songs until they really connect with me — that’s when the gig is no longer work but an authentic experience, sharing music and story with a random group of folks as if we were all the best of friends with no other cares in the world. They make requests, and I play the songs. Simple, easy, fun, peaceful. More of life should be this way.

For my original music, children’s book series, or show schedule, please visit: Linktr.ee/jeanniecaryn

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities or skills/knowledge that impacted me most?

1. Reading lots and lots of books and poetry/Learning the art of rhetoric!
2. Studying/Analyzing character/personality/human nature in books, movies/TV, and real life!
3. Caring for others– animals, children, family, and others

Advice I will offer is:
1. Know and trust yourself and your gut feelings.
2. Care well for others but do not lose yourself to others.
3. Never quit but accept when the path changes.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
My main obstacle has always been time. There is never enough of it. Somehow, I realized this as a child– likely because my mother gave me a pretty extensive chore list so there was never enough time for play. I still have not resolved this issue as an adult. But, I have found that prioritizing and creating a routine is the most effective weapon against losing time. Chores and work can steal creative time and energy because they seem to be more important– but that’s just not true. If something is important to you to do and get it done, schedule it just as a boss would schedule you for your job. In doing that, I have made progress!

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