Meet Elena Camerin Young

We recently connected with Elena Camerin Young and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elena, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
Put your mask on first to help others. This instruction, given by flight attendants, is a very simple, but great concept. At first glance, it seems selfish, but at a deeper look, how can you help others, if you’re choking?
To me, self care and wellness are really the first step to being strong in your mind, body and spirit. I am very careful about the food I ingest, I make everything from scratch, I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, whole grains and gluten free products. I exercise regularly, but most importantly I meditate every day. Journaling and keeping a”gratitude” list is also very important;  I realize how much beauty I’m blessed with and where I want to stay focused. I think that learning to say “no” to certain things is also very healthy; a friend of mine once told me ” You can’t really say YES if you don’t know how to say NO”. Of course, as we keep on growing, our focus can change and we want to be flexible to make room for what’s to come.

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?
At this moment I am extremely happy about the class I teach at Naropa University, “The Creative Voice”. It’s a course that I built, where I share my process and method that I developed during my career,  including meditation, contemplative and mindfulness practices. Indeed, this includes a strong element of improvisation, being the focus of my music making, which is relevant for any musician and non-musician. To learn how to improvise teaches you how to become a better listener, improves your decision-making process, and enhances creativity. Besides, using your voice promotes your whole wellbeing. And it’s fun!
I’m also working on a solo project and I keep on making music with my favorite band, the Nalanda Ensemble (Mark Miller, Khabu Doug Young, Bill McCrosssen) with whom I’m preparing a concert at The Dairy in Boulder on May 13th (https://thedairy.org/), joined by two amazing dancers, Alicia Greuson and Gwen Ritchie.
One more “work in porgress” is a duo porject with my husband, Khabu Doug Young, where he plays gongs and I play crystal singing bowls. The appoach we have toward this exploration is entirely musical: we’ve been practicing this for almost a year now, and we started to give some concerts in the area.
The truth is that I have many other things happening (concerts, workshops in the US and Italy), so the best way to be in the know is to subscribe to my mailing list (www.elenacamerinyoung.com).

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The first thing that came to mind, reading the question, is courage. The second is flexibility and the third is clarity. Courage doesn’t mean not to be afraid, but quite the opposite. Courage is shown when in spite of your fears, you trust the path you took and you walk on it. It means to take leaps of faith, it means acknowledging your strengths and your flaws, accepting and celebrating them, and moving forward in your life.
Flexibility is a tricky one; life can throw you any kind of stuff. What do you do with it, it’s entirely up to you. Working with neuro diverse students, I learned a big deal of how to stay flexible and focused at the same time; it’s a muscle we all need to develop and keep strong. An example of this, is the situation we all were in ( and still are…) during the pandemic. What made us stronger was not rigidity, but flexibility.
And clarity. To me, it’s fundamental to have clarity in your intentions. This doesn’t mean that you have to figure it all out before starting a new project, but you must know WHY you’re doing it, and make sure that you’re honest about it.
I don’t have specific advice to give. I can only share what I do that is meaningful to me: being honest, courageous, generous, curious, compassionate, and always being kind to myself and to others.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
At this moment, I’m interested in working with images and lights. As I was sharing earlier, I’m working on a solo project and I’d like to incorporate some images/video and stage lights.
I have some ideas, but I’m open to suggestions and more than happy to experiment. I’d like to find someone who can improvise with these media in real time. So, if you’re reading this, and you’d like to talk about it, please get in touch!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elenacamerinyoung.com
• Instagram: @elenacyou
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elena1camerin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-camerin-young-2743a310/
• Youtube: Elena Cameirn Young
• Other: Bandcamp: https://ecymusic.bandcamp.com/