Meet Anne Reburn

We recently connected with Anne Reburn and have shared our conversation below.

Anne, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?

I’ve come up against burnout many times as an artist. I know the algorithms don’t want us to take breaks, but I think finding a way to do so is the only way to overcome it. Trying to push through or outrun it isn’t healthy and sustainable for the long term. The most important people will be understanding when you need a mental health break, and they’ll be there waiting when you come back. At the end of the day, those are the kind of people you want around anyway!

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?

I’m a musician and YouTuber, best known for the cover song videos I release on YouTube. I cover songs from a wide range of genres and decades, but the common thread is my splitscreen editing style, where I play all the instruments and sing all the parts. My covers heavily feature background vocals, and you see all my “clones” performing on screen interacting with each other, each with their own personality. And yes, people pick favorites! I edit the videos myself too.
I’m very passionate about writing original music as well. Most recently, I released an original called “Meltdown,” a song about how sometimes you just need to take a little break to have a little breakdown before you pick yourself back up again. It’s a quirky pop track filled with fun accents from my signature choir of clones, and it tells us all that it’s okay to fall apart. Even the song itself falls apart a few times! Along with the song release I put out a music video, which I’m calling my formal directorial debut. Although you could say I’ve also “directed” the cover videos I’ve made up until this point, most of those were made solo or with just one other person, and didn’t require as much planning— this was the first time I directed a larger crew. I had a great time, and I couldn’t be happier with the enthusiastic response the video has received.

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?

When I look back I marvel at how all my skills, both ones I studied and ones I did for fun, have come together so completely to form what it is that I do today. But everyone’s path is different, and I truly believe there are as many paths to success as there are people, so rather than suggesting specific skills or areas I’ve studied I’ll keep it general. Explore what interests you without the pressure of having to be good at it. Have a hobby without the pressure of having to monetize it. When you find people you like working with, help them with their projects. Keep planting seeds. You never know how they’ll end up sprouting down the line.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When you’re an independent artist, overwhelm can show up in many different forms. I view overwhelm, burnout, and periods of low motivation as a natural part of the human experience. It’s normal to have ups and downs. Because of this point of view, I’m kind to myself when I recognize I’m at a low point in the cycle. I approach the obstacle thoughtfully and break big tasks into smaller steps. I rely heavily on to-do lists. And if I need an extra boost, I think of previous times I was overwhelmed, burnt out, or unmotivated, and remember that eventually those feelings do subside to be replaced with something more positive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annereburn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearanneroar
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnneReburn/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HearAnneRoar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/annereburn

Image Credits

Daniel Nguyen, Anne Reburn