Meet Shelby Christ

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shelby Christ. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shelby below.

Shelby, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

A huge part of growing my confidence has looked like trying the things I’ve wanted to do creatively, letting myself be scared while doing it, being less scared the next time I do it, and then starting to view myself as someone who can do those things. I still view myself as a fairly shy person but, I think feeling that kind of built trust with myself has let me feel more confident in trying new things and existing in spaces I don’t always feel I belong. I started performing as a way to confront my social anxiety so, it really feels like my life is now kind of a garden built from the seeds of trying to heal that relationship with myself and being in the world.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a Chinese American musician and songwriter from Seattle. I weave Chinese folk music with modern production, playing Guzheng over lofi beats while I sing. A lot of my inspiration comes from nature, it’s where I go to write and reflect and learn. I’ve been playing music in the Pacific Northwest and on tour for the last few years and am really excited to continue to meet new friends and explore new places with it.

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?

Facing everything with openness and curiosity has been huge for me for growing as an artist. A lot of times expectations verses reality as a musician and as a creative can be really different but, keeping the whimsy alive has let it all feel a lot more fun. You never really know what kinda of spaces and projects are actually to ones you want to be a part of until you try. A lot of the opportunities that I have now have also come from just saying yes to everything that came my way for awhile. You never know what will lead to something great, sometimes a near empty room you’re singing to will lead you to house show in another city.

I think being able to produce music has been helpful in so, so many ways as a songwriter and performer. I don’t always get to play with a band but, it’s always more fun to build a world for each song so, being able to produce tracks that I can respond and improvise to in real-time has been so wonderful. Being able to produce, even just demos can be also just so helpful for having agency over your creative flow!

I think keeping my other creative outlets fed has been so monumental in stopping me from burning out in music. If I’m gigging a couple times a week and rehearsing and writing and immersed in music, if I’m not feeding my artistic well with reading, poetry, photography, or other things I know keep me inspired and exploring as a person, I definitely don’t feel as alive when I’m playing and singing.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I always love to connect with other songwriters and string players in other cities! If you are also in the alternative folk world and want to write, play, or put a show together sometime, I’d love to hear from you! I’m most active on Instagram and check my dms pretty often!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

1st photo (main photo)
– Dylan Randolph
2nd – max embers
3rd – Miguel Escobar
4th- Mia christ
5th – Dylan Randolph

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What would your closest friends say really matters to you?

If you asked your best friends what really drives you—what they think matters most in

Highlighter Series
When do you feel most at peace?

In a culture that often celebrates hustle and noise, peace can feel rare. Yet, peace

Highlighter Series
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?

Almost everything is multisided – including the occurrences that give us pain. So, we asked