Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Abbie Palmer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Abbie, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
From exposure to the challenge! I previously had really strong stage fright and was very insecure about my physical presence on stage, speaking, singing, moving, etc.
Slowly, I tackled each item on this list one by one in my performance career being on stage. I decided in my early twenties to go to as many open mic nights as I could to practice talking. And unlocked that ability then. The last piece of the puzzle in developing my confidence on stage was getting a harp that I wear/strap on to me, and I have been able to develop movement on stage with my instrument. It started slow but once I got familiar/comfortable with how movement works on stage/while performing, I now can’t not move!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have been developing my genre and approach to music for many years, but really fine-tuning since I left my full-time job in 2022. Since then, I’ve working with many different groups and genres of music, refining who I am as an artist and my sound.
I am a full time professional harpist who teaches and tours with bands. I write music and also record my own albums. Overall, I make a filling as a freelance musician constantly creating, collaborating, teaching, and growing. I most recently produced my 5th DIY album of my all original music in an electronic style.
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 abiliity to improvise: both improvising as a musician as well as in general, being a full time, freelance musician means you needs to make things up day by day and sometimes change things if needed.
Accepting my weaknesses: I think this is super important – I have to learn what aspects of the job I am NOT good and and figure out how I want to handle that
Going with the flow – always asking “what’s working” and “what feels like a dead end” is really important and following where things seem to be flowing. If you’re trying to force something, it might mean that there are better avenues to explore!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I often do!
1) I number my to-do list! I make a daily list of what I need to get done and number them all, giving me a set trajectory of tasks instead of just looking at a huge list and not knowing where to start and what to do after each one.
2) Its taken some years to develop the ability to know what’s do-able and what will be too much – this takes time but is an important thing to just know when your to-do list is too long!
3) I turn off my social media notifications – sometimes the contact “pinging” can feel like another huge task of responding to comments, seeing who liked what, etc. This has been a huge plus in remedying the “noise” of busy-life
4) Have a solid morning routine, exercise, meditate, write, whatever it is that you do that fills your cup, make sure you’re doing a small amount every day on top of all the other things you’re doing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://abbiepalmer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbiepalmermusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbie.palmer.140193/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@abbiepalmermusic
Image Credits
Rachael Rodgers
Josh Henry
Rebekah
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
