We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Riley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.
Erin , sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Ever since I decided on music and songwriting as my career, I have been very driven and set on doing whatever I can do get where I want to be. I struggle with OCD, anxiety, and depression, so having motivation, feeling like my work is enough, doing the things I need to do to get where I want, is something that becomes instantly harder. Being mentally ill and a small independent artist is such a difficult combination, but I am doing my best to overcome my obstacles daily. There’s a lot more self awareness, pep talks, and rest that are needed when you struggle with your mental health while pursuing such a hands on career. It’s all about contacts, being brave, putting yourself out there, and connecting with those around you. I try my best to ignore my thoughts of comparison and let myself do everything at my own pace. It’s hard feeling like you’re not doing enough, but then I look at 5 years ago me, and she had no music out, hadn’t played a show, and didn’t even see music as a main career. You have to be proud of your accomplishments even if it seems like they are small because the last version of you is extremely proud, maybe even in shock. Going to therapy and learning how to untrain your negative thoughts can help so much and bring a whole new light to your craft. Being negative, hating on yourself, is not going to get you anywhere. These are reminders I tell myself daily to keep me going and pursuing the thing I love the most (music and writing songs!). If it doesn’t scare you, then it’s not worth it. You’ll make it. You’ll kick depression’s ass, and you’ll do all the things you want to do no matter how hard your brain tries to steer you in the opposite direction. Overall, being mentally ill does not make you any less capable of achieving your goals; you just have to be gentle with yourself, keep pushing, educate yourself on how your brain operates, get support, and try your best to stay positive. Every day won’t be perfect, but as long as you’re giving it 100% of what you have, you’ll be just fine. Some days your 100% might only be 50%, but if you give all of that 50%, then you’re giving it your all! That’s how I keep myself motivated and locked in on my craft.
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 singer/songwriter from Houston, TX. I specialize in singing indie, alternative music with just the right amount of emotions. I’m marketing myself as the indie artist working at the grocery store, since I am currently an employee at Trader Joe’s to pay my rent and bills before my music can handle it all. Growing up, music has always been a huge part in my life, and at nineteen years old, I moved to Murfreesboro to study songwriting and be close to music city! While being in Tennessee, I released an EP titled “good grief!”, written all by myself. It’s a collection of songs that walk you through each stage of grief. I feel very strongly about mental health and want to bring awareness to the tough topics and stages everyone goes through. My music brings a light to a topic that feels niche but should be more spoken about– the loss of friendships and connections that aren’t romantic. It hurts more than a breakup, and I think more people should be recognizing that. I write songs to help process my feelings, and I write songs that I desperately needed when I was going through everything I was. Grief isn’t linear, and I am a big believer in showcasing the struggles and obstacles that arise in the grieving process.
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?
Being driven is one of my best qualities that I carry with me and just being persistent to make my dreams come true. Having a tight knit group of connections and friendships has also helped me become more comfortable and supported in my art. Lastly, putting myself out there whenever I can has helped me so much. Giving out a sticker with your information or talking to someone in the business can go such a long way. Advice that I would give to people starting out is to be confident which is so hard to do, but you truly have to fake it til you make it. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, take care of your health and wellbeing, and make connections (friendships, career-based, etc). Believe in yourself because if you don’t, no one else will.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I have grown so much in the last year! I have realized what works for me and doesn’t, cut off friendships and relationships that don’t serve me, dug into my soul and realized who I want to be and where I want to be. I have put myself out there more with my music and released my biggest project yet, and that’s a huge improvement from where I was this time last year. I’ve grieved the most I have in a long time, and I can whole-heartedly say that it has helped me so much and affected who I am as a person, in the best way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/dreamboaterin
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1l0yJdpxLku9MeXzDoUGlC?si=iQxrCAAfT0-0MwcR2QPiFQ
