We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hailey J. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hailey, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Creativity to me is synonymous with personal growth, and I feel that I keep my creativity alive in this way. The speaker and author Bob Proctor used to say that one of the basic laws of the universe is to “create or disintegrate.” When you make a decision to go in the direction of your goals, you are taking a step towards living a creative life. We can grow and, therefore, be creative in all kinds of ways – by trying out a new recipe, by learning a different skill set, by reading a book that questions previous paradigms. I believe that if our intention is to be a better person today than the day before, then we’re most likely expanding our minds. It seems like we’re less apt to run into things like “writer’s block” when there is a passion for change and for learning.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Thanks so much for sharing my story. I’m a singer, a songwriter, and a podcast host. My husband, Joe, and I have an alt-pop duo called JAY II (Jay the Second). Our JAY II project incorporates elements of electronic music, as well as classical music. Joe and I both have training as classical musicians. He’s a talented pianist, and I studied opera in college. When we first met, neither of us had ever really done pop music, but we were both interested in learning how to create it. Our background as classical musicians, as well as our desire to make pop songs, is what connected us initially as friends.
In addition to singing and songwriting, I host the Heart Frequency Podcast by Hurricane and a Feather. On the podcast, music comes up as a topic, and I also discuss wellness, books, and spirituality – my other main interests! Hurricane and a Feather is the website associated with my podcast, and I see it as the spiritual branch of my websites.
Professionally, I’m focused on new music with JAY II. We recently released a two song EP called 𝙠𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙚, and it was themed around renewal and transformation. We’ll have more songs out in 2024, as well. I’m also interested in collaborating with other artists on their projects, as either a vocalist or as a songwriter. I’ll continue to release episodes of the Heart Frequency Podcast, as well.
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?
I believe the three qualities that have been the most effective in my journey are perseverance, the willingness to grow, and an understanding of my purpose. Perseverance keeps me going with my goals. Learning how to sing pop has been an extensive journey that has even entailed having vocal fold surgery and losing my voice for seven months. However, it was never an option to not do music. Music has always been my passion. When my voice was in recovery, I focused on songwriting, and once my voice returned, I continued to learn the techniques for singing pop, as well.
Maintaining a willingness to grow allows me to pivot from challenges. If something doesn’t work, I try to do it better the next time. I feel it’s important to be open to feedback, and I do my best to discern whether or not the feedback I hear is helpful. Many times it is, and it pushes me forward on my journey.
Having an understanding of my purpose is what gets me out of bed in the morning. While music is my passion, I feel I have two purposes: to support people on their paths of personal development, and to be an animal rights advocate.
In terms of helping people, I strive to make songs that can be an emotional outlet or a cathartic experience. I also hope that my podcast can be a resource for people who are looking for positivity and growth.
In regards to helping animals, my ambition is to support organizations such as the Gentle Barn and the ASPCA in a significant way. Animal welfare is extremely important to me.
My advice for people looking to cultivate the three attributes listed above would be to truly get to know yourself. Journaling, meditating, taking breaks from social media, and watching less TV are all helpful for finding inner guidance and for connecting to the source of stillness within us.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
My biggest area of improvement has been in goal setting. It sounds simple, but I’ve been utilizing a planner religiously throughout 2023. On Sunday evenings, I lay out my schedule for the week ahead, and every night before bed, I write out two or three things that I want to accomplish the next day. I put my yearly and monthly goals in the planner, too.
Something that really helps me in achieving my daily goals is to assign the tasks a specific amount of time, instead of a specific time frame. For example, if I’m going to work on song lyrics, I write down the amount of time I’ll spend doing it (“one hour”) instead of “from 5:30-6:30pm.” I used to try to meticulously schedule out my day, but then I would get stressed if things stopped going according to plan. Now I look for blocks of free time in my day where I can fit in my goals.
Tracking has also been a game changer. I write down every book I read, every audiobook I listen to, every time I take a walk, each time I meditate, etc. I like marking these things down in my planner and being able to see what was accomplished.
In addition, I often set a timer for myself when I’m at home working on things. The timer helps with goal setting since it can promote a sense of urgency, and it can minimize your use of time wasters. In the past, I had a tendency to go into an activity and lose track of time. The timer challenges me to get necessary things done faster, and it also keeps me on schedule. Using a timer also helps manage things like social media use – it prevents you from going down a rabbit hole of distraction.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.haileyjmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haileyjofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaythesecondmusic/
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/haileyjofficial
- Other: https://www.jaythesecondmusic.com https://www.hurricaneandafeather.com
Image Credits
Solomon Augusteyn. Fernando Ventura. Jeremy Cortez.
