Meet Kä Neunhoffer

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

Hi Kä, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?

Running is my self-care and my muse.

The life of a studio musician can be incredibly sedentary. Hours and hours spent hunched over a computer like a shrimp takes its toll on the body, and the body takes its toll on the mind. When I was just starting out on my own in Los Angeles and figuring out how to balance work and life: physical activity, sleep, and diet were probably the first priorities I threw out the window. Naturally I found myself, coffee shaking in my hands, depressed and anxious around the clock. Anxiety is such an anchor to creativity, its so easy to forget how our the health of the body is linked to the health of the mind.

I was a track and cross country runner in high school. I hated it then. Although no one forced me to do it, I kept signing up because I liked hanging out with my running friends at meets; I realized later it was not running I hated, but rather running at 4pm in August in the blazing Texas sun that I hated. In college, I barely clung to running as the mushy ice, snow, and mud that is Boston was not very encouraging, but I found a running community and trudged along. Only once I moved to LA and the pandemic hit did I really realize what running meant to me.

The lockdown was so quiet, even more-so than my usual solitude behind the desk creating music. I started running almost daily, then started exploring trails, then wound up meeting a group of crazy girls who wanted to do big crazy runs too because they were also starving for activity. Within a year, the lockdown was over, but I was still running and biking and swimming and going to the gym of all places.

The isolation never really ended for us though, because we regularly spend our entire day hunchbacked over a desk racking our brains for the most efficient and effective, moving, but cost-efficient melodies around the clock. Even when I go home from the studio exhausted, I feel my mind racing. No, I never really FEEL like going for a run when I’m done, but I drag myself out the door anyway. We all hear about the “runner’s high,” but nobody ever talks about the runner’s Zen. I get so focused on my breathing, my steps, the music in my ears, the cadence of my run, suddenly there is white noise and my brain can let go for a while. There’s something to be said to for all the trite things you’ve heard before about sports too – it boosts your endorphins, lowers the road rage, and literally gives your body energy. When you run you telling your body “I’m not ready to die yet, let’s keep this ship on full steam.”

The stress can be overwhelming. We work hard, but do we play hard? Our mind needs that release. I know a ton of fantastic artists who get up at 5am to bike over a mountain or run across the desert for fun, and more and more who are flipping tractor tires and swimming across lakes just to feel alive again. Of course, the added benefit of touching grass also relieves us from our digital tomb. I find my clearest thoughts when I run, I sleep like a log when my body is tired, I eat with a smile, and I thank my body for all that it accomplishes for me.

Eat carbs, sleep 8 hours a night, and drink some water. It’s unfortunately true, you are a carbon-based lifeform requiring rest and nutrients to survive. Be kind to your body.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m originally from Texas, went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, then moved to Los Angeles about 6 years ago. I am a Composer and Artistic Director for Les Femmes Cinq, a quintet of female-composers with whom I have been performing and composing for since 2019 and I co-own a contemporary ballet company, Hillshapes, for which I am also an Artistic Director and Composer. I previously interned for Jeff Russo and Hans Zimmer (for whom I later worked) and now work with composer Hugo De Chaire and freelance. When I am not composing for the screen, I am composing for the stage with Les Femmes or with Hillshapes for studio recordings, screen dances, ballets, live show, charity galas, and more. This spring, Hillshapes premiered its first show in Los Angeles. Les Femmes will be premiering a new program this August (details @neunhoffermusic on Instagram).

I perform and write often for Texas audiences and find the best of both worlds going between the bustle of Los Angeles and the stir of humble Kerrville. I try to keep my foot in the door of our local art scene and contribute to creating arts and opportunities for talent that doesn’t want to migrate to the city. I love my community and am very proud to contribute to the artistic legacy of Kerrville and hope to enrich the arts scene for future art professionals. It is a blessing to be both the big fish and the small fish.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Endurance – If you want to get to the top, or if you even want to hang on to the side of the pool, you’re going to need a strong grip. Things aren’t easy in this industry and you’re going to be constantly surrounded by jerks who would pull you down like crabs in a boiling pot at the first chance. You have to have a strong constitution and be able to weather the waves, it’s all just water at the end of the day.
2. Having a compass – Have principals. Do the right thing. I’ve seen a lot of crappy people cheat their way to the top, sure, but most of the crappy people crash and burn long before they even get that close. Having a sense of self has been so grounding when things are going crazy or I’m watching bad decisions unfold around me. I know who I am and I know that choosing to do what’s right and be kind are more important to me than opportunity or advancement.
3. How you spend your time is an investment – if you want to be good at something you have to dedicate time to it. Schedule it. Do it daily. What you practice becomes what you are good at – so choose to practice the things you love. Don’t practice self hatred, doom scrolling, or self-judgement. Practice giving time to what you care about, being kind to yourself, and pushing yourself hard.

Be a sponge! Meet as many people as you can and listen to what they have to say – for better or for worse, there’s something to be learned. So much of being good at something is not about knowing all the answers, but knowing how to ask questions and actually asking to get those answers. Be present, talk about your art – imposter syndrome is a self-inflicted wound. Take up space, you big beautiful beast.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I’m overwhelmed by music or by the world (which seems to be often these days) I try to connect with my human roots. I am just a complicated chimp at the end of the day and I have to remember to take care of the chimp side of me: the chimp needs water, the chimp needs exercise, the chimp needs socialization. Take away society for a moment and just acknowledge that you’re an organism with basic needs to function. There is nothing weak about experiencing life. We NEED rest. We NEED community. These are not luxuries or amenities, these are basic human needs.

I am an animal and I am going to die one day. Remember to live. There is no glory in the tortured artist persona, there is nothing admirable about bleeding for your art or paying your dues or ‘looking productive’ just for the sake of keeping up appearances. You’re going to die. Did you enjoy what you were doing? Music shouldn’t make you hate yourself.

I didn’t sign up to do triage, nobody’s life is hanging in my hands when I sit down at the piano. I signed up to make music and express the human condition. Maybe if I do my job right I’ll reach another human with my art, but even that isn’t guaranteed. What we do is a gift. Treat yourself with kindness and dignity and your chimp will work a lot better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kneunhoffer.wixsite.com/neunhoffermusic
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/neunhoffermusic
• Other: https://hillshapes.com

Image Credits

Photography by: John McRary, Claire Wright