Meet Katie Fee

We recently connected with Katie Fee and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I think it’s important to take breaks to avoid burnout. If you work and create constantly, you’re bound to burnout eventually. By taking breaks, you allow yourself to rest and get back into a headspace where creativity is able to flow freely.

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 am an independent country singer-songwriter based in Nashville, TN but originally from Sioux Falls, SD. Being an independent artist means I don’t have an entire team behind me to delegate tasks to, so I do a lot of the work myself. I don’t just play shows and write songs. I’m also my own manager, booking agent, social media manager, content coordinator, etc. I do outsource some of the work such as production and publicity, but most of it falls on me. While it is a lot of work, I do love being hands-on with my career because it means I have complete control over all creative decisions, meaning it can be authentically me.

What’s so special about country music is the storytelling that is at the heart of country songwriting. I love getting to tell stories through songs and then put them out in the world in hopes that people can relate to them. I’m currently working on an album that will be out in October, and it’s a collection of songs that tell stories of all kinds, from love, to heartbreak, to hard work and other topics, I feel like there’s something for everyone in it, and I’m excited to share it with everyone.

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?
This one may be obvious, but knowing how to play an instrument (in my case guitar) is valuable in that you don’t have to rely on someone else to play for you. It’s so much easier to pick up last-minute gigs when you only have to worry about your own schedule and don’t have to find an accompanist.

As an artist, knowing how to talk to people is important. Whether it’s networking with people within the industry or it’s talking to potential fans at shows, it’s important to know how to make connections with others, because those connections are what help you to further your career. It’s important for anyone early in their journey to go out to events and work on developing their networking skills.

Above all else, I’d say the most important quality is being driven. You have to have to want it so bad that even when things are hard, you’re able to keep pushing forward and keep working towards your goals. There’s going to be rejections and curveballs along the way, but if you’re driven, you will learn how to navigate those and keep going.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My number one obstacle right now is being able to make enough money to pay my bills/pay for necessities while also having enough time to work on my career and pay for the things necessary to further my career. I work around three to four different jobs at any given time to make it all work, and I am trying to find more paid gigs to help make enough income to pay for everything.

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Image Credits
Nick Williams Alex Allegra

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