I’m a musician, certified creativity coach, and educator. 
I help creative people connect to and pursue what matters to them.

Background and Philosophy:

Art and creativity have mattered to me since I was very young.  My early years in creativity were spent primarily as a classical musician and writer.  I grew up in New York City and studied and majored in oboe performance in Junior High School, High School, and later in College in upstate New York. 

Early in college, I discovered a love for folk music and songwriting and morphed into a folk singer-songwriter and independent touring musician.  Along the way, I also discovered a deep passion for teaching music privately (guitar, songwriting, piano, and ukulele) and for coaching other creatives.  You can listen to my music and learn about my teaching services here.

I realize now that at the center of everything in my creative journey, is a deep passion and mission to express myself through art and to help others do the same.  It is not always (or often) an easy journey, but it has been the most incredible and rewarding one of my life.

Creativity matters for different reasons to different people.  Perhaps it provides a way of dealing with difficult emotions, or for allowing self-expression.  Perhaps it’s a way of giving or connecting to others. Perhaps it’s a vehicle for social justice or for the desire to move the culture forward.  Perhaps it matters when raising or feeding a family or loved ones, or offers a way of de-stressing or of connecting to something bigger. 

Whatever the reason, it matters.  I believe it matters most because it’s a way to become even more deeply ourselves.  And when we become more deeply ourselves, we can live a happier, more heart-centered life true to who we actually are.  And this has a ripple effect on all other aspects of our lives and the people in them.  

As your creative coach, I will utilize my expertise as a dedicated artist, teacher, and helper.  I will hold space for you, hold you accountable, and hold your individual creativity up in the highest regard.  That’s where it belongs.  

Credentials:

I’m a Certified Creativity Coach through the Creativity Coaching Association.

I have a Bachelor of Music performance (oboe) with an outside field in Psychology from Ithaca College.

I’m an independent songwriter and musician. I tour nationally and sometimes in Ireland (my home away from home), have released, arranged, and co-produced 3 full-length albums, one EP of cover songs, had songs in TV shows on networks like NBC, PBS, and ABC. I’ve been a finalist in several songwriting festival competitions including Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and Telluride Bluegrass Festival and was an official showcasing artist at the International Folk Alliance Conference in Montreal, Canada.

I have attended several mindfulness retreats and online mindfulness courses with Tara Brach.

I’ve had a long-lasting mentorship with healer and Pathwork therapist, Lynn Margileth.

I have been teaching private music lessons for over a decade now to ages 6 to 76, mostly guitar and songwriting, but also ukulele and piano.

I have hosted songwriting and creativity workshops in multiple venues, institutions, and camps including Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), The Maine Academy of Arts and Sciences (ME), Club Passim (MA), and Miles of Music Camp (NH and NYC).