monthly news + inspiration delivered to your inbox.

Privacy Policy: no spam, ever, and your info will never be sold. promise.

CM Interview Series: Noreen Murdock

by Nancy on February 21, 2012

The Composed Musician’s Interview Series highlights passionate, purposeful musicians with entrepreneurial + creative mojo. Today, I’m stoked to interview the amazing Noreen Murdock, one of the youngest orchestra directors in America. She’s the Executive Director of Salem Chamber Orchestra in Salem, Oregon and a collaborative pianist. She has a BA in Music from Willamette University and a [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

Love + Genius. A Valentine’s Wish For You.

by Nancy on February 14, 2012

Photo by: s58y In an interview on Radiolab, the brilliant Malcolm Gladwell put forth a revolutionary idea, “So-called ‘geniuses’ are not, in fact, more talented, more evolved, more intelligent or more genetically-gifted than ‘regular folks’, but rather, they are actively in love with the object of their (vocational) affection. And they stay in love. For [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

The Family + Friends Discount. To give or not to give?

by Nancy on February 10, 2012

Photo by: Asenat29 Entrepreneurship guru, Marie Forleo, released another brilliant Q&A video this week: The Friends and Family Discount Dilemma. The video got me thinking about the dilemma from the lens of being a musician. As musicians, we’re often asked to give, even expected to give free & discounted services to our family and friends. The question [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

Have you become instrument-centric?

by Nancy on February 6, 2012

Schoenberg playing ping-pong. Source: unknown. At different points in my life I’ve been instrument-centric. Two big instances come to mind: from the age of 13-17 and my first year of my masters program. During these times of my life, hardly anything else mattered beyond the piano. I had relationships, but the piano took precedence. Hobbies [...]

4 Comments | Add a Comment

Composed Musician Facebook Giveaway

by Nancy on February 1, 2012

You want it? I’m doing a fun giveaway that’s super easy to enter into. (Don’t you hate giveaways that require 4 or 5 steps?) On February 7, 2012 I’ll be giving away a brand new copy of: “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles” is a straight-shooter book [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

2 Powerful Questions to Jumpstart Your Future

by Nancy on January 31, 2012

One of my favorite things to do in life, and I recognize it as a way I can be of service to others, is instigating dreams and unraveling potentiality. Here are two of my most powerful questions for excavating your purpose + dreams: 1) What would your ideal scenario look like on a Wednesday, 5 [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

Collaborative Piano Blog Guest Post

by Nancy on January 24, 2012

I’m excited about my guest post on the Collaborative Piano Blog. If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s the link. And if you are a collaborative pianist and haven’t stopped by the Dr. Chris Foley’s blog before, I highly recommend doing so. It’s a great resource for all collaborative pianists, established and upcoming. If [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

The Dark Side of Actualization: Going Out Not In.

by Nancy on January 24, 2012

I’ve experienced the dark side of actualization many times. Over the years I’ve become better at recognizing that that’s where I’m headed and turn it around instantaneously. But the urge is often still there. And I often see others, especially those new to self-actualization, do themselves and others a disservice by going outwards, not inwards. [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

Action Without Attachment to a Reward

by Nancy on January 19, 2012

“Doing your best is taking the action because you love it, not because you’re expecting a reward. Most people do exactly the opposite: They only take action when they expect a reward, and they don’t enjoy the action.” – Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment

What To Do if You Don’t Know What You Want To Do.

by Nancy on January 17, 2012

I spent a good chunk of my 20′s not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. The feeling can be tortuous and frustrating. It can also feel isolating because it feels like something’s wrong with you or at least most everyone else is all figured out. Take heart. You’re not alone. It’s a [...]

No Comments | Add a Comment