We all tell stories. Some of ours are scattered all over the Internet.

There are people that love it and there are people that hate it. I’m not sure how to approach the latter.

We are learning. We’re a little bit crazy. I’m under no illusion that this project is typical. I know what it looks like. Believe me, I’ve been told what it looks like.

I will tell you that this is all new to me. I wake up every morning processing the slew of events that landed me 3000 miles from home. Before three months ago I’d never booked a show in my life. I’d never designed posters, written anything but term papers, made a press kit or been called a hipster for that matter. Our desire was to share with you our learning process – our struggles and all.

I am (we are) broken. But I’m in love with a God who wants to make me whole. It’s a slow, often painful process. I get to be wrong a lot.

We felt like we were supposed to share this journey as honestly as possible. We’re not professionals and we’re not theologians. These are thoughts and experiences in process.

Here’s our context. We’re all incredibly fortunate young adults. Not only do we have places to live, computers to even write this on, and college educations, but we are blessed to live in a community that supported this project, as absurd as many people find it. I have a mother and a father who would give their lives to see their kids succeed, and I’m not ashamed of that. I am beyond grateful. I wish everyone knew that kind of support. I’m aware that people think we are unaware.

We wanted to see how other people were using artistic vocations to encourage and help others. A lot of them were friends, a lot of them friends of friends. This was not meant to be some conclusive, all encompassing research project. We reached out to people we thought were doing interesting things in their communities. We went from there. A friend in Los Angeles using a clothing company to advocate healthy body image.  A couple we met on Twitter who are using their designs and writing to talk about subjects people often ignore in the church. A family in Albuquerque who are mentoring and encouraging artists in their neighborhood. A model in New York City who is constantly giving so that her friends can succeed.

A lot of our tour took place “off stage”. Conversation doesn’t always have monetary value. I get that.

Often my definition of success is doing everything “right” and having everyone like you. I have a lot to learn.

But I don’t believe this endeavor was a failure. By a lot of people’s standards, yes. By the music industry’s, I’m sure of it. House shows and coffee shops don’t exactly draw large crowds. Forty-eight days is a long time for fifteen shows. I know. But we don’t think encouraging a boy in Lubbock is a waste of money. We don’t think sharing the vision of the Women and Children’s Advocacy Center is a waste of time. We wanted to have time to hear people’s stories.Technology is great. Stages have power. But we’ve seen face to face conversation have incredible value.

We took a risk. We had an idea and we went for it. Of course we made mistakes. We live in this tension between who we strive to be an who we are. Whenever you attach your name to an identity, you run the risk of enforcing the very stereotypes you are trying to debunk. But we won’t stop trying for fear of failure.

Disclaimer: Any commentary by us, relating to this project, will strictly be found on this website, our Kickstarter, our Twitter and our Facebook page. We will not be posting commentary or responding on other websites. If you encounter entries in our name, please know that we were not the authors of such content. 

The Gift of Networking 

I have this friend. If “networking” were a spiritual gift, she has it. I’ve met practically everyone I know in Portland because of her. Every city we stopped in from Texas to Alabama, I heard the words, “Miranda? Ya, I know Miranda.” We would be grabbing a cup of oh-so-perfect coffee in SE Portland and she’d say “Anya, meet so-and-so. She ordered a soy latte from me this morning.” From customer to friend in a mere two hours.

So when she asked us to come to Dallas, I couldn’t say no. The plan was to go to Austin, which I have been told is the Portland of Texas. It seemed more fitting. It was logical. But I’ve been learning we serve an incredibly illogical God. So Dallas it became.

I made one phone call, and in typical Miranda fashion, discovered that everything was already taken care of.

The house show went from awkward to awesome in a matter of minutes. I sat there and marveled at the way Jordan changed the entire temperature of the room with little more than charm and his Breedlove.

If you can command the attention of a room with a glockenspiel then you have it. And let me tell you, these kids have it.

People keep asking us if we still get along. I suppose I had the same assumption. We definitely have our moments. I’ve been told I’m scary sometimes. But the reality is, I fall more in love with them everyday. I wouldn’t be sitting on a stranger’s couch in West Chicago if I didn’t. I couldn’t do this without them and as they often remind me, they couldn’t do this without Mama Anya.

Collaboration is a beautiful thing. Dependency is not defeat. It reveals our humanity. That we need each other. What if we stopped pretending we can do everything? What if our independency is keeping us from succeeding? Maybe we were meant to act like a body.

Meet Jordan, You May Know Him as #JORO.

Photo Credit:David Iliyn, David James Visuals

Tell me your story. 

I am a God fearing, left handed right-minded thinking, creative, amiable, lovable person who enjoys a good pint. I was born and raised for the most part in the lovely state in which I’m far too proud to be a part of, Oregon. I grew up playing sports and doing a lot of outdoor activities with my family. I owe my love for the outdoors to my parents. There is nothing more humbling than a snow-covered mountain or more beautiful than a sun kissed ocean. Despite the fact that I was shy as a kid I found an outlet through middle school drama to release my inner artiste. Being a part of drama class I got more connected to my artistic side and started playing the guitar everyday. I was always interested in the guitar though, because of my father. He had an acoustic guitar when my brother and I were growing up, and we used to pluck the strings while he would form a chord. I remember the night I knew I wanted to play the guitar for the rest of my life. I was half asleep on my couch, and my dad was sitting on the ground next to me playing all the old songs he knew. As I listened, I knew that this “music” thing is more than just music. It can connect us with each other’s souls. It can lift people up and bring people together. It’s something that is so intangible, yet we have the power to create it. At the same time I started playing the guitar, my best friend started playing the drums, and the rest is history, as they say. We have been in and out of the same bands for 10 years before starting Find Your Smile in 2010, which my brother and his brother are apart of. If I’ve learned anything from growing up it’s that life does not slow down. In fact, it gets busier. But you have a choice of making it better or worse. I am blessed. Life has been generous to me.

Passions? {you say my sister and I’ll kill you]

Music. It’s an artistic expression of life. My heart skips a beat when I see a performance of someone pouring out their soul through their instrument or voice. That’s just it though; there is something more to music than just music. It’s connected to our lives. It’s connected to our souls. Music can either mask the truth or be the truth. I strive for the latter.

Learning?

God is teaching me about community. It’s funny when people say they don’t like people. I hope they realize they’re people too.  When I think someone is hard to love or difficult to even be around I try to remember I’m not so easy to love sometimes too. I recently read the book “Screwtape Letters,” which is chalk full of wisdom about community. In one of the parts it talks about how the closer we get to one another the quicker we snap or get annoyed of each other. I hate that we get so frustrated with the ones we love. Why is that? I’m learning how to deal with how to love a person even when the love seems far away. I’m learning that  “feelings” are just feelings and they can sway like the wind. I’m learning community is something we need. No one can deal with life on their own. Nor should they, it’s too freaking hard and confusing sometimes.

Art and Community?

Art and community go hand in hand like chocolate and wine. Both are fantastic by themselves, but when together they are amazing. Unless, it’s like white chocolate and a gross fruity wine then it doesn’t pair so well. There is art that can enhance the community and there is art that can destroy community. If we all need community then why not make it better with art that creates joy within the community.

Randoms. 

Top 5 films:  Oceans Eleven, Finding Forester, Almost Famous, …Free Willy, Notting HIll

Top 5 albums:  This is difficult.  It will change every time I try to answer this.  Any Beatles album, The Head and Heart by The Head and The Heart,  A Charlie Brown Christmas,  Classic Sinatra, Emotionalism by Avett Brothers, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,  Garden State soundtrack and Finding Forester’s soundtrack, and Almost Famous’s soundtrack…blast this is difficult.  How I Got Over by The Roots,  Light Grenades Incubus or really any Incubus album, Parachutes by Coldplay probably for nostalgia, Physical Graffitii by Led Zeppelin,  The Reckoning by NEEDTOBREATH…okay I’m done for now

Top 5 books:  A million miles in a thousand years Donald Miller, Screwtape letters CS Lewis, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Hunter S Thopmson, Where the Red Fern Grows…any Dr. Suess Book and Where the Sidewalk ends Silverstein

Favorite artist: Hmmm Dali.  ….

Favorite spot in Portland:  Wherever my friends are

Favorite article of clothing:  Socks are fun

Can’t live without: music

How do you drink your coffee: black sometimes americano’s or “little buddies” or if I want to treat myself,,,I’ll get a latte

Country you want to visit next: Hmm Ecuador

Nicknames: Joro, JorRo of the Jungle (self proclaimed), Hunter- Gatherer, JT, J, Jordy, Roach, J. Roach, JR,

I’ve never:  been water skiing.  I know.  I’m not a huge swimmer, but I love the ocean and sun…so that counts or something.