Plans? Yes. I’m always thinking 2 years ahead (at least).
I like to set goals. I also like to jump into action the very moment I have an idea. Sometimes this gets me into trouble (like the day I decided I was going to level out our backyard and make a fire-pit area… it turned out great but I did have to re-do parts of it more than once). I’m a planner in some regards, but more than being a planner I’m just a go getter. When it comes to my music I don’t really think too hard about it. I set ridiculous goals - like wanting to open for Taylor Swift someday - and just start saying ‘yes’ to anything that is heading down that path. Some of those opportunities come to me and (most) of them I create out of thin air. Now– don’t get it twisted - I have a huge support system with so many people helping me in SO many ways. BUT, ultimately this is my life and my dream and the only reason any of it is happening is because every day I wake up and decide to keep doing it. If I stopped today all of those people would still love me and support me in my next adventure, and for that I am so endlessly grateful. The thing about trying to break into the music industry is that nothing happens fast. You hear these stories about people “suddenly rising to stardom” but none of that is true. When that happens it’s because that person invested years and years and years before the light shined on them just right. And when it finally happened, they were ready to take the reins. I look about 2 years ahead because that feels like a realistic amount of time that I can imagine and put things on my calendar and commit to. Booking shows, planning photoshoots, writing new music… all of it takes lots of time and you have to have a lot of ducks in a row before you can really get rolling. Well, maybe you don’t have to but I have this way about myself where I have to do all things with 115% energy and effort… so I like my ducks organized.
The core values behind my music career
My “music career” is really just an extension of my personal life and existence as a human. My core values for the business are pretty much the same as they are for my life. Honesty, fun, balance, and growth. When I’m trying to decide if I should do something or not (like say yes to a show date or reach out to a friend I haven’t talked to in a while), I run my decisions through my values. I don’t always do it perfectly but I try to live my life in a way that actually aligns with my values. Honesty is a big one for me and you hear that in my lyrics. Most of my songs are autobiographical, but even the ones about other people’s stories, I try really hard to capture the raw, authentic emotion behind the story. Fun and balance are ones that I have a harder time executing but they mean so much to me. I have worked on it a lot but I still have an internal dialogue that sometimes tells me I’m not doing enough… and I have to remind that voice constantly that it’s okay to rest. It’s okay to take a day off. It’s okay to not force myself to write a song if I don’t feel like it, or not say yes to every opportunity if I’m not up for it. I want my life to be fun and joyful and to really have that I have to have chill time too.
What if you don’t “make it”?
Haha, I have already made it! I have written and recorded multiple albums, joined the Recording Academy, played shows for over 200 people, had a 12 year old girl bring all her best friends to my show to celebrate her birthday, cried with my friends about songs I wrote in the worst time of my life… the list goes on. I have had so many really beautiful moments that I will cherish for the rest of my life while making music. I used to say I’m “trying to be an artist” and then one day I started saying “I am an artist” and actually “I’m Bellingham’s pop star!” and there’s something really empowering about just claiming the truth. Women are often made to feel like they should quiet themselves or not aim very high – I think that’s lame and honestly one of my biggest accomplishments to date was hearing someone say “it was so cool to see you on stage because I could just tell you believe in yourself and seeing that in real life is so special”. I was so thankful she told me that, and also a little sad. Everyone should believe in themself. I’m also a psych nurse by day so I’m very familiar with the psychological impacts that trauma, especially childhood trauma, can have and the weight that people carry through their life. What you believe about YOURSELF is one of the most important beliefs you can hold. “Making it” to me means believing in myself and showing other people they can too.
Playing every show like it’s a stadium.
Ah, yes. This mantra has made being a small artist so fun. My friend, music director and electric guitar player, Andy Klassen, told me once that we should “try to play this venue like we’re too big to be here”. At first I thought, well that’s not very humble is it.. Then I realized - playing every show as if it’s a stadium doesn’t mean I become this pretentious, picky kind of pop star that is rude and terrible to be around… Actually it just means I get to put on a performance that blows people away (especially because it’s not really what they’re expecting). You can be humble AND be excellent at what you do. I was scared that my character would be questioned if I started believing I was “a big deal”. However, on stage is where I’m the “star”. Off stage I’m just me. And ‘just me’ loves to bake cookies for the staff at the venues I play, tip my sound engineer, write cards to my band thanking them for everything, check in emotionally with my producer because I love him and his family, and go out of my way to be so easy and fun to work with. There are a lot of weird people in the music industry. I think it’s because the music industry is really tough and scary and kind of a place where a lot of dreams go to die. But, if you can learn to detach yourself from the outcomes, while still dreaming the big dreams, it’s a lot more fun to be a part of and be present while putting on an amazing show.
How I’m booking shows
Okay so here’s the thing. I don’t have a manager or a team or a publicist or anything like that. I am a fully independent artist just learning how to do all of this along the way. There’s no playbook for any of it. Thankfully I have learned through life experience that the best path to walk down is the one you want to be on… so I reassess that constantly. Is this what I want to be doing? For 2026 I wanted to book shows in new places and travel to meet new people. So I started making plans. I knew that to do that effectively at this stage, it would mean playing acoustic sets at smaller venues in places where no one knows me. I don’t have huge expectations for these shows… but I do know I can make at least 1 connection with a potential new fan in a new place, and to me that is worth it! I wrote up an email that explains who I am and that I’m wanting to do a sort of ‘mini tour’ this year, my expected draw in each place (based on friends I have there), and all of my links (social media, streaming, website, EPK). Then I started sending it to every venue I wanted to play. Seattle, Portland, Olympia, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Palm Beach! Pretty much every place I have at least 1 friend, I reached out to at least one venue. A bunch of places didn’t respond, or some of them told me no. But a few of them booked me and now I have over 15 shows booked this year and they spread from Seattle to New York!!! Insane!!!!
TL;DR: I just asked.
Thanks for reading and you can buy tickets on this site to all of my upcoming shows! Hope to see you soon and if you need to hear something encouraging today, hear this:
You are so capable of whatever it is you want to do. You are a GOOD PERSON and you can do GOOD THINGS! Define your values, define your desires - and then go for it. You got this.
ILYSM
Veronica North
*never written with AI*