Today we’d like to introduce you to Shea Salisbury.
Hi Shea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since I was little, I have always been highly creative and driven to always process my emotions and what I’ve gone through in my life throughout different mediums. My mom always raised me with the value of creating for fun rather than creating for perfection and I truly believe I can credit all of my creative confidence to her. On any given day, I would come home from school and my mom would be playing elaborate scores on the piano, painting some vibrant abstract floral canvas, or cooking a meal made from scratch. We would play hooky from school and go to museums or do some kind of craft, and it showed me that a life of fullness is rooted in non-judgmental creative expression and I have my mom to thank for that. I always loved music, sang, and played different instruments, along with cooking and photo/video. Throughout my early 20’s, I did photo/video for a global non-profit based out of Yosemite, CA and documented stories in Nepal, Belize, Bolivia, Greece, and more. I then launched my own freelance business and did all sorts of photo, video, and design projects while living in a small beach town near Santa Barbara called Ojai. In 2019 I visited Austin for a few months and actually ended up just staying and moving here which was three years ago and I think it’s one of the best decisions I could’ve made for myself. I continued to work in photo/video and the hospitality industry still pursuing music on the side for a couple of years. I also released my first EP in 2020 and went on my first Texas tour a few months after that. When the pandemic hit, all work kind of came to a halt and so my housemates and I really had nothing else to do other than cook overly elaborate meals and play music together in the living room.
Although I’m obviously not in support of a global pandemic, there were some huge life shifts that happened within the first years that changed me and the course of my life. It started as one of my best friends asking me to help him grocery shop and cook a nice meal for a date that he was having over that night. I worked all day and then helped him for a while that night then came home shockingly refreshed when I thought I would’ve been exhausted. I looked at my roommate Laura and told her that this was something I maybe wanted to do for a career. That night in our living room, our private chef company called “Good Melon” was born and continued on for the next year while we cooked elaborate multiple course meals for people’s intimate home celebrations while no one wanted to go out to restaurants. As we continued to cook for more people, we started to do food styling for shoots and created our own content as well which is where everything changed for me. I had been looking to find a stable career path that could be a part of something bigger than myself for years and got really discouraged in the process of seeking that out. This summer though, I saw a job posting for a Lead Stylist role at a creative agency called Wonderkind in Austin. Since I had a bit of a portfolio from our private chef business, I applied and hoped they would consider me. I interviewed, guest styled, and then officially got hired soon after that and I still love going to work everyday knowing that I’m doing creative work that not only is something I’m good at but something that brings me fulfillment and creative stimulation as well. I’m still pursuing music and playing shows in Austin, New York City, and elsewhere while hoping to release a full album within the next year or so. Looking back on all of the random twists and turns throughout my life, it is so special to see how it was such an intricate puzzle that would eventually click for me. I feel more joy than ever before knowing that it was all extremely worth it and I’m excited for what is ahead.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I have been through a lot of hardships in my personal life that really forced me to pursue a level of emotional health that would translate into other areas as well. Most of the songs I write are about those dark times where I felt alone with no direction at all and I feel like they paint a picture of the tension between beauty and grief in this life. At one point, I felt like I lost everything and that all of my dreams had died but really, it was just ending things that were hurting me in order to make space for the good things to grow. It took years for me to feel like I was out of the intense grief of having to let go of my dreams but I now see why all of that was so necessary. I feel more rooted, grounded, and able to accept all parts of myself than ever before and I think that level of humility is the source that I want to draw all of my creative expression from. I know that arrival is never something that will come but I always want to be evolving and growing into a healthier more vulnerable person.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m currently a Stylist and Musician. In styling, I’m known for my more natural approach to colors, composition, and creative direction. I love working with live elements like plants, natural textures, and food with creative lighting that emulates light coming through a window at dawn or a film camera taken by friends. Most of my styling work is done in the studio so it’s fun to create things that look real in such a controlled environment. As for music, I always tell people that my genre is singer-songwriter/sad boy/soul which really does make up the kind of music I create. My songwriting, I think, is a balance between poetic and literal storytelling combined with melancholy melodies. I also write fun soul songs but most of all, I want people to really feel something and relate to my songs when they hear it. So many of them came from the most raw depths of my heart that took a lot out of me to write but I believe music has the power to accompany someone who needs a friend along their journey and that’s what I want my music to do for others. I never want to sugarcoat or lack vulnerability in what I create and I think that’s something you can hear in my music which I am very proud of.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I think the importance of your friends being your chosen family really became apparent to me during the crisis and still sits with me today. The common thread of my story has been how blessed I have been with an incredible community around me and I truly have no idea where I would be without it. I think the crisis taught me the importance of generosity displayed and how to really show people you care. I have been on the receiving end of more profound acts of kindness in the last three years of my life than any other time and it has really impacted me to do that same for others.
Contact Info:
- Email: sheasalisbury1@gmail.com
- Website: sheasalisbury.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheasalz/?hl=en
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1XT3f4ndBuXQuA9FTcCXT0?si=FzAl2HdJTOyaW1-7cyB1Gw
Image Credits
G.P. Selvaggio Lisa Muller Laura Holland Rachel Lenton Cydney Holm
