Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Heron.
Hi Kate, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started songwriting because of a very movie-like moment that happened a couple of weeks after moving to Austin: When a friend said to me: “That’s a wonderful guitar. Do you ever play it?” I told him I hadn’t since high school, and he said: “You should.”
That planted a little seed- and I had the epiphany that there wasn’t a “right way” to play an instrument- I didn’t have to play it the “standard way” and felt a lot of freedom in just making shapes on the neck and moving them around intuitively in a way that felt much more organic than piano (which was my main instrument for writing before moving to Austin). It felt more like a time for play, not perfection- a new feeling. I started noodling away with the few chords I knew, experimented with different placements, and discovered the magic of electric guitar and pedals.
I couldn’t stop experimenting with different combinations of sounds and colors. I’d spend hours in the music room of my house just tunnel visioning- it made the sound designer part of my brain very happy. It felt like a different vehicle of creation. I started asking to borrow my roommate’s electric guitar all the time, following sounds and singing stream of consciousness- making a goal of trying to play a little each day. And then melodies started showing up, which gave way to songwriting. I did that almost every day without any thought- I was like, I love this. I want to try a little songwriting each day.
I started taking tai chi classes around the same time and heard this story from an instructor about how he knew a man who specialized in sword technique for tai chi, and when he visited him, he’d leave the swords on the table- didn’t even pick them up, but would touch them every day. He told him it was a method to remind his brain, “Hey, I do this thing.” and I think that’s totally what happened to me. I would pick up a guitar and sing every day, more than I had over the last two years in Ithaca, NY, before I moved to Austin- I started getting song ideas everywhere- usually from visual art or conversations. I made it a priority to record it whenever inspiration showed up. There was a part of myself that was saying, “This thing I’m doing feels vital- I think something has woken up intense inside of me- I need to water it.” And kind of just had the gut feeling- this is want to do, this is what I was meant to do- I’m pretty sure forever-. It’s a wonderful but bizarre feeling to discover what you’re certain you were meant to do at 28- almost like starting over in a new “childhood era.”
A booker found me through my little social media posts of me playing song snippets and told me, “You have to start playing out in Austin.” I didn’t feel ready- at all. But I took the leap of faith and started playing at the Butterfly bar. I started talking to other folks in the music scene and was super excited to realize that people wanted to hear what I was writing. And I’ve been playing out ever since, been on local music series, featured in showcases, and doing my artist thing. I still pick up my electric guitar almost daily, even for about 2 minutes. It’s an instant feeling of centeredness and home.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was not a smooth road, haha, as many artists face. Less than a couple of months into living in Austin, I was faced very suddenly with a dark night of soul as I went through a very intense health issue that affected every part of my life for over half a year- Honestly, it’s tough to talk about the details.
But the only thing that brought me out of it very briefly was writing and playing music. I made small goals for myself. Go to a friend’s show. Go for a short walk. and eventually, play a virtual show. I did and then held onto that moment tightly for the days after. I vaguely remember thinking, “I’m gonna get out of this- and I’m gonna start performing and live my life again.” And eventually- those goals turned into healing. I think I gave myself a light at the end of the tunnel: playing my music outside my bedroom. And slowly, I healed. By the way, I did eventually figure out the diagnosis of what caused the whole ordeal: lack of rest, stress, and burnout. So, truly, always rest your body and find ways to destress. Or it’s true, your body will pick a time for you.
After that, songwriting continued my greatest comfort through some of the most challenging times I went through during a tough two years and the processing of years past—lots of change and turmoil. But music is a beautiful way to transform a lot of raw emotion. I now had an outlet that helped encompass the depth of emotion as a very, very sensitive person. And so all of my songs acted as snapshots- little time capsules of some of the deepest, most raw human experiences I’ve had. Revisiting them in a new chapter of time has brought me a lot of clarity and epiphanies about what I experienced. I’m so grateful to have found this part of myself, which all started with a simple question from a friend: “Do you ever play that guitar?”
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an indie artist in Austin named Kate Heron! I write ethereal folk rock music. I also compose music for films and podcasts. I also have a production company called Kate Heron Creative that acts as an umbrella for all my creative passions- I’ve done photography, design, directing, videography, art direction, sound design- and many, many things. I originally went to school for opera but switched to voice performance and audio production. I’m known for my music and, specifically, my voice. Though I did not end up in the opera world- I’m grateful to have had the training to help me know my voice very intimately to figure out whatever types of sounds I hear in my head.
I think of it like painting- I’m like, I want to sound more pink, or blue, or yellow, or a mixture of the two. Or like a firework. Or more like an ocean- or meadow. I picture singing as less of a full entity (rejecting my opera training to be full sound all the time) and more of a time where I feel like I can explore all these different parts of my life through the sounds I’m making vocally- maybe my childhood self into my adult self different emotions. It’s a full-body experience for me, which resonates with other people sometimes, which is so cool. Someone once told me that the sound of my voice reminded them of the ketamine therapy they went through. That was one of the most heartfelt compliments I’ve ever received and something I hold tightly when imposter syndrome sneaks up. I’m most proud of my journey to authentic self-expression, the relationships I’ve made, and new connections found playing in the music scene. Music is my favorite way to share time with people and intertwine parts of our souls. Also, a lot of the time, I’d rather make music than talk to exchange ideas. I create an experience for listeners that takes them into a new realm- outside of what is currently existing in the room. And once again- whole body experience- I think that’s what we’re all going for, really- And when folks tell me that’s what it’s been like for them- it’s an irreplaceable feeling to hear that. I’m also proud of creating something my own but somehow feel outside of myself. Like an invisible painting of your internal world, you can hang up in a museum and be in the world with your name on it, and it’s yours still, but it’s not inside you anymore. On that note, we are working to release music next year, so stay tuned for the debut releases! I’m excited to let it out into the world.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
Hmmm, I wonder if I believe in luck-I think that allowing the energy that you want to propel forward is what attracts opportunities and staying true to yourself. If you think you’re unlucky, you’ll find the reasons to prove it. But if you tell yourself you are lucky, you’ll find all the reasons to prove it, which is so powerful! I will say I “push myself out of the nest” daily. And I just realized that that’s an unintentional bird pun, haha. But seriously, I do that almost daily to meet new people, further my career, and take opportunities that my thoughts often say, “Ah, but wait, are you ready for that?” Seize the day, baby. If it’s in front of you and “asking you to dance” per se, why not say you’re ready for it? The worst thing is that it has yet to happen. And, in turn, that attracted good juju into my life. I would also say that losing my mobility due to stress for a while was a big stroke of bad luck, but it is what “cracked open” that part of my soul that allowed me to get really deep with my writing. And so it turned into good luck? What’s the harm in believing we’re all destined and capable of what we dream of?
Contact Info:
- Website: kate-heron.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundslikekate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itskateheron
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kateheron8491
Image Credits
Photo 1 & 6- by Rae Mascardo Photo 7 by Kylie McLaughlin
