Opening Up To Creative Inspiration

I am filled with joy and satisfaction celebrating 8 years of my Songwriting Club being in existence. I started this little club to help me and my friends write songs with ease. And 8 years later we are a global online club supporting 1250 songwriters to write over 25,000 songs!! It continues to be life-changing. Including opening up the opportunity to co-create the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival.

But it’s not only the weekly songwriting that has been life-changing for me, it’s the people that I have met and the creative opportunities this has opened up.

A few years ago, Karen Jacobsen (the Aussie voice of Siri) joined my club from her home in New York City. We were in the same group (and have been for 160 weeks!), and so we got to know each other through our songs each week. I interviewed Karen on my podcast in early 2022. Take a listen here.

2 years ago, when Karen moved to the Whitsundays (the Heart of the Great Barrier Reef) she invited me to start a songwriter festival with her. Who could refuse making music in the most serene setting on Earth?

What the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival Is Doing

What we’re hoping to achieve through this festival is to create a space for songwriters to be nourished in their creative practice, grow and learn next to each other, and also share their creations in a beautiful part of the world, where the natural beauty and resonance is pure and clear.

And this year, we have birthed the inaugural “Whitsundays Songwriter Festival” happening from Sept 22-26, 2022. There is something for everyone at this festival:

• There is a songwriter residency for professional songwriters. This year we include Graeme Connors, Tia Gostelow, Bryce Sainty and LT (Leanne Tennant) in the faculty.
• A one-day workshop for beginner and emerging songwriters. (This could be you!!)
• And a concert and conversation at a special dinner event for song-appreciators. (This could be you!)

If you are in the region of the Whitsundays or have friends there, please come along or let others know about it. We want to see this festival succeed and nourish creatives and song-lovers for years to come.

Want more?

Check out my events page for more concerts, workshops and festival updates.