A Pagan Artist in Residency

How I am preparing for my winter artist residency as a songwriter

After years of dreaming of and researching artist residencies around the US, I have found a great fit, and am excited to announce that I have been awarded a five month artist residency with Osage Arts Community in Belle, MO. This winter I will leap into an opportunity to explore Belle, rest on the shore of the Gasconade River, listen to the locals’ stories, dig my roots into the beauty of this place through dirt, water, spark and sky, and take inspiration from research and stories of the Wazhazhe – the “people of the middle waters” – who made their homes here for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years.

My song sister Beltana Spellsinger invited me to Belle and organized a couple opportunities to play there last year, and we had a blast. She introduced me to some of the board members of the Osage Arts Community (OAC), and we shared our visions and intentions for ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. Our conversations made me realize that the OAC and its individual members and artists in residence gave folks opportunities to be kind to each other. We discussed the residency program and they invited me to apply.

Considering the Artist Residency

Every artist residency program is unique, but most encourage artists to step away from the daily hustle and bustle of life, and simply create. If you are curious about exploring available artist residencies, you might want to begin with this great list. https://artistcommunities.org/directory/residencies

You might find one that is perfect for you!

Before I applied, I dove into the OAC website (https://osageac.org) and learned that while there are no stipends for artists, much is provided for, including very healthy food options. Since I recently began collecting a humble amount from social security (yup, THAT old), I ran a budget and found that I could afford to take on the residency. I noted things like required volunteer hours and the types of artists who had been part of the program in recent years.

I spent a few months thinking about what it would mean to rearrange my life for this particular residency: changing tour plans and gigs; re-directing my goals, self-motivation and momentum. As a side note, while pondering all that, I realized that I could create my own residency at home with firmer boundaries, shifting daily environments for song-writing, and calendaring hard deadlines for my own recording/mixing progress.

The Application Process

OAC made the application process very straightforward. Their website was precise and provided all the information and forms that were needed. The hard part is, of course, distilling a lifetime of work into what you hope they are looking for and filling everything out. If you choose to apply for any artist residency, you might want to have someone help you with this process, from gathering letters of recommendation to research to first drafts to proof reading the final application. I was a paralegal in a former life, so I did most of that for myself, but I still asked a couple of friends to proof that final draft of all the things, including the OAC application, my resume and list of relevant body of work, and proposal of what I would like to accomplish while I was in residence.

Waiting for the Answer

This was the hardest part!! I did follow up in about 2 months with a very polite, “if you have any questions about my recent submission, please let me know.” At about six months, I did a little magical PUSH, asking Universe to send me the answer, no matter what it was, with a swiftness. Three days later, the email came. Yay for patience and the occasional magical working.

Connecting and Confirming

I reached out to thank the Board and to discuss a couple of details, and to accept!

Preparing and Planning for the Residency

I feel that my story is just beginning! I have about two months to wrap things up at home, pack my studio, and make my way to Belle. I spent this week contacting folks that needed to know and cancelling gigs for this August and September so that I have the means and the time to prepare. I am making lists of all the studio gear, taking pictures and marking cables. I will be updating and testing my DAW software for recording/mixing/mastering. I will also be discussing mail forwarding with my family so that I don’t miss that all-important vote-by-mail ballot … PRIORITIES!!

In the coming months, I look forward to sharing more of my new creative adventure with you as a guest blogger here on Pagan Song, through my Patreon page, and on social media. Stay tuned!

River House

Last year, I stayed a week at The River House on the Gasconade River, and was so immediately immersed, I wrote “River House” in the first 24 hours there. The song will be one of the first that I record during my residency.

River house warm
River house safe
Where I can forget
That the world is ablaze
That there are folks livin’
Their fear as their faith
But I’m river house warm
River house safe

River house rest
River house wins
Where I can be cleansed
Stripped of my skin
Where I can redeem
Every one of my sins
River house rest
River house wins

‘Til this slow, cold river and all its release
Reminds me what’s waitin’ once I’ve found my peace
I cannot remain here, though she’d hold me fast
I must run like this river and let go my past

River house rocks
River house rolls
Where I don’t need religion
To mend this broken soul
Just silence enough
To make myself whole
River house rocks
River house rolls

‘Til this slow, cold river and all its release
Reminds me what’s waitin’ once I’ve found my peace
I cannot remain here, though she’d hold me fast
I must run like this river and let go my past

River brings hope
Where I thought it was gone
River house wrote
This river house song

River house wrote this
This river house song

“River House”, unpublished song by Gina LaMonte

For more information about Mama Gina, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to Gina’s sites on the web, check out Gina’s page on Pagan Song.

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