Today we’d like to introduce you to Britt Barker.
Hi Britt, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I consider myself fortunate to have lived what feels like two lives: My life from birth and my life after entering into recovery from substance use. While I do not define myself or my life around one single thing like addiction or recovery, my life after beginning that journey has truly felt like a rebirth. It has provided a bookmark of perspective for my life so far.
I grew up in Clemson. I was the youngest of two siblings in a loving, stable, and high-achieving family. Expectations were very high but no family nor childhood is perfect. I wouldn’t trade for any of it.
I got into music and sports at a very young age. I had a lot of friends. I was active in my youth group at church. I loved being outside and being creative. I started playing in bands in 5th grade. That lasted until my later 20s. Music was always there for me. I believe that if I have an instrument or a means to make music, I can never be heartbroken or lonely.
After the first time I felt the effects of alcohol (about the age of 16), my brain changed. I didn’t fall off a cliff all at once, but after that first time getting drunk, my brain always kept a tab open. I knew that there was this thing I could always go back to if I ever wanted to feel different.
After graduating high school, I went to Clemson for a few years. I did well my first year, but as soon as I moved off campus and started playing more and more music, my focus quickly shifted from school to music and my social life. I had a pretty strong weed and drinking habit by then and started using some cocaine as well.
I failed out of Clemson not too long after.
This started a slow descent into the abyss of addiction. I played music and tried to keep my life together, but by my late 20s, things seemed pretty hopeless. I was using the hardest drugs in the hardest of ways.
I knew something had to change, so I sought treatment in 2011 for the first time. You could characterize that as a “one foot in, one foot out” stage of recovery. I wasn’t quite ready to give it all up completely, but I definitely wanted a different outcome for my life than the one I was facing.
It took me about 4 years and a hefty collection of consequences (legal, emotional, social, familial, spiritual) until I truly had enough. I finally made a real commitment to change in the summer of 2015.
That led me to another life of sorts. I have since finished my degree from Clemson, in Philosophy and Psychology. I have stronger and more authentic relationships. I have never been so close to my family as I am now. I feel amazing in my body from living a healthier life.
I have held jobs that truly fulfilled me. And I have been immersed in living a dream that I have held in my mind for as long as I have had memories- producing music.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My life still has plenty of struggles, despite the removal of drugs and booze. I can still feel traces of the shame I’ve carried with me for most of my life. And I am very aware of my susceptibility to certain appetites to things that make me feel a lot like drugs did.
It could be money, sex, food, anger, self-loathing, isolation, or avoidance by over-working myself. Anything that makes me feel different, I can abuse it until it causes detriment to the idealized person that I am striving to be. The good news is that have accumulated a good collection of tools to help me in those times.
People have often asked me, “Is it hard to get sober?”
Absolutely it is. It was and is still one of the most difficult things I have ever done. But there is something that is always going to be infinitely harder- that is staying stuck in the darkness of addiction (or whatever behavior that I know is not in alignment with what I truly value).
So, there is going to be hardship either way. That is life. I have come to the realization that I am better off when I stay on the path that has the hard work that bring rewards and blessings and not the hard work that brins pain and misery.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently, I am releasing music under the moniker “Catch the Rise”. I officially started this project in 2020, but it was a long build-up to that point. It’s in the electronic sphere of music with lots of elements from hip-hop, wave, rock, and downtempo.
I self-released my first record, an EP titled, “Trust”, in 2020. That next year, I signed with a label out of California, High Vibe Records, to release a handful of songs throughout the year 2021. That has been a great experience being involved with that collection of artists. Shout out to High Vibe.
Right now and over the past year, I have really kept my head down to focus on the craft of producing music. My aim has been to develop as an artist and not focus too much on the releasing element of the process.
I’ve been working with new gear and brilliant new collaborators to express a more unique and creative sound. Will Wong is a Greenville audio engineer/producer who has been instrumental in that journey.
I have a collection of songs that I’m really excited about, so a lot of them will be released by the end of the year. Live shows as well.
If any of your readers are curious, it’s “Catch the Rise” on all the streaming platforms. And if you follow me there, you will be able to see when there are new releases. Creative and business inquiries can be directed to: b@catchtherise.com or to management at gshyatt@esqagency.com
I also work as an energy consultant with Titan Solar. I do sales, customer relations, and project management. Solar is a really great industry right now and I am grateful to be working at a place like Titan.
There are currently so many incentives and benefits available for homeowners and a lot of people are starting to capitalize on these while they are so good. Many folks are seeing huge savings on their electric costs as a result, especially as power bills continue to rise.
If any of your readers are interested in getting some more information to see if this is something that could benefit them as well, my email is bbarker@titansolarsales.com
I am also always looking to bring good people to our team so if any readers want to learn more about getting into solar, they can definitely email me.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Email is always open.
If the music moves you in some way, that is where the magic is for me. So please just enjoy that experience.
Feel free to share it with others and keep in touch with me for more of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.catchtherise.com www.titansolarpower.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catchtherise
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catchtherise
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/catchtherise
- Youtube: https://bit.ly/CatchTheRiseYouTube
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/catchtherise
- Other: https://app.repcard.com/brittbarker1
Image Credits
Rony Rivera https://www.instagram.com/ronyriverx/ and Savannah Juliet Bockus https://www.instagram.com/vannahjuliet.jpg
