Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Potter.
Hi Stefanie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My Dad plays folk guitar and always played around the house when I was a kid, so I fell in love with guitar music and started playing at age six, and soon joined his church music group. I also wrote my first song at that age (about loving my parents, so sweet)! I’ve always loved to create and share, and I knew I’d do it for life. My elementary teachers made an impact by encouraging my creative writing and giving me extra opportunities to sing for people. I began writing music regularly in my teens to process hard times, express myself, and have my soft voice heard. I knew I wanted to play music for people in a way that made an impact, but I didn’t know how to start; a local well-known musician encouraged me to “just do it,” so I did! 2002, I started a female rock band with my sister and friend. I learned electric, my sister learned drums, and my friend learned bass. We had no idea what we were doing and were terrible at first, but we studied, God still opened doors, and we grew. We released 3 EPs and performed consistently around Western New York for 10 years.
When I realized my lifelong dream of moving South, I became a solo acoustic artist. I started gigging around the Lowcountry, mainly playing for various music venues and senior communities. My most exciting events here so far have included the first annual Southern Songwriter Festival, opening for comedian Chonda Pierce, and playing Cooper River Bridge Runs. So far, I’ve released 3 solo EPs. Shifting Winds was basic acoustic, Eden’s Embrace involved full production, and Plasticity was completely self-produced from home during the pandemic. I wanted to see what I could create!
After recent traumatic medical experiences and diagnoses, I bought my dream guitar: a semi-hollow body electric with a tremolo. It lets me play with the warm tone, bend with my vocals’ soulfulness, and still dig a bit into that alternative rock edge I started with as a teen. This shift brings me closer to who I am as an artist and person. I’m a social worker and person of faith, so I dig deep into the real stuff; raw human emotion, social consciousness, and therapeutic themes permeate my music.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Real life is never a smooth road! Other parts of life both hinder and inspire the creative process for me. The time to create at the level I want to (music and visual expression) and the time needed to get my music out there as an independent artist (submissions, etc.) is one of my biggest internal challenges between my social work roles, my relationships, and my ever-increasing needs for self-care. But those non-music parts of life also inspire so much of what I write about! I like the perspective of “art is life” and “life is art,” which helps me write and create sounds about life and keep things in balance by living what I write. I also love collaborating and making music with other people, but I’ve had to have some flexibility over the years in that as circumstances change for people. I’ve been working on forming a full band, and I’d love to have many collaborative projects going if I had infinite time and energy!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The simplest phrase that describes my music is that I’m an “artist of the heart.” My music is from the depths of my heart to connect with other hearts, because connection brings healing. I write many meaningful songs that make people think and bring more compassion and hope. But I’m not all deeply serious. I’ve been described as spunky, colorful, and even quirky. I love dancing when I play, having fun, enjoying and expressing the music. I’m thrilled to be back to electric guitar, playing a semi-hollow body now. I love the tones and versatility. I get bored playing basic chords, so I make things a bit fancier, and that surprises some people, which is fun to me! I love breaking boxes. I’ve explored a range of genres over my first 3 solo EPs, being inspired by folk, gospel, experimental, hard rock, reggae, indie, soul, pop, etc. I’m moving toward soulful sounds (jazz/blues-infused) and somewhere between folk and alternative rock. But I keep growing and writing what I think the song asks for, so you may still hear some variation in coming releases! When I write music, I hear so many more parts than one guitar can play, so I add to my live shows a bit of what I’d add to a recording. I play with a drum pedal and a looper for jamming, and have also been known to bring in random instruments. I loved the creative process of producing my music for my pandemic home EP, coming up with various instrumental parts and harmonies to build the songs!
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
The advice that was given to me was: “Just do it!” If you love it, find ways to do it. Create for the sake of creating and bringing beauty into the world. Creation is the opposing force to destruction, and we could use less destruction in our world and more creative beauty that connects us. Keep focused on what you love to do. You could get caught up spending your time on so many things that are adjacent to your primary purpose. Live your values in what you spend your time on, and know your purpose in doing the menial tasks alongside the art. Don’t let it consume your life. You are more than your art. Live your art, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stefaniepotter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefaniepottermusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stefaniepottermusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/stefaniepottermusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/stefaniepottermusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4L4714omaPEQ1QHED3RmFB
Image Credits
Becky Hall, James Hahn, Photohat Pictures, Leah Giorlando
