Anja Eve Podcast: Music, Mindset & Mindfulness: Recent Episodes
ANJA EVE
Hi! My name is Anja Eve and I’m a singer, writer, and music producer from the Netherlands.
In this podcast, I share what I’m learning from life as an indie musician. No tech talk, but just real talk about the creative process and what I’m learning in the areas of music, mindset, and mindfulness.
By sharing my own journey of finding my creative voice, I hope to inspire you to find yours as well.
Let's talk about the long, messy process of becoming good at your craft!
No one becomes a great artist or musician out of nowhere. It can take YEARS of hardcore practice and a lot of sacrifice. And while you're on that journey it can be incredibly easy to get stuck in self-criticism.
In this episode I share how I'm dealing with that. I cover:
00:00
A reminder that feeling self-doubt is normal!
00:36
What happened when my boyfriend and I listened to our older releases
03:53
Knowing the WHY of your creative journey
07:29
Being misunderstood and not fitting into 1 box
09:38
Why I'm not taking older songs offline
10:29
Update on my upcoming single
13:29
One of my fav quotes about the creative process
Want to make sure you don't miss new episodes? Join my free mailing list at www.anjaeve.com
In this episode I share what I've learned from FINALLY sticking to a morning (workout) routine. After trying for a decade to get consistent with daily movement, I did it :-)
I share:
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Why I've been craving this routine for so long and kept failing.
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What my current morning routine includes exactly (and why it has nothing to do with getting up at 5am)
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4 lessons I've learned from doing it for about 40 days+
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The perfect blend of a routine that is both structured & flexible, directive & receptive.
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How this focus on my wellbeing relates to my music plans 🎵
I hope it inspires you to create a routine that works for you as well. Let me know your thoughts :-)
PS: Don't want to miss anything? Make sure to sign up for my mailing list at www.anjaeve.com to get notified of new episodes & music.
In this episode, I talk about the importance of celebrating a slow year and defining success from the inside out.
Maybe, like me, you didn't have a lot of "external" achievements this year in the form of streams, audience growth, recognition or other forms of external validation. But, that doesn't mean it wasn't a successful year :-)
In the episode, I share 3 examples from my personal life on how I view situations & songs as successful, even though on the outside it might not look like it.
I talk about:
- Shifting my perspective on my passion after taking a break.
- Improving my relationship with my boyfriend when it comes to music-making & the ups & downs we went through.
- Saying no to opportunities (and money) when it didn't feel 100% aligned.
As you reflect on your year, don't forget to celebrate the things that are immeasurable, the silence, the slowing down... the things that may look like stagnation, but are succes to YOU.
And also the things you said NO to in order to stay on your own authentic path.
Wishing you an amazing, joyful new year!
PS: Regarding example 2, the book that helped me greatly in understanding our different communication styles is "You Just Don't Understand" by Deborah Tannen. Highly recommend it :-)
Should artists make albums? Should we be on social media 24/7? Should all vocals have lyrics? Should we fix our accents when we sing or are they charming? Should we aim to "blow up" or is it okay to take one step at a time?
In this episode, I'm exploring 6 "rules" or assumptions about what artists are supposed to do, and why I'm happily letting go of them:
01:39 - “You should fix your accent”
04:26 - “There’s a right/wrong way to write lyrics”
07:36 - “You should sound professional”
11:28 - "You should make an album”
15:18 - “It’s now or never with your music career”
19:34 - “You should use every social media feature there is”
After listening let me know... which rules are you letting go of?
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Why I slowed down for almost an entire year after releasing a single called Slow Down.
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What I’ve learned from temporarily letting go of ALL of my music dreams, marketing plans & monetization goals.
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The #1 thing I realized about making art & music when I was only, purely doing it for myself for a while.
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The questions I ask myself to feel into my next steps, instead of focusing on rigid external goals. I call them “NOW” questions.
Topics covered: going with the flow, intrinsic worth & value, letting go of black & white thinking about creative careers, marketing rules vs. assumptions, dealing with FOMO, social media and the 15-sec society we live in.
In this episode, I share:
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How I got into a creative rut at the end of 2020 (something with cold weather, dark days, and yet another lockdown... ;))
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What helped me to get out of that funk, including a few changes to my creative process and mindset, and some encouragement from an external source that I didn't see coming!
- 5 specific tips for you if you're also in a creative funk and how to start enjoying making your art again
- A little peek into my plans for the coming year when it comes to music and marketing!
I hope this episode reminds you that if you've been feeling MEH about your creativity or life in general right now, that's totally normal. But you WILL get through it.
Let me know if this episode resonates! Thanks so much for listening.
PS: Make sure to join my mailing list at www.anjaeve.com/newsletter to be notified about new episodes & get early access to all of my new music.
In this episode, I share:
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The reason I originally started releasing on a 6-week schedule and what I’ve learned from it so far
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Why I’m changing my release schedule from a set schedule to a soul-schedule (meaning whenever the f* I want, instead of when I ’should’)
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Which rules and should’s I’m letting go of that are made up by all the self-appointed music marketing gurus.
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New ways of writing and creating that are emerging for me as I allow myself to slow down, tune in and do what feels good!
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Why I think slowing down in this rushed, fast-paced world is the best way to eventually speed up, and find your own unique version of success.
DISCLAIMER: I have nothing against people teaching marketing to indie musicians. What just annoys me is that many of them think that because this one “blueprint" worked for them, it is now THE way and the ONLY way for everyone else to find success too.
And of course, what mostly annoys me about all of this is my own tendency to run away with these ideas! But that’s okay, the past months I’ve been going through a beautiful process of letting go and unfollowing a lot of people who use approaches that don’t align with me. It’s all just part of me growing into myself as a woman and musician and no longer looking outside of myself for answers :-)
Which “should’s” and “rules” can you let go of? Send me a DM on Insta to let me know.
PS: And yes, my new single is called Slow Down too! I wrote the lyrics a year ago, and couldn’t have imagined how much meaning they would have for me at this exact time. This one is a collab with Jungle Man (my BF) and Marco Selvaggio, an awesome hang player from Italy. Coming your way on Sep 25th, stay tuned.
PPS: Wanna hear the tune a week before everyone else? Then be sure to join my join my mailing list at www.anjaeve.com to get early access to all my new songs.
In this episode, I share 5 new changes and insights that are reigniting my joy and confidence in singing!
This is a follow up to episode #004: Why Is Singing So Scary?
Check out today’s episode if you’ve also been a rut with one of your passions and want to get some inspiration on how to get out of it! I hope by sharing my honest journey, I inspire you on your journey as well.
Sometimes a few simple tweaks or a shift in perspective is all it takes to get back into the groove of what you love doing. Let me know if you can relate 🙂
PS: Have you already heard my latest single Tease Me? Check it out on Spotify or anywhere else you listen to music!
Here's the Youtube Video I mentioned in the episode ("What Voice Type Are You?"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1JduTd-is4
In this episode, I give a quick update on my singing practice and how I'm turning it into a self-care ritual!
Plus, I talk about the response to my new single and why I honor and celebrate every small step along the journey (and hope you will too!)
Thank you so much for listening XX
In this episode I start with a quick update on my mindfulness challenges, plus:
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All the details about my new single Want Something New (coming this Friday, June 19th!) and what the lyrics are about
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Why I believe it’s so important to trust your intuition and take the first step before you see the whole staircase
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And... some fun facts about how this song came together
Check out my new single Want Something New On June 19th 🎶
In today’s episode, I start with a quick update on my focus challenge!
And yeppp, I failed at it last week after more than 3 weeks of focus 😩…. Gah. I’ll tell you why and how I’m getting back on track.
Plus, I talk about: SINGING, and why it still scares me after so many years.
I share:
- My story of how my Conservatory audition was better than what I was doing in my 3rd year studying there, and why things went downhill
- How I later realized that some of my old conditioning and PTSD affected my singing struggles
- And most importantly: what I think the solution is! It’s actually pretty simple and has a lot to do with mindfulness: getting out of my head and into my body. To do that, I’m starting a new mini-challenge for myself starting today!
Whether you sing or not, I believe in one way or another, we are all on a journey of finding our own voice in life.
So by sharing my journey of finding mine, I hope to inspire you to find yours as well. Thanks so much for listening!
And if you can relate or have some thoughts to share about this episode, feel free to leave them at www.anjaeve.com/podcast/004 or just send me a DM on Instagram :) I love hearing from you!
In this 14-minute episode I share:
-In which ways my 7-day focus challenge is affecting me musically and personally.
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How I was on social media MORE while also being on social media less .
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If I failed at all and what some of my (unexpected) challenges were.
I also talk about what’s next and why I care so much about making this a long-term habit. I'd love to hear your thoughts after listening and if you can relate.
And of course: if you have any tips on what has worked for you let me know :-)
Not convinced you need to reduce the amount of times you log into social media? Check the Youtube Video Brain Hacking (on the 60-Minutes channel), it might change your mind.
PS: The intro and outro music for my podcast is a snippet from my song “Own My Own”. You can check out the full track on all streaming platforms.
Welcome to the Anja Eve Podcast; a weekly audio journal of everything I'm learning in the areas of music, mindset and mindfulness.
I’m so excited to get started! In this 1st, 14-minute episode I cover:
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How my journey as a musician started and what my goals are now as a singer and music producer
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Why I started this podcast!
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And ... I start with my very first focus challenge that I hope you will join me for.
It's a simple challenge, but not necessarily simple to maintain!
In the podcast, I also mention a video called “Brain Hacking” that you can find on Youtube on the 60 Minutes channel. I'd love to hear your thoughts after listening.
And will you join me for the focus challenge?