Wow. 2023 was an extremely TRANSFORMATIVE and reflective year for me and I am already pumped with what's on the vision for 2024. I'm sitting in Nashville at the kitchen table of my new roommate Katie Boeck (she's incredible, and has the most beautiful voice EVER) after being in this new state for 26 months.
Here's an updated scene for you-
18-year-old Shanna: I could study for these college tests… I'm gonna learn guitar instead.
23-year-old Shanna: Being a nanny is fun. That was a solid use of my college degree. I love writing songs and performing!
26-year-old Shanna: Wait, people I've never heard of make a LIVING sharing songs and performing? I wanna do THAT! Thank you Rocky Mountain Song School for showing me the light!
30-something-year-old Shanna: Hey 18-year-old Shanna, did you know that you're going to make your entire living singing your songs for people? And mentoring other artists and writing custom songs for people to use as meaningful presents? You're gonna go to Europe three times playing music! You're going to play big stages at festivals and people will play your CD in their car! You're going to move to Nashville and tour every month! Because of an epic platform called Patreon, you'll even have a direct way to connect with your biggest fans and they'll pay your rent!
18-year-old Shanna: STAAAHP LYING TO ME ARE YOU FOR REAL???
And one day…
40-year-old Shanna: Taylor Swift just called me up, she needs a co-writer for this song idea she's got, and she thought of me. I think I'll do it.
----and scene. ------
2023 by the numbers!
Contribution:
Last year I committed to sharing a tithing portion of Patreon earnings with Craig Foundation, the leading hospital for spinal cord injury that has done SO much to serve Shelli and her family and Andrew and his family. We were able to contribute over $2000 to them!! Thank you so much FannaShannas!
20% of the 12 Days of DRESSmas contributions was donated to Toys for Tots, so we were able to send $59 their way! (That's enough for at least 3 decent kid's presents, right?)
Project Somos in Guatemala was the 3rd year in a row I've been able to serve at this incredible sustainable school that nourishes and educates the young Mayan children there. We think we have it rough with our government, then you go there and realize they are ENTIRELY neglected by theirs. Thank you for always shifting my heart to no end via your project, Heather and Greg.
The Number I care most about:
FannaShannas on Patreon: 259, 2427/month
When we reach 4000/month, our goal is to get my own place so I can have creative privacy and space to livestream and create elevated video quality content for you guys!
Goal is 1000 True Fans!
Biggest 3 wins:
Got to play my dream stage at my dream festival Rocky Mountain Folks Fest!
Went (over a) year without sugar and flour!
Graduated a 4-month mindset coaching program!
On Road for: 140/365 days
# of Shows: 80-100
Touring Life:
Connecticut, Mexico, Kansas City, Florida, Guatemala, Arizona, Alabama, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, London Ontario!
States: 19!
# Times I Got Pulled Over: 3
#Times I got a Ticket: 1
# of cars crashed: 1 (They rear-ended me! Wasn't my fault!)
Got to co-write with: Steve Seskin, Buddy Mondlock, Abigayle Kompst, Jackson Emmer, Sarah Clanton, Carrie Welling, Claire Kelly
Sold out of all of the Shanna in a Dress t-shirts! (except for those available online) That means we get to make a new design!
Got connected with my steadfast new booking agent, Terri Stewart!
Other fun things:
– Got certified (a 4 month program) as an EME Level 1 Practitioner (Mandy Morris's coaching program to rewire your mind and heart using love and science)
-- Got to support my wonderful friend Lauren as a bridesmaid at her wedding!
-- Girls trip with the besties in Mexico and Texas!
– Brendon Burchard's Coaching Summit in Austin really lit a fire under me to share mindset training with others!
-- Cooked my way though the 4 Hr Chef cookbook!
-- Quit sugar and flour (and hair pulling) to stop my food addiction and have been clean for 14 months!
-- Read >17 books!
– Totally upgraded Nashville roomie sitch!
Vanity/ Sanity/ Meaningless Stats:
Average Shannanigans Newsletter open rate: 42% (You mean 58% of you don't read my epic emails? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?)
Facebook: 4525 followers
Instagram followers: 3332
YouTube videos: 158
YouTube subscribers: 1960
BandsInTown followers: 960
TikTok followers: 270 (funny considering I've never posted)
Spotify followers: embarrassingly low, let's leave this one a mystery ha!
2023 Festival Life:
LoveBurn Miami
Rocky Mountain Folks Fest
Black Bear Americana Fest
Dripping Springs Songwriter Festival
The Ramble
Special Performances (outside of the rad festivals):
Shared the stage with some legends, like Christine Lavin, Steve Seskin, Darryl Purpose, Adam Ezra and (virtually) w/ Ellis Paul and David Wilcox
Loved the Eagles Theater in Wabash, IN
Finally got to play Club Passim!
Got connected with some great new folks and venues, like Harmony's Hideaway, SHAMC, Brian Potts' house show, Gerard Vecchio and friends, and the Eagles Theater in Indiana!
Funny/Special/Memorable Moments:
-THIS vlog that I did after playing Rocky Mountain Folks Fest and watching it again today made my heart explode with joy https://fb.watch/pgb8oXUlhq/
-I met a guy named God at LoveBurn. That was his real name.
-A woman at Dripping Springs told me the FREEDOM I brought to my songwriting was one-of-a-kind and that I was like a young Gloria Steinem (really? I thought feminists would hate the Female Advaantage song)
-Making friends in Canada at Folk Music Ontario with a RAD German troubadour cellist named Ronja
-Telling Kat my most epic poo story while shoveling a bike path in Guatemala at Project Somos
Teaching/Service positions:
-staff at Lamb's Retreat
-Taught workshops at Black Bear AmericanaFest
-staff at Rocky Mountain Song School and it was a hit
-Manifesting workshop at Sarah Clanton's Americanafest room
-Began coaching and consulting with various artists
Things I'm pumped about in 2024:
Coaching more folks to help THEM achieve their dreams!
Opening for Steve Poltz in Colorado on Feb 3 and 4!
Teaching at Folk College in State College, PA in May!
My first CANADIAN tour! woop woop! And getting back to the northwest for the first time since Tour de Dress
Bluebird Cafe in Nashville w/ Steve Seskin at the end of january!
Things I Want:
Write a song with Taylor Swift! Open for Ingrid Michaelson! Go on tour with Poltzy!
My own place in Nashville! (once the Patreon is at $4k Shanna… patience… just keep working)
An air fryer!
A really pro music video for Mmm That's Hot, Face Like Yours, Shelli, Seagull, Sweet Spot! and You Don't Even Know and Stacy!
My WHY is that I'm on a mission to inspire everyone to be themselves through laughter/playfulness, radical honesty, and generosity-filled music and coaching in order to create a world of connection, joy, empathy, and freedom!
FannaShanna All-Stars: Bernard Buster, Micky Pratt, Scott Hays, & Brian Wood. You guys are topping the Patreon leaderboard for the most generous and supportive friends in my corner!!
Thank you FannaShannas for allowing me the freedom to move to Nashville and keep pursuing my dreams, for sending me gifts, believing in me, and staying engaged (and relieving yourself of guilt when you don't engage- it's fiiiiiine) with all the content I'm cranking out. Thank you Kevin Nordlie, Ken Stahl, Ira Grollman, Terri Stewart, and Randy Port for going above and beyond dedicating yourselves to SiaD.
18-year-old me thought I'd be living in suburbia with a husband and 2.5 kids by now. Life took a different turn and it's been a wild ride and I have so much hope and optimism in store for 2024! If you read all of this, send me the secret codeword “monkey” to shannainadress @ gmail.com and I'll send you a funny joke back for caring enough to read this whole thing. You're a true gem.
<3 Shanna in a daring Dress
P.S. Sometimes I like to acknowledge the truth unshared among all the explanation points, and I have some crazy hormone imbalances I'm trying to get to the bottom of (super low estrogen and progesterone?? Advice anybody?), my intention had been to double Patreon membership and it virtually stayed the same, and having the car totaled was all on the list of failures. You win some, you lose some. I'm still in the arena fighting for you all and I love the journey.
P.P.S. Want behind-the-scenes access to the music, the road, the adventure, the heartbreak, the highs? I'd be DELIGHTED to have you join the fun as a FannaShanna ←- click that! Entry level-tier gets me 1/6 of a tank of gas each month so I can drive closer to YOU!