HI, I’M REBECCA, Nice to meet you!

MORE OF MY STORY

My creative career path (like most - let’s normalize that!) has been full of twists and turns.

After being a serious piano student since age 6, I quit lessons before my senior year of high school. I was going to switch to a jazz teacher that focused on jazz, but never followed through. I still wanted to study music in college, but my lack of confidence dissuaded me from becoming a music major, because it would be “too hard”. So, I picked a great music school (Ithaca College), started out as a music minor, and quickly realized that was what I really wanted to be doing - that path chose me! 

I got a degree in classical piano with a minor in art history and anthropology, but also crammed every jazz and non-Western music class I could fit into my schedule. I seriously considered getting a masters in ethnomusicology, but didn’t feel fully committed, so I moved back to Minneapolis, and got a job at a used bookstore while I tried to figure out how to find more work as an accompanist and piano teacher. 

A few years later, I made an ill-fated (for the best) attempt to audition for grad school programs in collaborative piano. Combined with a stressful work situation at my then-day job, it launched me into a quarter-life crisis mega anxiety bomb that took a long time to recover from. (Read more about my journey with anxiety here.)

I regrouped, and quit my day job, to focus on accompanist work and building up my piano studio (the “safe” work that didn’t involve creative risks). In a few years, I reached my goal number of students (30), but it turned out that this goal was just something that sounded good on paper.

My introvert heart was burned out and miserable, and my creative spirit felt neglected.

Being my own mean boss and making myself work constantly also didn’t help.

My passion for Brazilian music and writing piano arrangements (the “safe” version of composing my own original music) had also been growing. Eventually I was brave enough to perform some of these arrangements, quietly start writing original music, and then actually call myself a composer, in public. (Here’s the full story.)

Around the same time, I started writing about the creative process and wellness for musicians, created a set of composition prompts for new composers, and composed music about crime-fighting manatees, cats, and other serious stuff. 

It felt so exciting to finally be creating things that I was passionate about! 

I started to realize that my many attempts to follow other people’s paths weren’t going to work for me, and also became increasingly frustrated with “hustle culture” and all the cultural conditioning that paved the way for my burnout. 

After writing about the intersection of wellness and creativity, and seeing how needed that message was, I opened Coaching for Creative Wellness to help people more directly with getting unstuck from what’s holding them back from pursuing their creative dreams. 

I know that if I’d had a guide that would have helped me see the opportunities to create my own path, I might have landed here sooner. I also believe in being a student of life, and that continuing to learn and evolve is part of the process.

That’s why I decided to become the creative guide for others that I wish I would have had!

HOW I CAN HELP YOU

I love helping fellow musicians and artists of all types to make the work that matters, that gives you purpose, energy, and excitement! 

I know how hard it is to be self-employed and juggle a million things in each facet of my career, in its many evolutions. 

I also know the feeling of having a day job and working on music in the “off hours”, wishing that I had more time and energy for it, and being frustrated with slow progress.

I’ve spent a lot of time on the brink of burnout (and also past that) and engaged in the process of co-existing with some anxiety and depression. 

In the process, I’ve learned how to self-compassionately pursue my creative goals in a sustainable way, and help my clients do the same.

If you need this type of support, I’d love to help - you can book a free discovery call to: 

• experience a tiny coaching session firsthand

• see if we’re a good match

• hear one specific strategy that you can use to get started with solving this on your own

LET’S BE INTERNET FRIENDS!

💌 Sign up for my Creative Wellness Letters to get a note full of positivity and encouragement to support your creative life, every other Monday. When you sign up, you also get access to my free library of resources, tools, and worksheets! 

📱Connect with me on Instagram @rebecca_hass

FUN FACTS ABOUT ME

Wow, I’m honored that you made it this far - here’s some fun stuff:

Listen to my Brazilian album: