Letting Go to Make a Difference
I became redundant at my corporate job shortly before the quarantine hit. In my case, it simply moved our 5-year plan up a bit.
My spouse is a private music instructor. Due to the pandemic, he moved his business online and began working from home. At the end of the summer of 2020, he began in person lessons again, and I began taking in-person piano students. We both continue to do these four days per week when we aren’t performing.
We immediately began offering virtual concerts when the quarantine hit. We have been able to perform all over the United States at coffee houses, churches, and conferences all from our historic home in Salem, Oregon. We have also traveled to studios that shot up to four camera concerts which were broadcast virtually. Although people are becoming a bit weary of virtual entertainment, we believe that this will remain an option for those who prefer to stay home and as a ticket level for live concerts.
We also set up a website (https://www.phoenixhousepublishing.org), to feature ALL the things that interest us. My husband transcribes old traditional instrumental tunes for beginning players and we offer that sheet music along with short lessons. We offer subscription levels for those who might like a bit more in the way of additional lessons, private concerts, etc. I write, and we have linked our site to my writings on the social publishing platform Medium. We offer healthy recipes. We have a link to our performance website (which we have linked back to our sales page). I am also a Chaplain/public speaker and produce a weekly Vlog that appears both here and on our social media pages.
How have we reimagined our business? We let go of how it’s “supposed” to be done and decided to focus on what we are genuinely good at, which is loving people and helping them achieve their goals in life.
Life is good, and we are making a difference.
~ Kathy Crosby
Based in Salem, Oregon, the folk pop duo Phoenix consists of award winning songwriters Tim and Kathy Crosby, who have been performing together for over 20 years. The Crosbys have performed together from Las Vegas to Nashville, in large venues and small, and have collaborated on seven CD’s – all of which remain in radio rotation. They are currently booking performances for 2022 and are beginning the process of putting together their next recording project.
Website.
many, this cultural reckoning and political upheaval spurred a period of personal reflection and the discovery of coping mechanisms some of us didn’t even know we had. Lockdown Lemonade is a look at the bright side. With this collection of flash creative nonfiction, brief personal essays, recollections, and musings from members of our community, we hope to shine a light on the best things that can and have come out of the most challenging of times. This column will continue on a weekly basis and postings will be released at 10 AM Pacific every Monday, so watch for them! For guidelines and submission details, please contact Julie Zipperer at