Career Confidential: Shayna Leigh

Full name?: Shayna Leigh

Position / Job title?: Singer-songwriter

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be an entertainer. At a point I thought I would be an actor. There was a minute where I thought I might be a scientist. And I minute I thought about becoming a lawyer. But those minutes never lasted too long. I always found my way back to this.

Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts?

One of the most interesting things about the work I do is that no two days ever look the same. Some days I have interviews and rehearsals. Some days I have shows or have to travel to play a show. Some days I spend a lot of time writing and doing social media. I also have another job that I work part time, so I feel like I am always sort of running from one thing to another. This can be stressful because organizing my schedule is often a lot like playing a really intense game of tetris… but it’s also one of the things I love most about my life- I am always moving, out in the world, going from place to place and doing different things… It feels really engaged even when it’s exhausting… I just love that.

What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made?

Every mistake I’ve made has really been the result of not listening to my gut, of letting myself be talked into doing something I wasn’t sure I wanted to do, of continuing with a project or situation that was making me unhappy. I’ve really had to learn the lesson that if I’m not happy, I must make a change. I don’t mean happy on a moment-to-moment basis, but as an overarching theme… my life must make me reasonably happy. Also, when something isn’t working, make a change. If a project isn’t feeling right any more (for real, not because times got tough… but because you are no longer really invested in the project over a period of time) then let it go. Letting go of what isn’t working will make room for what can work.

Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important?

Work/Life balance is EVERYTHING. I love what I do. I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to do what I do… It truly is a gift. But at the same time, I think it’s really important to have a full life. When I was just starting out after I graduated college, I spent literally ALL DAY EVERY DAY focusing on my career, working on my career, stressing about my career (weekends… holidays…) I didn’t travel because I was afraid of missing “potential opportunities” at home. I somehow decided that if I wasn’t working 24/7, I wasn’t going to “make it.” But the thing is… I didn’t factor in what I would miss. The life-living I would miss. The friendships I wouldn’t nurture. The trips I wouldn’t take. The lazy Sundays I wouldn’t spend watching too much TV and clearing my head. The funny thing is as I began to fill my life more, my work got better. It became more fun. The pressure eased up a bit. My music is absolutely a part of who I am at my very core, but it’s not all of me. I think this idea of balance is ultimately what has given me the freedom to create with more abandon- to really put myself out there—because I have less to lose—because my work is something; it’s just not everything.

Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality?

I was convinced the real world would be incredibly daunting and absolutely impossible and that I had to make things happen right away. Because of this, I spent so many of these years SO STRESSED out about what was next that I missed a lot of the good stuff that adolescence had to offer. What I would love to say to my younger self, and any other youngsters out there J, is that the real world will be there when you get there- you don’t have to be afraid of it. You will figure out how to survive. Sure, you should be prepared, work hard, learn as much as you can… but really, it’s not as scary as you think. Enjoy where you’re at right now. Life is in those smaller moments.

 Should you work for the money, or do what you love?

In my field, it’s never about the money. You can’t guarantee you’ll make any if you’re creating something of your own. So in music, I’d say it’s gotta be about the love, about the need to create, about what you’re putting out there. You have to find a way to trust that the money will come. However, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with choosing to work certain jobs simply for the money. The most important thing is to acknowledge the nature of your relationship with your job and be ok with that… be ok if you’re working a job you don’t love but making a good living… or be ok working a job you love where you’re not making as much as you’d like yet… be honest with yourself so that you can make changes when and if you decide you want to make changes. You don’t have to do any one thing forever.

If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.)

I can say that if this happened today, I would without a shadow of a doubt continue working. I would probably work more. It would be great to have the luxury of not being obligated to work, to not always feel the incredible pressure to survive, so I’d be very happy with this setup but I’ve always felt compelled to share, to put things out into the world, to try to make a difference, so I can’t see how I’d stop doing that. However, at the same time, I think it’s important to always be open to change, and if my priorities changed and the way I wanted to spend my time changed, I would be open to it. I think we often keep doing the same things from a lifestyle and work perspective out of stubbornness or a need to prove something… I think ultimately the love of the product, the love of your creation, of whatever you’re putting out in the world has to be the motivating factor.