Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Brusven.
Hi Kara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a recent transplant from the Midwest to Miami, my journey as a professional musician has been anything but linear. Even though my love for guitar is one of my earliest childhood memories; I needed to address my performance anxiety, leave my career goals in law enforcement, and experience a worldwide pandemic to fully commit to pursuing a career as a multi-genre guitarist.
In hindsight, I can clearly see that my main passion has always been music. However, frequent panic attacks before performances in high school, as well as insecurities around my own lack of natural ability in music, led me to pursue my other interest, criminal justice, during the early part of college. Eventually, after realizing I could never settle for a life where I was pursuing music at less than 100%, I decided to push through my personal issues and switch to a degree in music.
Fast forward a couple of years; I understood my love for music, but still needed the pandemic to teach me the “why” behind “what” I do. I realized the most impactful thing I could do in music was help people feel understood in their unique life circumstances. To better understand my audience, I decided to expand my music towards multiple genres and also worked on diversifying my skills with audio production, composition, teaching, and arranging. Soon after, I started performing frequently both live and in the recording studio, collaborating with a wide variety of musicians from across the country and interviewing on both radio and television stations.
Currently, I am finishing up the last semester of my graduate degree in performance at the renowned Frost School of Music. I also work as a teaching assistant, coordinating performances for student musicians in the community, and am collaborating with local musicians for both session and live work. Moving forward, I am excited to start gigging in Miami full-time after graduation while also working on two of my own albums and various projects with other musicians from around the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
If anyone tells you that the journey towards their goals has been smooth, they usually have conveniently forgotten some key life experiences! Progress naturally requires some discomfort and failure. Regardless of where an individual comes from, everyone has a lot of life to live with their own stories of hardship to navigate and process.
My life is certainly no exception to this. I have dealt with crippling self-doubt and insecurity, performance anxiety, a career change, a cross-country move by myself, sexism and harassment as a female musician, work-life balance with both friends and family, and many other hardships that most young musicians often face in this industry. It has not been an easy road, the music industry is not for the faint of heart, but every experience has shaped me into someone who can carry themselves with strength and depth of character, regardless of what life has thrown my way. Learning how to be your own biggest cheerleader is crucial in the pursuit of your goals. Once you learn how to remove your highest ceiling, which is often yourself, it is really amazing to see all the wonderful things you can accomplish.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a multi-genre guitarist, I have gained over ten years of musical experience in both the recording studio and on stage. I also have expanded into work as a producer, composer, arranger, teacher, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. In general, I am the type of musician who thrives in diversity, consistent challenges, and work that is deeply meaningful.
In general, I am most proud of the projects where I had the opportunity to recognize others’ potential when they were not ready to see that within themselves. It is an amazing experience supporting an artist in the development of their confidence while we turn their creative vision into tangible reality. Whether I am performing with a band, tracking parts for a music release, teaching a student, or producing an album; I always love bringing out the best in those around me while creating content that people can deeply connect with.
An example of this would be a recent collaboration I had with an amazing songwriter from Nashville. For this track, I really enjoyed using different compositional elements such as space and timbre to support her message. I know from experience that a good guitarist understands when to dig in and also when to lay out on a tune. This concept was crucial for the song and required me to set aside my ego, put myself in the songwriter’s headspace, and ruthlessly chop away at over eighty ideas in pursuit of the few that were winners. Although it was a lot of work, the results were exactly what she needed and we could not have been happier with how the track turned out.
Beyond this specific experience, I am thankful for how I have been able to diversify my experiences at Frost School of Music and in Miami. Whether I am performing for the World Premiere of an Opera, improving within multiple genres at school, producing for another artist, or composing for orchestra; I always find myself in a constant state of learning that brings me more joy than I can express. Based on what I have heard from my colleagues and clients, it is my drive, passion, commitment, and love of learning that sets me apart as a musician. I have taken the time to thoroughly process who I am and why I do what I do. This awareness has granted me a deep sense of gratitude for my musical pursuits that propels me forward towards my goals.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
First, try to develop a relatively secure identity, with a decent level of self-awareness, before you throw yourself into a career path. I know a lot of talented musicians who are almost crippled by mental, physical, or emotional issues that have been left unattended in favor of their career goals. We often find a tricky passage in music easier to solve than confronting issues within ourselves that act as a stumbling block towards our success. If you want to create content that can impact your audience for years to come, while also enjoying what you do daily, you need to take the time to consistently address unhealthy habits.
Second, be mindful of how you speak towards yourself. Whatever is sitting in your mind and heart WILL impact your relationships and career goals if you are not conscientious about how you treat yourself daily. Don’t frame things in terms of success and failure. Failure is just a learning experience in disguise that can always work towards your betterment. Exercise an abundance versus scarcity mindset, only compare yourself to who you were yesterday, keep an open mind, be your own biggest cheerleader, and make space consistently to validate and process your life experiences.
Lastly, always have a “why” behind “what” you do. If you lack a sustainable purpose in your daily actions, stop what you are doing and make time for some self-evaluation. This short-term time commitment could save you years of wasted effort towards goals that may not even matter. Hard work doesn’t equal success. Hard work coupled with focused and sustainable goals is where achievement really lies.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://karabrusven.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karabrusven/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaraBrusven/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kara-brusven
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrusvenKara
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KaraBrusvenGuitarPianoVocal
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kara-brusven
- Other: https://linqapp.com/kara_brusven
Image Credits
Tyden Rickard
Booge Enterprises
