Mindy Gledhill is at it again.  Another brilliant record is forthcoming this fall.  I had the opportunity to spend a few days in the recording studio with her in Nashville to watch and record her creative process.  The creative process is such an interesting thing to study.  I am familiar with my own and because I travel so much and meet so many creative people, I am privileged to see other creative peoples’ processes.  Some are more efficient than others.  Some are at the mercy of the muse and others can call up their muse on demand.  But once, the creative process begins, it is surprisingly similar regardless of what art you are practicing.

More on that later.

For now, I wanted to give you a glimpse into the studio as Mindy makes the music come alive.  As a fan of her musical talent, I have to report: the music is very, very good.

This next photo is Mindy writing a line on the Key-tar which was transported directly from the 1980’s to the studio through a time portal in the back corner of Cason Cooley’s studio in Nashville, TN.  The musician and recording engineer in me walked around the studio in reverence, like I was in a vintage musical instruments museum.

This moment of creativity struck me.  Mindy was listening to the music and could tell the song needed something.  She voiced it, saying it needed a little more happiness in it (my words not hers).  A little more listening, a little more thinking, a little wandering and Mindy was back on the couch with headphones and a key-tar playing a happy line on a silly little instrument.  Within 30 minutes, the song had lifted off the ground with that light happy feel she had expressed less than an hour before.

Creativity has so many components to it.  Focus seem to be one of the most important.

As I watched her work, I could tell when she entered that zone of intensity where all other distractions disappeared.  That, to me, is one of the most incredible things about the human mind, that it can focus in on what needs to be done and forget everything around it, no matter how distracting life may be…  The most creative among us can dive deep into that zone, much to the annoyance of their friends and family.

Mindy’s new album will hit the market in the fall, but you can be a part of it now and even get a pre-released copy, or have Mindy sing you to sleep on the phone by pledging your support for the album at Pledge Music.  Independant artists put their soul AND their money into their albums.  It is an expensive proposition to make an album on your own.  Pledge Music allows the artist to fund their production while allowing you to get some cool swag items that you could never get otherwise.  Some of my favorite items include:

The New Album (you get it one week before the world)

Mindy Sings you to Sleep

Pre-Release Listening Party

VIP Backstage Pass for Two Years

Be in a Mindy Glehill Music Video

Ultimate Artist Mentoring Package

Support the creative production process and become a benefactor to one of the most talented new artists around.  Someday, when she’s too hot to touch, you will be able to say, “Mindy Gledhill once sang me to sleep!”  I say that, but Mindy is a super down to earth, wonderful person, so I think she’ll always be singing someone to sleep.

During a few moments of downtime, I interviewed Mindy for a project I am working on.  We did the interview in the back of the studio.  The light was beautiful, so I got a portrait of her as well.

Images of Mindy Gledhill by Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Location: Cason Cooley Studio, Nashville, TN