(For upcoming music performance dates, scroll to the bottom of this email!)

I used to think I didn’t like sardines, but today I realized that I had never actually tasted them…

All these years I have been confusing them with anchovies!

So when my mom opened a can of sardines at lunch, I decided to test the story in my head and try them for myself.

I leaned in past the very fishy appearance and took a bite. It tasted like tuna!

For so long I had told myself sardines were gross that I never paused to examine the origin of my tale.

Now I know the truth. I don’t mind the taste of sardines!

And now I have one more “healthy Omega-3” food option I can add to salads on occasion.

One other real life "sardine story" (i.e. myth) that I recently debunked for myself is the thought that it would be "hard/practically impossible" for me to break into the New Orleans jazz scene since

• musicians are territorial
• I didn't grow up singing jazz
• and for a long time I had no idea how to be truly creative with my voice.

I was thrilled to finally prove this story wrong, however, last week while attending the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp in the French Quarter.

Not only did I learn a lot about traditional jazz and leading a band, but I also got to "sit in" with professional groups (meaning you play a jazz standard together totally unrehearsed) multiple times at music venues around the Quarter, including Preservation Hall, the Spotted Cat, Buffa's and Fritzel's European Jazz Club (if you'd like to watch a few clips of those, check out my Facebook page or Instagram profile).

Everyone was amazingly welcoming, encouraging and excited to hear I was moving back to Louisiana.

Do I think this means I'll never meet a grumpy jazz musician in Louisiana? Definitely not!

But I have now confirmed that I was letting my fear of the unknown blow the difficulty of connecting way of proportion in my own head. I never actually tested my story in real life.

I challenge you to think of one story you’ve been telling yourself for years (Ex. Something you “don’t like” or think you’re “bad at” or think is “impossible” for you) and get curious about that story.

Where did it come from? When did you start telling it to yourself or others. Does it actually hold up when you re-examine it today?

Open your own figurative “can of sardines” and set the record straight for yourself!

With gratitude,

Ashley

P.S. Check out my latest ukulele tutorial for RockClass101.com of Patsy Cline's big hit, "Crazy" (written by Willie Nelson). This was one of my favorite songs to arrange thus far!

I'd love to see you at my upcoming public gigs!

(NOTE: I will occasionally be returning to Houston even after we move :))

• Oct 8 - Vintage Point Band plays Deerfield Village Recreation Park, Houston, TX - 6pm to 9pm
• Dec 14 - Opening for Joe Burlison's Uptown Jazz Band CHRISTMAS SHOW! - Dosey Doe Big Barn, The Woodlands, TX - Time TBA

If you find value in this email, please forward it to a friend!