Meet Nashville-based Artist Rae Hering
RAE HERING is a Nashville, TN-based musician and songwriter.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Nashville?
RAE HERING (RH): I’m originally from Minneapolis, MN and moved to Nashville to study piano and composition at Belmont University.
CAC: What do you see as your personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts?
RH: My mission as a Catholic working in the arts is to create what is true, good and beautiful. Sometimes a song is simply fun and lighthearted, sometimes a song explores self-discovery and growth and sometimes a song focuses in on imperfections and failings. I don’t think every song needs to spell out a moral or include a pretty bow to wrap up the “ideal” way of being. In fact, I think art is often more effective if you let the listener decide what to think.
While my primary genre isn’t Christian music I have to say that I recently released my first Christian-themed song! So, I’m now exploring what it means to be a singer/songwriter who sometimes writes explicitly about Christian Faith and sometimes writes about “just life,” as seen through the eyes of a Christian.
CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
RH: I have found tremendous support in being a part of the ecclesial movement Regnum Christi (RC). In fact, the Holy Spirit had a chance to move me to write my first Christian song, “Closer to Me,” because of my involvement in RC. I was asked to prepare five worship songs for our annual retreat and when I had worked up four I thought, “well, maybe I could write one?”
Before this moment I hadn’t been very open to the idea of writing Christian music, so I know that God was working on my heart here. I also believe that through the prayers of RC members and through my commitment to being an apostle through RC, God was able to use this simple moment to open me up to writing in this new way.
CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?
RH: There’s a group here in Nashville called Catholics United for the Arts. They aim to bring together Catholic artists for prayer, camaraderie and to help deepen our mission as Catholic artists. I was fortunate to be a part of their 40 Days for Life fundraiser this past year where they brought in Catholics speakers who work in various artistic fields to give down-to-earth, practical talks about being a person of faith in their artistic industries. These kinds of talks are so needed!
Also, Love Good is a wonderful Nashville-based movement that promotes and supports wholesome secular music. Their mission is to change the culture - to change how we perceive good art. What an awesome mission!
CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists, and how can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?
RH: Just a thought: what if we didn’t put songs of faith in a box and separated them from secular music? Must we choose between being a Christian artist and a secular artist? These are thoughts I am currently working through and I don’t have the answers right now…
Thinking back to the time in my life where I stepped away from the Faith, there was nothing attractive to me about worship music; it felt totally un-relatable. This memory is what motivates me now as a practicing Catholic to create Christian-inspired music that IS relatable to someone like my former self. I’m not saying to do away with worship music because it is indeed a beautiful form of prayer. But I think there is a gap that needs to be filled here. Why is there such a chasm between Christian and secular music? Is there an in-between spot where we can sing about the Gospel in a way that is intriguing and not overbearing to people who may have lost their faith along the way? I think so.
CAC: Where in your city do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?
RH: I’m a member of St. Edward parish. One of my favorite groups there is the Padre Pio Prayer Group. St. Pio is one of the saints who helped me come back to the Church and is so active in our world today if we just ask for his help! St. Pio, pray for us!
Also, as I mentioned above, I’m a member of Regnum Christi (RC). Like all apostolate movements, RC came from and is led by the Holy Spirit. In these movements God brings believers together through a common charism or style of living out our faith. The structure of these movements is often likened to early church communities where Christians gathered in small, organically-formed communities. I love RC because it strives to give each member the essential tools needed to live and grow as a Christian in union with the authority of the Catholic Church: prayer, formation, apostleship, accompaniment and community. It has truly been my launch pad as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice? And if you have a spiritual director, how did you find that person? If you go on retreats, where do you like to go?
RH: Along with regular Mass, Adoration and Confession I meet with an RC spiritual director each month. I urge everyone to seek out a spiritual director - in my opinion, it’s the “secret sauce” to living out a spirit-filled life!
I attend an annual RC Spiritual Exercises Silent Retreat held at the Bethany Retreat Center in Dickson, TN. I HIGHLY recommend this retreat center. It’s run by the Dominican Sisters and let me tell you, Christ’s Peace is overflowing there! They host many retreats throughout the year so do see if you can visit!
What I’m honing in on in my spiritual practice lately is that daily prayer is the true battlefield. As a person who is always ready to get going on the next project or activity I have a tendency to justify why I don’t have time for personal prayer. In reality prayer is where I am able to allow God to work in my life. This is where He gives me all my good ideas! If I don’t show up for prayer I am turning away from my personal relationship with God. If I don’t show up for prayer Satan has already taken the upper hand on my heart. Prayer is a battlefield and is the true food of the soul.
CAC: What is your daily artistic practice?
RH: I find it’s helpful to get into creative mode first thing in the morning (well, after a cup of coffee, of course!) If I don’t do this I really diminish my chances of tapping into the “creative zone” because all the practicalities of the day start taking hold.
With that being said, I need practical days, too, where I intentionally DON’T try to write a song. If I have too many days where I allow myself to be primarily wrapped up in the creative process I end up with anxiety because I haven’t been keeping up with the more practical side of life.
CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.
RH: Playing house concerts is a great example of this! I’ve always felt that performing “completes the circle” as a songwriter because sharing the songs I write really is the whole point of writing them. My goal is to move others and be a witness to them through my music! House concerts have the added element of providing an environment where you are very up-close with the guests. You have an extra opportunity to bond and connect. As we know from our faith, relationship is at the heart of Christianity, so I am thankful for these house concert opportunities.
CAC: How do you afford housing as an artist?
RH: My husband and I were fortunate to be able to buy a house this past August! We were very motivated because we knew my sister-in-law needed a place to live so we decided to look for a house that would be suitable for all three of us. Living with my sister-in-law not only makes it easier to afford a better living condition but it is also such a blessing to be around family.
CAC: How do you financially support yourself as an artist?
RH: All my income comes from music in one way or another. Many independent artists find that it’s smart to widen our income stream variety because each source is likely to provide smaller amounts. For me these things include:tips from livestream shows, merchandise sales, Patreon contributions, house concerts and tours, music lessons, royalties, streaming revenue and studio musician work.
A large chunk of my income comes from tips and donations. This can inspire both deep gratitude and, admittedly, frustration. If the donations are not coming in I can be tempted to de-value myself and my work. This is such a huge pitiful for us artists because we tend to center our identities around our talent and output. I have to remember that my value is in being a Child of God, not in the amount of money I make from my art. But I would be lying if I said this is not a constant battle!
CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in your city?
RH: If you are in the music industry check out the weekly meet up group Balanced Breakfast. Actually, there are BB groups that meet all around the world, so there may be one in your city. There is always a discussion topic of the day but I think the best part is simply meeting and connecting with other artists.
CAC: What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists post-graduation?
RH: 1.) You are never too busy for prayer.
2.) Offer your talents up to God as a sacrifice on His altar, especially at every Mass you attend.
3.) Invite the Holy Spirit into your creative work regularly.
