Behind the Scenes of the Mom Life Music Video & The Good Life Music Video

I Wrote "Mom Life" in a VERY hard mom season. Story was maybe 8 months old, not sleeping through the night, teething, very clingy, whiny and I was having a tough time with nursing and Trust was feeling like I wasn't giving him as much attention as Story and was majorly acting out. I was feeling very overwhelmed.

I felt like the only way I could get through some days was lots of Coffee and LOTS of "breath prayers" that were more like distress signals, saying "Jesus, HELP." I counted down the seconds until my husband got home so I could take a 10 minute break and decompress or just be by myself for 2 seconds, only to find a little kid in the doorway telling me about some deep theology about lego mini figures.

I snuck away one night and sat on the bed in my room with my guitar and the song "Mom Life" came out all in one moment! I honestly think it's one of the most clever songs I've ever written and it literally just flowed out of all the situations I currently found myself in.

About 2 years ago, after I had written the song, I had a dream about making "Mom Life" into a funny, heartwarming Music Video, to encourage other mom's walking through similar seasons. Something moms could relate to, find comfort from, laugh at and cry with..

SO, WE DID IT. I made that tiny dream into a reality with the help of Pete King, Joseph and Adam!

Here's a behind the scenes video of the day of shooting!

It wasn't all roses and butterflies. In proper Mom Life fashion, the kids were whiny, didn't want to do the scenes and I felt a little disheartened, wondering if it was going to work. Pete, Adam and Joseph hung in there with us and by the afternoon, things started to get better for me. I think I sort of let go at a certain point and was like "Well, it'll be an honest video about Mom Life!" haha!

I had a lot of fun getting to "act" in the video! I felt like it was something that I really enjoyed doing.

At about 4pm we shot some band shots with some friends from my church's kids worship team: Emily on bass, Paul on Electric, and my brother in law Jesse on the drums and Sister Amy on the Keys!

I changed my look from PJ's to glam, dressed in a Lularoe outfit styled by my friend Ali Gattison! Check her out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/lularoealigattison She did such a great job finding something in my color palette!

My husband Brett did a GREAT job being extra support for the kids AND shooting behind the scenes footage on video and with his fancy camera! He's amazing! Here's some of the photos he captured:

The Life EP is being mixed and mastered as we speak! I am humbled that I got to work some music all-stars like Jeffrey Kunde, Andrew Jackson and Jeremy Edwardson at SoundHouse in Redding! I am chomping at the bit waiting to hear the final versions of the songs... Then the Mom Life Music Video can be edited by Pete, then released when the EP is officially out, HOPEFULLY at the end of October.

I am also about ready to shoot a video for "The Good Life" next week with my friend Sergio Perez! It'll be really simple and heartwarming with lots of shots of our family at sunset and around a campfire! I love that it's been my friends that have been the ones to help make these videos. It makes it much more special for sure.

I also got some REALLY COOL hand scripted lyrics from my friend Elizabeth Hosford to sell at my Merch Table! Check out her creations on Instagram at: http://www.instagram.com/choicearrowcreations

I'm working really hard to come up with some really fantastic, one of a kind Merch items and Bundles, I can't wait for you to see!!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, Join the Email Newsletter BELOW! I have 2 people that have subscribed so far haha! Lets add some more! You'll get all sorts of fun info and freebies, so make sure you're not missing out!

This is an exciting follow up from my last blog post "Walking Toward the Rain"! It's a really cool story of FAITH. If you aren't into that sort of thing, just hang in there with me! You won't believe how this all plays out! 🙌

I have had a blast playing local shows & have had a really great response to my music which has been super encouraging. I've felt a stirring in my heart for a while that "Now is the time" to sort of pursue some of my dreams with my music, but it's hard & Scary to step out, you know?

To sort of set the stage I've gotta take you back a few months.

I had the amazing privilege to attend the Jesus Culture conference in Sacramento with one of my friends in Ohio & God spoke SO MUCH through the speakers & the worship. They kept singing songs like "Fresh Outpouring" & "Let it rain" & I just opened up my hands to receive it! He gave me that picture of walking toward the rain (read last Blog) & I was ready to soak it up and stand in it!! I felt God sort of calling me out & giving me a fresh vision. Random People at the conference would come up to me and say things like "I feel like God is opening doors for your music" or "there is POWER on your music". I also felt like God was asking me "what do you want?" I sort of wrote out what I wanted to do with music & that I wanted my music to be heard, not on Christian Radio but everywhere. That He'd open doors for me to be able to encourage other artists & use my music to help people who are hurting & use my story to make an impact. I also got a verse in Isaiah 6 where God touches a coal on Isaiah's lips to anoint him to speak to the people God called him to. I felt like He was speaking that over me too! <---- This stuff seems so crazy right?! Who am I to dream this big or do this stuff?!?! Keep reading..

Fast forward a few months later, April 4th to be exact. Me and My husband went over to our friends house for a worship and prayer night & just as we were headed out the door, one of the guys there stoped the us in our tracks and says to everyone "hey everyone, this lady has an amazing gift for worship!!" Before I know it everyone is surrounding me and praying over me. Some really specific words were spoken over me that had to do with using my story to help others, restoring dreams I had when I was young pertaining to music & also that doors were opening & that people of influence would hear my music & that something big was going to happen in the next 60 days. So much more was spoken over me that was exactly what I had been hearing from the Lord & what I was about but they HAD NO CLUE. They didn't know me at all! That's how you know God is really speaking. <----- again though, I was thinking who am I that God would use me? I'm 30, I'm a stay at home mom, I don't know anyone here.. we'll see if all this really happens.. but a fire had lit in my heart. Hope was rising up!

I'm blessed to be in an amazing community of people who have encouraged me in this process! They have encouraged me to play music, invited me to lead worship at our city Group & prayed for me & championed me to not give up on my dreams! One of my good friends even took some promo photos for me to use for my music & I ended up writing a song for her project she is working on!! They called out things in me I didn't even know were in me! It gave me courage to try.

I started dreaming again about a Project called The Life EP. It'd be all songs about my current stage of life, motherhood & marriage! I wrote out my concept, the songs I'd have on it & my dreams for it & started to get really excited, but I didn't really know any one who recorded here!

Well, I decided to just take a leap of faith & contact the ONLY recording studio that I knew of because a bunch of amazing artists at my church, Jesus Culture Sacramento record there. I got a reply back and found out it would be $50 an hour to record in the smaller studio (much more for the bigger one) & I got a little discouraged. I had maybe $150 in my music fund jar, and that would get me maybe a guitar track! Haha! BUT I remembered what God spoke to me & prayed as I was on a little walk with my family. My pastor Banning Liebscher gave a really good message one Sunday about asking God for specifics pertaining to what you need, so I asked. I laid out the amount I'd need & how I felt discouraged & didn't know what to do, but said I Trust you in the process & need your help.

I came home & told my parents about the email & my prayer & they reminded me about some money that was coming in that was the exact amount I'd need to record the EP! I had an answered prayer that VERY NIGHT.

I messaged the studio back & let them know I was good to go & they were so awesome working with me & with my budget!

So, I am recording an EP. It's a miracle EP really. I can't even believe it's happening! Just as one of my friends said it's all happened within 60 days almost to the T!!

Jeffrey Kunde (amazingly talented guitarist for Jesus Culture) is helping me with Preproduction & Jeremy Edwardson (pro producer/musician extraordinaire) is helping me record all the final vocals & instruments for a day up in Redding at Sound House Studios! & get this. I can record all the preproduction tracks in the comfort of my own home & won't have to worry about the kids!! I was really worried about that as a stay at home mom! Every detail is just so perfect!

My dream for this EP is to get some of the songs licensed for TV & Film like I've done in the past with songs on MTV & Noggin! I'm also going to have it be sort of an introduction to the media & venues here in Sacramento to get to know me, since I'm new here. I'm also going to make a really fun/funny music video for my song "Mom Life" that I'm going to send to mom bloggers, mom conventions, mom YouTube folks & podcasters! Moms need so much encouragement, & I know the message will spread.

So here's to dreaming BIG & stepping out in faith! When it's God who is calling you, nothing will stop you! Seek out HIS will & don't be afraid when He calls you out! He wants you to use your specific story & gift to change the world. I want to be really vulnerable in this process, because none of us have it figured out! We need to know hey, if Heather can do it, we'll, maybe I can do it too! 😊