FAC Insights: Resident Mind by Blue Rhythm (Episode 1)
FAC Insights is a forum for us to showcase and share long form pieces looking at various parts of the music industry and the society that shapes it. Pieces take the form of videos, interviews, discussions, articles and more. This week we are delighted to kick off our new FAC Insights series called Resident Mind, delivered by Friends of the FAC, Blue Rhythm. They represent leading professionals within the fields of mental health and substance use in order to facilitate treatment, support and resources for the music industry.
Blue Rhythm’s core aims align with the FAC goals of creating tangible change in the music industry. Blue Rhythm is designed for artists, to support them with issues that need to be handled sensitively and with utmost care. Therefore FAC were delighted to welcome Blue Rhythm onboard in 2020 as Friend of the FAC. As part of this partnership, Resident Mind series was created. There’s a time and a place for tough conversations, and more often than not, we can find ourselves holding back, trying our best to just carry on. Resident Mind is a 3 Part Series from the founders of Blue Rhythm. These episodes are designed to provide the FAC Community with tools to help navigate your life in music.
Resident Mind
The music industry requires a solution for a mental health and addiction crisis spanning decades - musicians are three times more likely to suffer from such issues, however, there is no industry-specific solution to mitigate this crisis at-scale. Today’s epidemic persists due to a support gap which Blue Rhythm seeks to help to fill, working to prevent artists from suffering alone. We focus on healing what is not necessarily visible, ensuring issues which can compromise both ability and success do not negatively impact a life in music.
In the Resident Mind series, we’ve created three episodes which provide useful tips and tricks for dealing with certain mental health and addiction issues. Each episode features our portfolio of medical professionals, who walk you through some of the challenges you may face as a member of the music industry. These episodes are designed to be short and straight to the point - we’re not here to waste your time. We created the Resident Mind series after growing tired of hour-long presentations which left us with more questions than answers. We wanted to make it easy for people to access support wherever and whenever. And lastly, we won’t lie, after nearly two years of COVID-19, we struggled to watch and listen to another grainy, distorted audio, zoom recording.
We are kicking the series off with this video on Performance Anxiety. Coach Will starts by walking you through what you might feel with performance anxiety, sharing key ways to help deal with challenging moments. Learn how to prepare for upcoming gigs, following a long stint of being unable to perform live, and in person.
This past year has had a whole lot of negative. It’s easy to understand why we might want to push past, only focus on the positives, soak up all of this manifestation-fascination bubbling around us and stay where the grass is just a bit greener. And that’s okay. For those moments when everything feels disjointed, or if you feel a bit off - this series is here for you. We want to make the lifestyles, the careers, in music safe and sustainable. But we also want to make things enjoyable. Part of the problem with ‘chasing the stigma’ of mental health and addiction, is that the march, the continuous fight, is long. And we don’t want you to have to wait.
It’s been almost a year since we started Blue Rhythm. Our goal is to set a new standard for mental health and addiction support across the music industry. We believe everyone should have access to support, in whichever way they see fit. This is why everything, and we mean everything, is anonymous. Your name is none of our business. What is, however, is providing the music industry with a network of experts who understand and have experienced the industry for themselves. Because who better to help support you, than someone who actually knows what it means to feel inexplicably alone after having just been in front of a teaming crowd.
Blue Rhythm was founded by Alexandra Williamson, a Texas native who eventually found her way to the UK. Alexandra’s reasons behind starting Blue Rhythm are a blend of personal and professional experiences. As a child, she grew up around addiction, witnessing first-hand the devastating effects it can have. Through everything, music became a place of refuge, and an anchor in difficult times. After going to 100+ gigs in one year, she was hooked, and determined to pursue a career in music. From working as a concert photographer among dense photo-pits, she went on to work for artists she was continuously inspired by, before eventually making the move to the UK and continuing her work in creative agencies.
As a fly on the wall, she began to see all too familiar patterns emerge around her. Substances were dolled-out as a way of not-so-gently pushing people to keep going, while the mental wellbeing of many seemed to be spiraling. After discovering how shockingly common it is for artists and industry professionals to struggle, and how little support there was, the idea for Blue Rhythm became impossible to ignore. In November of 2020, Jacob Øen joined as co-founder.
Through years of working on sets for Norwegian film and tv production, Jacob recognised many of the challenges Blue Rhythm sought to remedy, where more often than not he found himself playing makeshift-therapist for actors who turned to him in search of support. Following his MSc in healthcare technologies, and the challenges surrounding privacy protection of individual health data, Alexandra and Jacob set out to expand Blue Rhythm as a team.
Blue Rhythm represents medical professionals within the fields of mental health and addiction in order to facilitate treatment, support and resources for the music industry. Our confidential services provide a secure point of entry for artists and industry professionals to anonymously access pre-vetted, accredited experts who are not only accomplished in their fields, but have experienced the highs and lows of the music industry, first-hand. Redefining the traditional approach to mental health services, we streamline bespoke therapeutic support by catering to individuals and organisations alike. Blue Rhythm creates a way forward for those within the music industry to not only continue, but to thrive.
We are always interested to hear from you. Whether it be about the video series (what you liked, what you hated, and what you would like to see more of), or if you have any questions about Blue Rhythm.