Musical Alchemy: The Magic Unleashed When Two Creatives Click!
Embracing collaboration, emergence, and creative play
I like to imagine my life as a Gobstopper — each layer representing a level of system I exist in.
The core is my inner well-being, the next layer is close relationships, then workplace, neighbourhood, city, country, and beyond. This is why I always struggle with answering 'How are you?' Well, it depends on which layer of life!
If I were to draw Gobstopper of 2024, it would have looked something like:
After declaring “Recovery” as my theme for 2025, the inner layers have been looking dramatically brighter:
Over the past few months, life has felt more gentle, joyful, and nourishing.
Some of this comes from intentional routines, like mood-boosting Aquafit (a surprisingly great workout) and hot tub hangs with friends.
Much of it, however, is thanks to wonderful, unexpected happenings, like my collaboration with Tristan Waley — composer, producer, and musician extraordinaire.
What began as a spontaneous reply to a Facebook post has blossomed into weekly jam sessions and a whirlwind of recordings.
In less than two months, we’ve drafted sixteen songs and are still going strong. We’re both delightfully surprised by our momentum.
Whether it’s in music, dance, workshop design, or other creative endeavour, it’s rare to find a kindred spirit who you just click perfectly with. It takes a high degree of mutual respect, trust, complementary skills, and the courage to experiment. When I’m lucky enough to find this, it’s hard not to get excited.
It helps that Tristan is incredibly good at what he does — crafting beautiful arrangements that lift my vocals to a whole new level. He also has a gift for discovering refreshing approaches to familiar songs. My heart melts each time I hear a track he sends over.
We began our collaboration without expectations or an end goal in mind, giving ourselves the freedom to follow wherever our curiosities lead us. I’ve been enjoying this chaotic journey through all phases of the creative process — jumping between divergence, emergence, and convergence.
We’ve been in a continuous state of creative play — throwing spaghetti at the walls, seeing what sticks, iterating over and over. I’ve learned to not be so precious with ideas. If we have a hunch about a song approach, we try it. If it’s not working out, we move on.
Creating music is a lot like painting - there are limitless themes, styles, and textures to explore. It’s been a joy to experience each other’s artistic sensibilities and develop our unique sound as a duo. I’m thrilled by what we’ve co-created so far — I can’t stop playing our recordings on repeat!
Blending our creative energies and transforming them into something greater has felt like musical alchemy.
On a more personal note, this collaboration has been quite healing. Despite singing my entire life, releasing my first song, and even putting on a concert, I’m still unraveling deep-rooted limiting beliefs around making music.
Working with an encouraging creative partner like Tristan is helping me expand my boundaries and build confidence in my voice. Having cheerleaders like Aman, friends, and family has also been a huge help.
Thanks to all of you for creating such fertile soil for me to grow in.
I’ve found that the most magical things unfold when we follow what lights us up.
This may feel like a spark of joy, a wave of curiosity, or a gentle pull towards certain people. It’s what led me to this collaboration, and I’m excited to see where it takes us. The journey itself has been more than fulfilling.
For now, Tristan and I are deep in the process of creating our first album, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I invite you to check out Tristan’s music and follow him on Instagram @tristanwaley. If you’ve been wanting to learn piano or songwriting, he’s also an experienced teacher who offers lessons in Toronto and online.
You can also find me on Instagram @radiantfancy where I occasionally post music, art, and event info.
Upcoming event!
Applied Rationality Toronto: A Systematic Approach to Emotions
Sunday March 30, 2-4pm | Toronto
Our emotions influence our perception of ourselves and reality. How can we consciously navigate through our emotions, see with clearer eyes, and make wiser decisions?
Applied Rationality Toronto has invited me to share a talk on “The Cycle of Emotions” - a simple yet powerful tool I’ve been using for years, based on wisdom from Nyingma Buddhism and teachings by Hans Krueger.
The event is now full but you’re welcome to join the waitlist.
Creative Inspiration
Memories of “Art Night and Cozy Tunes” (February Edition)
So many of you braved the snowy weather to create in community. It was a joy to see old friends and meet new ones. Thank you again Bampot Teahouse for the perfect gathering space.
Together we sang, jammed along with instruments, painted, sculpted, coded, invented new recipes, journaled, wrote songs, improvised poetry, crocheted, and connected. I came away nourished and inspired! (Click image to see what attendees made)
Hope to see you at our next one on Monday April 28, 7-9pm. I’ll post the RSVP link on Instagram soon.
📖 Finding Your Authentic Self: An Illustrated Journey to Well-being
A picture book for adults. A healing balm for those feeling frazzled or burnt out. A gentle guide for a more radiant existence.
Thank you to everyone who’s ordered a copy and left a review. Your support means a lot to me and helps the book reach even more people.
This song is beautiful!
I feel in celebration of your creation energy and all the gifts in the world that come from that, Jessica!
“I’ve found that the most magical things unfold when we follow what lights us up.” Yessssss! When we tap into the deepest part of ourselves, there is a well of creation. Because life itself is the impulse to create. Such a beautiful journey Jessica and wow- beautiful singing too! What a gift, so glad you are sharing it. 💜💜