And so it begins

Hi, I’m Amy.

I’ve played the harp since 1988. I love to make music, perform for people, give concerts and make recordings. I’m also a writer, a voracious reader and someone who borders on thinking way too much. I have a little house, a big garden, four harps, lots of books and three cats, and they all keep me busy, inspired and entertained.

Maybe you’ve never met me. Maybe you’ve seen me perform or enjoy my recordings. Maybe we’ve been friends for a long time. No matter — welcome to my blog and my musings on harps, music, gardens and life.

This blog got its official beginning on a January afternoon of this year. Brenda Flintrop of the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council called me and said, “I have good news for you – the board has awarded you the Artist Fellowship you applied for!”

I hung up the phone after thanking her and put my head into my hands in relief. Anyone who has written grants knows that it is a grueling process and lots of work. You get a beautiful picture of what you want to accomplish, and then you it into the hands of the good people on the granting board. And wait.

This time it was a happy ending. After several rejections over the past couple of years, I was starting to lose hope of getting more help to forward my career. This Fellowship is exactly what I needed to get things moving. So, forward!

The Fellowship project was to redesign and update my website, www.amykortuem.com. The existing website was was…fine. But over the years, it had been updated and pieced together and added to by several very kind and very techy friends, and it didn’t have a cohesive look. And that look certainly wasn’t “me” anymore, nor was it representative of what my music and I are all about.

I’ve been working with VoyageurWeb to get the design of the site down (it’s gorgeous!), and to get the content updated. New photos, new music samples, new ways to interact with people. Yvonne Cariveau, my good friend and the owner of VoyageurWeb, suggested that one of those ways to interact with people who are interested in me and my music would be…a blog.

“A blog?” I asked. “How will I find enough to talk about?” Yvonne laughed out loud and told me she had no doubt I’d find plenty of things to talk about. I’m not going to read too much into that comment.

And so now the blogging begins. I’m looking forward to sharing about what I’m up to, what I’m working on, new music, life and lots of thoughts along the way. I hope you’ll enjoy this little insight into my creative world and all its aspects and that you’ll come back to visit me here often.

I welcome all your comments and can’t wait to hear from you.

Amy