The town of Valensole is home to the most beautiful lavender fields throughout Provence. Waking up early to watch the sunrise as well as coming out for a picnic on the fields for dinner until sunset is the most magical experience that needs to be on your bucket list!

Monarchs travel several thousand miles every year migrating from Canada, through the U.S., and finally ending up down in Mexico for the cold winter months every year. Their migration journey coincides with Día de los Muertos on November 1st, so they have come to symbolize the arrival of all the souls that have passed.

What a dream it was getting to follow the butterfly migration down south to Michoacán. It felt like a fairy forest! It was quiet and serene once we got to the top. The sounds of wings fluttering and birds chirping were unlike any other feeling of stillness.

That’s when I had an epiphany. What I was doing before, with my job, I wasn’t happy with. It was not something I truly wanted to do or something that truly brought joy. It felt like I was just letting my life go by, like so many of us do. So I decided to do something that scared me. I’m going to start my business. It’s risky because it’s new, it’s different, and I knew I wouldn’t be earning money for quite some time. I thought the best thing I could do was just jump in and dive in right away. That’s the day I decided that I was going to start telling my story…

Sometimes it’s really easy to feel like being a musician is a selfish thing, because you have to constantly promote yourself. It’s easy to forget that the reason we do it is not just so that we can make a living, but so that we can share the beauty of what we do, as string players, with others. It’s a universal language. Everybody has a story. Everyone goes through things, and when people do things that can help you move through those phases and encounters in life, it’s a very powerful thing. Reminding myself that is important because it’s not purely a selfish endeavor, it is for trying to help the good of humanity.