It was a long day of filming the Try Hard Life series in Charlotte. Several friends and family members were gathered there for the day to help us pull it off. We took a break for lunch.

As I tried not to spill salsa on my pants, I listened to Dad and Reeve talk in the kitchen about how her dad makes guitars. They talked more about music and he asked if she writes her own songs.

She said she did and he asked her what she likes to write about.

And then, the question musicians always hear, and depending on their personality, they either long for or dread:

Would you play a little something for us now?

Her face turned red and she smiled small, shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room. Was she waiting for someone to object? No one did.

We had the time and my brother in law had an old guitar. She settled in to her place on the sofa and we continued to eat as she began to strum.

Time stopped a little and we held our breath. Lucky for you, the camera was rolling.

Reeve singing Night Owl.

Reeve took us on a four minute trip into her soul. We were quiet there at the end simply because we hadn’t come back yet.

She could have said no, but I think she would have regretted it. We would have regretted it, too.

When an artist chooses to be generous, everyone wins. Even though she wrote the song about her own life, we could all somehow relate to it. The more personal you are with your art, the more generally it applies to those who are there to receive it.

It seems counter-intuitve, I know.

Add more of yourself to your work – more of your personality, preferences, and desire. The more we see you, the more we’ll see ourselves.

Go here to learn more about Reeve’s music.