“It’s almost too much – this idea of delivering this really incredible thing to people.

But it’s about taking those butterflies and getting them to fly in formation.”

10. Every Note is a Gift

Ben Landsverk

Hailed as a “prominent Portland composer” (Bloomberg Magazine) and praised for his “stunning prowess on viola and mandolin” (Willamette Week), Ben Landsverk is best known for his work as one half of the duo Wonderly.

Their compositions include numerous podcast/radio theme songs, including the New York Times’ The Daily and Cheryl Strayed’s “Dear Sugar Radio”; a number of indie film scores and soundtracks, including James Westby’s “At the Video Store” and Jon Garcia’s “Luz”; and three studio albums, “We Are”, “Story We Tell”, and “Wolves”.

Ben is the co-founder and creative director of Low Bar Chorale, and Voices Unlimited, a non-profit dedicated to providing an excellent chorale experience for neurodivergent adults.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

Episode Themes:

  • Multi-instrumentalism & curiosity — Learning instruments out of necessity and exploration; lifelong learning.

  • Authenticity vs. perfection — Embracing limitations, recovery in performance, resisting over-editing/auto-tune to preserve humanity.

  • Dealing with performance anxiety — Acceptance, therapy, reframing nerves as excitement, and audience-as-ally perspective.

  • Music as social change & healing — Music’s power to synchronize people, create shared humanity, and support communities.

Resources:

Questions for Artists:

  • How does my music (or work) serve others beyond self-expression?

  • What skill have I avoided learning out of fear?

  • When collaborating, how do I protect my voice while remaining open to others?

  • When collaborating, how do I balance client needs with my artistic integrity?

Want to dive deeper into your own personal artistry?

Click here to the download the journal prompt

Next

09. Happiness is a Skill (Jennifer Roig-Francolí)