Meet Avery Hellman | Singer-Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Avery Hellman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Avery, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from Northern California, and I grew up in a mix of country and city. I spent a lot of my time riding horses when I was a kid. So when I was becoming an adult, I had a dream of becoming a rancher, an environmental rancher specifically. Fortunately I had all of this experience working with horses riding trails and training, and so being out on a cattle / sheep ranch was a natural transition. But once I began ranching I felt there was still something more that I wanted — to express myself through art. I figured, what’s a better job to do than farming and ranching for inspiration as an artist. So I decided I would be a sort of rancher-environmentalist-songwriter. It turns out that the songwriter part of that worked out better than the rest, so I’m sticking mostly to that these days.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m most proud of the long focused hours I’ve put into developing my “voice” as a writer and a musician. I have tried to listen to my inner self that is often hidden to hear what it had to say, and it has surprised me. It was certainly not easy to find that time and the confidence to put in effort. However, something I could always come back to was my love of writing. No matter how hard a session of songwriting was, I always felt closer to myself at the end of it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that the element of my work that is most important is songwriting, and that I need to consistently rededicate myself to the trust that the long hours spent will be noticed by the listener. I want people to know that I care about each word and melody and the delivery of each line, because I want to immerse a listener into a world where they can feel the present moment more deeply.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in the Sierra Nevada mountains now, so I would take them out to Elko Nevada to visit the Western Folklife Center, and we’d eat dinner at The Star Hotel and Bar, and then camp up in the Ruby Mountains. I’d take them to swim in the American River in the Sierra foothills (once the water was low enough to be safe), then out to eat in Nevada City. I’d take them on a walk in the small town of Markleeville, and a drive down to Bridgeport where we could go to the hot springs. And if we had the time, I’d take them down to the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur to pick up a book, then finish with an Italian meal in Carmel.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When I was starting to pursue my own life I got a copy of The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich. It is a non-fiction book about Wyoming and the life of ranchers and farmers. The book was simple and vivid. I was trying to find my place in the world, and didn’t feel that the city suited me. After all, where were all of the cowboys in a big ole city? Where was there a place that I could find where I would matter? Reading Ehrlich’s book made me feel like there was a kind of a person, a rural artist, that I could become and be proud of. Someone with stories to tell about a world that was quiet yet kinetic. Somewhere outside of my suburban upbringing. I’ve been pursuing that ever since.

Website: www.ismaymusic.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ismaymusic

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ismaymusic

Youtube: www.youtube.com/ismaymusic

Image Credits
Aubrey Trinnaman Ismay 2, Credit: Aubrey Trinnaman IMG_7880 copy, Credit: Daniel Strickland IMG_3103, Credit: Avery Hellman DSC02136. Credit: Evan Lanam Watchhouse Duo – Center for the Arts 004230, Credit: Trenton Branson