Musical mentor: When singing becomes more than a hobby

Do you have something that you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Is it something that you find fulfillment or excitement in? Is it something you wish you could do more often? Is it something that you can use to help encourage others? Is it something you find yourself often daydreaming about you? Is it something that if given the option, you would make a career out of? Is it something that you would be willing to sacrifice in order to do more often or full time?

These are some of the questions I have asked and continue to ask myself along my journey in music.

Probably the most difficult question: “Is it something I am willing to sacrifice for?” This is often the defining question people ask themselves when they’re trying to figure out whether what they’re doing is a hobby or whether it’s something that they truly are passionate about.

My husband Terry and I owned a business starting in 2009. During this time, the Lord really began working on my heart and I made the decision to take a big step toward the dream I believed He planted in me.

After much prayer and a lot of internal struggles, we decided to put the business up for sale in the summer of 2013. While the business was still on the market, I took a huge step of faith and met with an amazing producer/songwriter/artist in Nashville, Tennessee. We collaborated and wrote some worship songs. The business was officially sold in November 2013 and I flew to Nashville the following February to record the songs we had cowritten along with others that I covered.

Selling the business and stepping into something that was not guaranteed was probably the biggest sacrifice my husband and I made. We knew that we no longer wanted to be business owners but we took most of the revenue we made from the business and put it towards my album — not knowing how it (the album) was going to do or what the next step was going to be.

I will admit that if singing wasn’t something that I truly was passionate about I probably would have quit and given up long ago. It’s hard work, it can be frustrating, it can be daunting and the rejection aspect that comes with it can be discouraging. But, in spite of all of that, the rewards are so worth it.

To be able to lead people in worship, to sing songs that speak directly to their heart or a personal situation they may be going through, to see chains being broken off of people through words that I am singing — that is what makes this all worth it.

That is what distinguishes the hobby from the passion for me.

Also check out: Musical mentor: Motivation is key to surviving the ‘middle’ ground

Danelle Cressinger is a singer from New Columbia. Contact her at danelle@danellecressingermusic.com or learn more at danellecressingermusic.com