“The goal of being human is to shine and grow as gorgeous as we can be.”
You’ll often find mottos to live by in singer-songwriter Valerie June‘s words. In her multifaceted career as a bestselling author, acclaimed songstress, and arts educator, she brings a creative’s perspective to the ever-evolving discussion of mindfulness.
Valerie June’s career spans many years with five critically acclaimed solo albums and contributions to legendary artists such as Mavis Staples and The Blind Boys of Alabama. She received her first Grammy nomination in 2022 for the song “Call Me A Fool.” Her work has been featured on The Tonight Show, and on publications such as Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. Valerie is also an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller with her poetry collections Maps for the Modern World and Light Beams: A Workbook for Being Your Badass Self.
The common thread throughout all her work? Being mindful.
“What makes a person be there in that moment — even when you know so many things in the world are unjust and not right? How do you shift your energy to a more mindful space?”
Chicago audiences will have the opportunity to experience such a space as Valerie takes the Old Town School of Folk Music stage for a sold-out show on August 25th, 7:00 pm. That particular stage suits the artist’s practice well, she reflects. “It’s one of those venues with such a sweetness to it.”
Making time in a busy stretch of touring and ahead of her appearance in Chicago, Valerie checked in via Zoom to discuss music, mindfulness, and navigating life.
WFMT: You wear a lot of hats in your career: musician, poet, mindfulness instructor. How do you balance these avenues of creativity?
Valerie June: Well, I more than anything am a creative. I don’t choose what to focus on at a particular time. I just feel the energy and whatever comes to me.
Whether it’s gardening, cooking, sewing, or playing music, I have a lot of things that I do creatively — some of which I don’t share with the world. However, I do share with fans the things that I really want to have out there on the world stage.
I also do so many different genres and styles, all of which come from my ancestors. So no matter what this job can be — if I’m playing in my garden, or on stage, I can’t separate myself from it.
WFMT: Turning to your work as a mindfulness instructor, how would you describe this practice to those who aren’t familiar with it?
June: Mindfulness to me is being present and in the moment of whatever it is you’re doing.
It’s being so in the moment that you don’t miss the fact that there was a tiny little flower growing between the cracks in the sidewalk. You could be brushing your teeth mindfully or walking down the street mindfully.
Sometimes I do readings of my kids book at schools, where there are sometimes over a thousand students in attendance. I try to show them how to dream — how to live magically and how to take that all the way to ninety-six years old like my grandmother, or one-hundred like my neighbor Mr. Carter.
WFMT: Your recent single “I Sit and Sew” features the line: “I sit and sew—a useless task it seems, My hands grown tired, my head weighed down with dreams—” Where does this line come from? How does his line connect to your spiritual practices?
June: That poem is written by Alice Dunbar, a beautiful poet from many, many years ago.
I find something gorgeous about this idea to keep pushing toward that top of the soul and the light — because the seed is always seeking the light, even when it’s in the darkness, it’s always seeking the light. And then one day it flowers.
I’m a woman of color who can walk in the front of many places and can go to the restroom and am not told to go to the colored area. And of course we still face our challenges here to this day. It’s just that there are ways that time has shifted and people have become more loving.
So it’s an interesting poem. Especially because it says, “I sit and sew.” And many people do mindfulness practices in just that way.
WFMT: As you’re pushing in your career, what are some challenges you’ve faced in your awareness journey?
June: I’ve been on the road for a decade now and have been living my life basically out of a suitcase. So, that’s learning that I won’t have the same cushion to do meditation on every morning. I’m going to be in motion flying to a new city or in a car heading to the next gig. I had to create practices that go with my lifestyle.
There’s my car mindfulness meditation; my walking meditation when I arrive at a venue before a show; and the dancing meditation just for fun.
I try to break them into ten minute movements. So, if it’s a really busy day and all I have is ten minutes, then I take that time while I’m on the plane to recenter myself.
I also consider it a treat to do breathwork when I’m in the busiest part of my day — because I can be running down New York Street or boarding a plane all frazzled, but then say:
“I’m okay”
“Breathing in, I am home.”
“Breathing out, I am home.”
And as I start to go home—which comes between every breath to me—I start to recognize all the sounds of the world and the kindred spirit that I have with others.
I do keep going because it’s fun for me. I enjoy it. And I guess one of the ways I stay grounded is I still hear the voices. I still get these downloads of inspiration. But the biggest thing is I have the best fans in the world. I do, and they’ve been with me for decades! We’re growing together and I love that.
WFMT: Why is music fit for mindfulness practices?
June: You got this thing called the blues and you share this music in a color form. You bring together all these dark things, and you shift it through playing music. It’s just this magic, If I ever did see it.
WFMT: And what music from your discography would you pick for a mindfulness soundtrack?
June: There’s two for that: “Home Inside,” which is from the Moon and Stars and “Astral Plane,” which is from the Order of Time.
So those are my favorite ones.
Valerie June performs at the Old Town School of Folk Music on Sunday, August 25 at 7:00 pm. The show is currently sold out but for more information, and to join the waiting list, visit oldtownschool.org.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
