Riley Q

Music – Motherhood – Marriage – Mental Health | Listen to the Solidarity Podcast on Apple & Spotify🎙| Twitter & IG: @riley_quin

I had so much fun writing this last week, it's really pushed me to listen to a lot of new music to find what I was looking for!

Check out this week's picks!

“Maroon Five” – Spencer Jordan

https://youtu.be/vk-vhPwrYss

Genre: Pop

Spencer not only captured my summer love dreams but also managed to break my heart all in one song/video. This is a seriously catchy song and has been stuck in my head all week. The production is great, the lyrics are heartfelt and memorable and the music is simple and makes you want to dance and sing at the top of your lungs!

Follow him on Spotify, Apple Music, Twitter & Instagram to keep listening!

“Heartstrings” – Creature Comfort

https://youtu.be/67hPUHPwfvc

Genre: Indie Rock

Creature Comfort is kind of my new favorite band. “Heartstrings” is their newest release but don't sit on them, go listen to their past releases. I am currently listening to “Light Boy” and I feel like snuggling up with a glass of hot tea because these gorgeous harmonies are warming my soul.

Follow them on Spotify, Apple Music, Twitter & Instagram to keep listening!

“I Don't Think I Can Do This Again” – Mura Masa ft. Clairo

https://youtu.be/_wUIexMVG9k

Genre: Alternative

Clairo is a little more well known but is still in the “up & coming” category. Clairo brings a really fun alt twist to the pop scene with her tracks. This song specifically represents that with her unqiue voice distortion technique in the chorus and the time change at the end of the song. She just dropped a new album “Immunity” be sure to stream it!

Follow her on Spotify, Apple Music, Twitter & Instagram to keep listening!

That's it for this week but I am working on a Fall Vibes playlist! Send me all of your new favorite artists and suggestions on Twitter- @riley_quin.

Do you struggle with songwriting? Ever wonder how you get from a thought or feeling to a full blown bop? After eight years of songwriting I have learned a thing or two that I'd love to share!

1. Start with the foundations: Concept

In order to lay the foundation for a good song you need to establish the concept behind the song.

Verbalize - thoughts out loud (voice memos) or on paper (journaling).

~ What problems, experiences or thoughts have been on your mind?

~What thoughts do you just HAVE to get out?

~ Have a conflict with no resolution?

~ Feel like taking your anger or frustration out on someone?

Summarize - your thoughts to a few main points and moments.

You need to summarize and choose the moment you want to focus on. Take it a step further and break down the points from there.

Memorialize - Tap into memories and moments in your life that can add depth to your song.

Think back to the senses you experienced in those moments, within your surroundings- (taste, feel, smell, sight, sound).

2. Follow the six C's.

Now it's time to take the concept and develop your song.

Moments > Thoughts

Pull up your favorite song, is that artist singing about all of the girls he's ever been in love with? Is she singing about how bad her week was? Probably not. Rather they are probably singing about one singular moment. The moment they first locked eyes with the love of their life, the uncertainty, the fear, the excitement, the passion- that's what they're describing. Or maybe they're singing about a party they went to where they sat in the corner and felt like they were just a fly on the wall. They describe how lonely they feel, how they wish they could vanish into the air, how they wish everyone around them would realize they just want to have fun too. This is how good songs are written. When you take one singular moment from an experience and you describe it in such detail that the listener can embody it and claim the story as their own, you've got a hit. It's much easier to describe one moment than it is a whole series of moments. Now, this isn't to say you can't write songs like that, but they're few and far between. If you never written songs this way I encourage you to take a break from your usual routine and write about moments.

Build your melody via the senses exercise and establish the music based off the mood that is created.

Have you ever done the “senses exercise”? To get started, once you've chosen your topic and gotten it narrowed down to a moment, you're going to want to start thinking about that moment and describing it. What did you feel, taste, smell, sound, see? Get as specific as possible and let the poetry flow in at this point. You can start to establish the storyline and rhyming patterns if you choose to have one. (AB, ABAC, AABB, etc.) Remember that a solid song holds some sort of structure. You're going to want to start formatting your story. Typically a song is formatted as such:

As long as you're trying to keep the song between 3 minutes and 3:30 you can switch out or add in a pre-chorus, bridge, or an extra chorus or two.

Plant and care for the storyline.

Once you've developed your outline you want to make sure that you go back and tend to the plots, emotions and characters throughout your lyrics. Cut out unnecessary words and filler thoughts. Two good questions to ask yourself: “does this add or take away from the song?” “Is this necessary or is it just filling up empty space?” If it is not necessary or does not add to the song, remove it. The key here is that if it's a good line, put it in another note on your phone with other misfit lines, you never know when you could pull it for another song.

Hook

Hook your audience with a catchy melody. This can be a difficult part of the game but don't be afraid to get creative! Turn on voice memos and just sing. Sit down on the piano or pick up a guitar and doodle around. Play around until it feels right and you can't get the tune out of your head.

Make your listener feel like they wrote the song or like you're in their head.

When you get as specific as possible in your details you will captivate your listener because they will feel like you are in their head. They won't be able to stop listening because they will feel as if you sat down and wrote about their lives and the emotions they've felt.

Don't stop writing. For every 100 songs you write, you may get one hit. Keep writing. Keep pushing, keep sharing, keep breaking your thoughts down into little moments.

3. Tried & True Tips

  • Try and keep your songs at 3 minutes or under, you'll notice that songs that actually make it on the radio/playlists are usually that time. (We have short attention spans in the digital age.)
  • Write down everything. I mean it. When you're a songwriter random overheard conversations, lines on tv, thoughts, a sensory overload- it's all material. Write it down.
  • If you're writing everything down, it's going to get messy, right? In order to stay organized I created different folders within my notes on my iPhone. I have an overarching folder of “Songs” and then within that I have “Ideas”, “Work in Progress”, “Random Lines”, “Almost Done”, “Needs Music” and “Finished”.
  • If you don't like a line, don't stress, come back to it and change it later! Forcing it never goes well.
  • Show your songs to a trusted friend or family member, ask them if the story makes sense to them from an outside perspective (sometimes our brains naturally fill in the blanks and we don't even realize our writing doesn't make sense.) Be sure to ask them if they feel it's catchy enough/they grasp onto the hook. If it gets stuck in their head that's a great sign!
  • When writing music try not to write immediately after you've listened to music, you don't want to copy anyone else! With that being said, realize that everything has pretty much done at some point, what is your unique flavor and how can you put that twist on your song?

Want More?

Keep your eyes peeled for more music tips on Tuesday's! Copyrighting, taking your music to the next level, how to make money from music, it's all coming up! Be sure to follow my profile on Coil & follow me on Twitter so you don't miss a thing!

Coil Subscribers Only!

3 concepts that took my songwriting from meh to đŸ”„

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You never truly realize the things you love about your home state until you're living in a different one. I lived in Michigan for the first 18 years of my life. I moved to Tennessee the summer after my 18th birthday and I've now lived here for a year. Since that time I have realized that Michigan holds some of my favorite things in the world and it will always be my “home” home.

1. Cider Mills

I miss the cider mills more than anything. When I first moved here and knew that fall was quickly approaching, I began my search for a local cider mill. Nothing. Nada. Only a half pint apple orchard with bottles of apple cider for sale by the side of the road. I was devastated. In Michigan, the beginning of fall is marked by the grand opening of all of the local cider mills. The grandest are adorned with apple orchards for picking, pumpkin patches, country stores, corn mazes and the crowning jewel: the donut hut. Fresh, hot, homemade rolled donuts served with a side of freshly squeezed or freshly boiled apple cider. My mouth is watering right now. Much to my dismay, Tennessee does not have a single cider mill, forcing me to take yearly trips up to Michigan just to get my fix.

My first love ❀ and Dustin.

2. The Beaches

I have never been a huge fan of the ocean, too many unknown creatures, too big, too much. But Lake Michigan, that is another story altogether. With views as wide as the ocean and waves that remind you of the salty terrain you'd never know you weren't on the east or west coast. The beaches are beautiful and you can look left or right and see the skyline peppered with tall red and white lighthouses, marking the waters edge. Many summers I have spent playing in the lake. The water is warmer than the ocean, crystal clear and there are no worries that a shark, stingray or other ocean creature will come out of the depths and attack. Michigan has many, many lakes and the inland ones have their own set of perks, but nothing beats Lake Michigan.

3. The Mitten

For those who aren't familiar with Michigan, it is in most fondly called “the Mitten” due to its resemblance of a winter mitten. If you ask someone who lives in Michigan where they live, they will be quick to whip out their hand and show you exactly in the state where they live. I'm not sure why I miss this, I guess it's just the novelty.

4. The Seasons

When I moved to Tennessee I was so excited to get away from the horrible winters in Michigan. Only instead I was met with hell. Literal hell. Tennessee summers are no joke. They start in March and last through October. My favorite thing in the world was Michigan fall. It was crisp, clean, the leaves change to marvelous colors and the brisk air felt fantastic after the hot summer. I even loved the beginning of winter when you could pull out all of your sweaters and watch the first few snow falls- then I was done. If I could, I would take Tennessee's winter and spring and combine it with Michigan's summer and fall for the perfect weather all year long!

5. Detroit

Whenever I tell people I'm from the metro-Detroit area they cringe and usually apologize. Hah. They have no idea what they're missing. Detroit does have a rep for being dangerous but its changing, fast. Just in the past 10 years alone it has turned itself around and is on the uprise. Rent is increasing, specialty shops are popping up everywhere, the art and music scene is getting back to how it used to be in the 40's and 50's and the city is being restored. Are there still rough parts of town? Absolutely. Would I walk around alone at night? No. But man, Detroit is back baby and it's better than ever!

(Our Engagement at Campus Martius in the heart of Downtown Detroit.)

She thinks she rules my world

but what she doesn’t know

she’s just another star in one of my shows.

Yes, I put her there

it was all in my control-

I could’ve kept it all alive

but I chose to let it go.

She’s quite innocent, to say the very least

so I’ll just keep letting her play make believe.

Yes I know I’m clever & I come off as a ——-,

but I don’t really care as long as it all goes off without a hitch.

You think she cares about me, but actually she doesn’t.

So do you really think I’d be the fool & pretend I didn’t see it coming?

I’m smarter than that & that’s why you’ll never know

if you’re actually my friend or just another character in my show.

I’d rather it not be this way, truly I mean that

But let’s face the reality of it all- it’s them who pushed me to be this

It really is too bad, I couldn’t go another route

But when they make you into a star at 4- you don’t know how to run.

So thank you to my leaders who put me at the top

and thanks to all the children

who didn’t know when to stop.

& thank you to all of the notebooks

that fueled all of my charades

I’m glad I’m finally coming forth

as the writer behind the stage.

Growing up my Dad would sing old country songs while he cooked and cleaned the kitchen. Eventually I started singing along and harmonizing, it turned into a Sunday tradition. Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn and George Strait were just a few from our weekly rotation. My favorite was always “Deeper than the Holler” and was the song that my new husband and I walked out of our ceremony to. Enjoy! 💕

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=136641865087714636

I am an anxious person.

I get anxious about literally everything.

What to eat, what to wear, what to say, what to do, etc.

Not only for myself, but for others.

I get anxious about what they think about me.

I get anxious about the things they need or don't need.

I just get anxious and it has effected my relationships, both romantic and platonic.

Generally my conversations have always resembled this:

They're here until they're not.

And trust me, I get it, the “anxious friend” is not (always) the fun friend. But that doesn't mean we're not still human; that we don't need a bit (or a boatload) of love, understanding & patience.

I am really excited to start talking about my struggle with anxiety on Coil. It's a topic I haven't really seen touched on much, but when 40 million American adults deal with it per year, I think we might should touch on it.

Over the next few months I am going to be sharing about my struggles, experiences and some of the solutions I have come up with to help cope with the anxiety and depression I battle on a regular basis.

If you don't struggle with any kind of mental illness, that's awesome! I'm really happy for you. I still invite you to follow along with this series as I will be presenting solutions for those on the outside looking in and how they can better support friends and family who need a little extra love and support.

So how could that conversation have better gone?

Realistically, it makes sense to just “give up” on the person. They obviously don't hear you acknowledging them and really, you can't fix the problem, so it's easier to just walk away. Trust me, I get it. But rather than just walk away and risk further damage to the person who trusted you to talk to, here's how one might respond lovingly, while keeping healthy boundaries.

See? You're not abandoning your boundaries, but you are showing love and support. Most of us struggling with anxiety/depression KNOW that it's not easy to deal with us. We already feel like a burden. But we also know that if we don't reach out and talk to someone, we might self implode or hurt ourselves. So please, don't ignore someone who's trying to heal- walk with them whenever you can, but own your boundaries, your time, and your sanity.

I love good music.

What I don't love? How hard it can be to find good music.

There is SO much music out there and with thousands of songs coming out on a daily basis, it can be hard to find the good stuff or discover new artists. That's why I've decided to start this new segment: Riley's Radar. Every week I'm going to compile a few of my favorite songs and artists. Most of the songs will have come out fairly recently and I'm going to do my best to stick with smaller growing artists.

If you'd like to submit your own music for consideration, please send me a link: riley@rileyq.com

Without further ado, here are this week's picks...

“Down Low” (Stripped) – Lyrah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42_pYoOb-nk

Genre: Indie Pop

*Lyrah* is one of those musicians that I could keep on replay all day and I wouldn't get tired of her. Clever lyrics, vibey beats and a voice like butter.

Follow her on Spotify, Apple Music, Twitter & Instagram to keep listening!

“Stay” – Abraham Alexander

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TrZdOQr43A

Genre: Singer/Songwriter

*If you close your eyes* and just listen to Abraham sing you would think you're back in a Motown club in the 50's. He's got a classic sound that will stand the test of time. “Stay” is a classic song of self-reflection. The composition, although simple, is smooth and easy on the ears. These are the kinda vibes I want all day, every day.

Follow him on Spotify, Apple Music, Twitter & Instagram to keep listening!

“So Pretty” – Jenny Tolman

https://youtu.be/53NijngRj34

Genre: Country

Jenny is a perfect example of how Country music is turning itself around. Jenny is an exemplary story teller, she's got the voice of a bluebird and honestly, from the moment I heard this song, I haven't gotten it out of my head. “So Pretty” is a unique twist on the classic “I want your boyfriend” story that is often portrayed in country music. By the end you not only feel a great amount of respect for the singer but you are probably reminiscing about your own high school days.

Follow her on Spotify, Apple Music, Twitter & Instagram to keep listening!

Be sure to support all of these new artists & let them know that the Coil community is listening!

Until next week,

Riley Q ✌

Please note that these are simply my personal opinions. All of the information below is strictly from my own experience as a writer and content creator on Coil and other platforms! I am not guaranteeing any amount of success, XRP/USD or recognition from Coil by suggesting that you do any of these things. That being said, I do believe that this advice will help take your content from a 5 to a 9 (always room for improvement). With that being said, let's get to the good stuff!

Riley's 10 Keys to Success on Coil:

1. Grammar & Spell Check

There have been many times I clicked on an article only to be sorely disappointed by the lack of consideration put into the grammar and spelling. Now I understand, things happen, I make mistakes all the time, but that doesn't mean you don't put effort in. Please note that I am a natural blogger, so I tend to err on the side of casual writing and I can appreciate that style, but there's a difference between conversational blogging and trying to sift through a pile of errors.

Be sure to double check your grammar and your spelling before you click post. Additionally, avoid using texting shortcuts in your writing. It's fine when you're texting, but u look so lzy when u write like ths.

It's also important to note that Coil is not just for American users. That being said, it's important that you don't make reading English harder than it has to be for the users who aren't necessarily fluent.

If you don't have access to a word doc application on your computer, here is a [](https://www.grammarly.com/) great website that will do it for you!

2. Intriguing Headlines & Engaging Copy

The first time I posted on Coil, I copy and pasted a blog post I had written previously into the text section. I uploaded a photo to the header and then I got to the headline, I froze. I didn't want to be “click-baitey” that seemed slimey. I also didn't want to come off too desperate for attention. I ended up settling on a simple title from within the blog itself. From there I started to pour through online magazines and I took note of the types of articles that caught my attention because of the title. I also started watching my husband while he scrolled on his phone. I took note of the types of articles he clicked on. By doing this I learned how to write headlines that would serve two purposes.

1. Catch the attention of the potential reader.

2. Give them a taste of the content so they would know if it's worth their time.

Now that second part is important because that is how you start the process of gaining committed fans and followers.

Once you've got your headline figured out, make sure to edit your copy carefully. It's important that your copy represents your headline accurately and serves the purpose that you set forth. Every post you craft doesn't need to have the same structure, but your reader's attention span depends on some sort of structure and your Coil payment depends on that. Remember, the longer someone reads your article, the higher the payment you will receive. But if it's too long, you will lose their attention span and they won't be likely to click on your articles again.

3. Monetize & Maximize

This. Is. Essential.

When you signed up, you probably chose to get paid in XRP- great. Your payment pointer was automatically generated. Now all you have to do is log in to the XRP Tip Bot via Coil and you can manage your payouts. If you chose USD, follow the steps that were given to you when you signed up. If you have any trouble at all, contact customer service (they're kinda the best.)

Obviously, the more content you put out/that people enjoy, the more you will get paid, but for the average blogger, it's not going to be overly substantial. So how can you maximize this? Two ways.

  1. Monetize your other platforms. Via the settings tab under your profile, Coil allows you to connect your payment pointer (TipBot) to a YouTube channel and a Twitch channel, allowing you to monetize all of your content there. It also allows you to inject a code onto your website. Whenever a Coil subscriber spends time ingesting the content on your website, that will rack up XRP/USD.
  2. Apply for the Boost Program!

Ya'll. This đŸ‘đŸ» is đŸ‘đŸ» where đŸ‘đŸ» it's đŸ‘đŸ» at đŸ‘đŸ»

Once you get going on Coil, decide you want to really integrate it into your business model and you're seeing consistent upvote and follower growth, apply for the boost program! It's very easy to do and once you're accepted, you'll really start making money. It's glorious. To be completely honest, I was very skeptical of this program at first. I did not think that the payments were going to be substantial, especially for as small as my following is compared to some on this platform. Boy was I surprised! Not only have the payments changed my financial situation, they gave me a newfound energy to pour into the Coil community and create amazing content.

What qualify's you for the ?

“At Coil, we want to support creators who are publishing exceptional content and providing subscribers with a premium experience.”

+ Original Content

(See point #5 below if you're struggling with this one.)

+ Exclusive Coil Subscriber Content

(Use the 100+20 rule & integrate the split feature or mark some of your content as subscriber-only!)

+ Consistently Post New Content

(See point #6 & #8 below if you struggle with this.)

+ Follow Coil's “best practices” when creating content!

To learn more about the Boost Program and how you can be a part of it, check out this post from Coil.

To apply for the program itself, click here.

4. Break It Up!

There is nothing more annoying than a giant block of text. It's overwhelming and the chances that anyone will read it – very low. So how can you improve this? Simple.

Photos. Videos. Graphics. GIFS.

As you have seen displayed in this article- which is VERY long, but you're welcome for all of the nuggets – I have broken it up quite a bit. I focused on variating the text sizes and boldness for the major points and then slipped in beautiful graphics to break up the coloring! Not only does this give the reader a chance to breathe, but it allows their attention span to click “restart”. What does that add up to? More XRP/USD in your wallet. 😉

Click here to sign up for a free Canva account & start designing!

5. Share Original Content

You would think this would be obvious, but from what I've seen it hasn't been. Let me quickly shed some light on this subject. If you want to see this platform succeed, which I would think most of us do, you MUST consider the consequences of every action performed on Coil. For instance, if a new visitor stumbles upon the “Explore” page only to find videos they have seen on YouTube that don't even belong to you, articles from major news sites, or a picture of the weather forecast that week in your home town- they're most likely going to click that big red “x” button in the top left corner and be on their way forever. Right there you've lost a potential subscriber, fan, and that's money out of everyone's pocket. The platform will never succeed that way. So please, be considerate. Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't post an interesting article with commentary and added thoughts, I think if it pertains to your audience, that is perfectly fine. But please, do not post things JUST to post things. Rather...

I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings, but like I've said before, I care about this platform and its success. This leads me to my next point...

6. Choose Content Carefully

In order to be successful, you have to craft a community. One that will stand by you through your best and worst posts. You don't want to overwhelm people with SO much content that they can't take it all in and you don't want to produce more bad content than good. How do you find a balance?

Create a posting schedule for yourself! Rather than posting 8 pieces of content in a row on a Tuesday night, post once a day, or a few times a week. Not only will this keep your audience coming back for more, it won't piss people off when they go to the “New” page and all they see is your name, over and over and over again.

Seriously though. I would SO much rather create one amazing article that helped ten people than create five sub-par articles that didn't help or entertain a single soul. That's just me. But let me tell ya, this has changed the game on every platform I am active on.

7. Tweet!

CT (Crypto Twitter) is a very engaging and bustling community. If you participate regularly, share the love and outsource your posts to the rest of the world- you will see a major jump in your traffic! Keep in mind that this is really the only community who truly understands how the platform works and the technology behind it. As adoption begins to occur we will be able to break out of that shell and share with more and more people. Keep your eyes peeled for more on this later. 😉

Now obviously you can't tell how many of those people are or are not subscribers/the comparison to upvotes, but it can give you a general idea of how your headlines are doing & how intriguing your content seems to be! From there you can sort of tell how well the content does by how many people respond to it and share it on Twitter! Honestly the XRP corner of CT is the most loving and supporting community I've ever been a part of. Just stay out of the drama, follow the right people, be encouraging and be supportive!

If you're not already following me on Twitter, let's connect! I'd love to hear what point helped you the most!

8. Rotate Content

I understand that content creation can be overwhelming, especially when there's an expectation to crank it out multiple times a week for who knows how long! How do you plan long term? It's all in the categories my friend. The first step is to evaluate your brand and figure out what your fan base expects of you. Are you known for being an amazing chef? Obviously your audience is expecting posts about food. But how are you supposed to do 3 posts about food for.. forever? You're not. Rather, decide on 5-7 categories that are ever-changing, expanding and that you could write about regularly. For the chef example you could do Restaurant Recommendations, Favorite Recipes, Kitchen Tips & Tricks, Creating Concoctions (random pairings), Foodie Friday (reviewing new recipes), etc. All of these are varying, creative ideas that fall within the realm of the niche but will stand the test of time as none of these topics can ever truly run out! Choose one topic per day to rotate weekly or you could choose just a few topics to rotate weekly. Either way, you're creating brand-consistent content and releasing it on a weekly basis. Now you're creating quality content, consistently!

Click here to sign up for a free Trello account & get organized!

9. Niche Down!

Remember how we talked about the incredible donuts vs. the shitty donuts? This is the same thing- the quality matters. When you're trying to decide how to market yourself it's important to realize that niching down is actually VERY good for you and can actually increase your audience, unlike most realize. When word gets out that you have mastered a specific subject, the people who are very interested in that subject or who want to also master it, will flock to you. They will tell their friends who are interested and they will tell their friends. You will create a fan base and following that is exclusive to you. Plus, people will really trust you and value your opinion 10x more if you niche down and commit to building a specific community, making your content more valuable and your time and energy more coveted.

Take Hodor for example, he has been very specific about what he blogs about. He is VERY good at what he does, people know him for what he does and people follow him for what he does. He established himself as an XRP blogger and thousands follow him on Twitter and Coil [](https://coil.com/u/Hodor) specifically for XRP news and education. He niched down, he gained trust, he built a committed and solid community and he's reaping the benefits.

10. Just Keep Going

I was about 5 posts in on Coil when I cried to my husband. I was so tired of posting on platform after platform and not seeing any results. I was so frustrated and I honestly felt like giving up. Only a few days later I was sent an email stating that I was automatically enrolled into Coil's Boost Program. I received my first payment later that afternoon and since then my life has changed. I mean I literally am able to pour my time and money into my crafts and passions because of Coil. That, is insane to me. May I note, at the time of writing this, I have only exchanged about 23% of my total XRP earnings for USD and all of that still applies! (I'm telling you- they pay very well.) Had I quit when it seemed to make sense, I wouldn't be here right now. Had I quit making content when Instagram started going downhill- I wouldn't be here right now. Had I quit making music when no one seemed to like what I was putting out- I wouldn't be here right now.

Sometimes I still get discouraged. I see XRP barely moving and I question things. I see that sometimes my upvotes barely go up, I feel like I'm not good enough. I see that my followers are crawling up at the speed of a slug, I feel like I'm not liked. But here's what matters. It's going up. I'm working hard. There are so many people in my corner. Regardless, my worth is not dependent on how many likes, followers or upvotes I have. What matters is that I am helping people and I am growing and cultivating my big picture future with the time, energy and money I am investing.

It's okay to be overwhelmed, but just keep going. Don't give up. Keep creating, keep posting, keep engaging, keep investing.

Coil Subscribers Only ↮

đŸ”„ 3 SECRETS THAT HELPED ME STAND OUT ON COIL đŸ”„

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I have loved getting to know the XRP & Coil community on Twitter! I thought it would be fun to run a little segment where ya'll get to know me! Don't forget to tweet me and tell me a little bit about you!

I graduated from High School at 16 and decided to skip the college route. I didn't think it was necessary for me to go thousands into debt when I was perfectly capable of creating a wonderful career myself. I took time after High School to explore my options. I tried event planning, wedding planning, music, writing- but ultimately landed nowhere. When I decided to move to Nashville, I knew I needed a job, so I started my business: “Flourish”. I did social media management and content creation for influencers on Instagram. I quickly turned myself into a social media guru and started teaching classes on social media marketing! Over a year later, I have transitioned my business quite a bit to suit my needs and the path of music I am pursuing full time.

I fell in LOVE with New York City when I was a little girl. My favorite movie is “You've Got Mail” with Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks. It portrays New York City for all of its magical little details. Is it dirty, loud & over-populated? Yes- but I freaking love it. I was planning on moving there eventually and maybe one day I will, but as for now me and my little family are settled in middle Tennessee. That leads me to my next fact...

After I finally turned 18 my wanderlust kicked in BAD. I had to get out of Michigan! Seven months later I packed up and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. I knew one person and met my roommate the day I moved in. It was quite the adventure and frankly I was scared to death, but looking back, it was the best decision I've ever made. Speaking of which..

Only a month after I moved to my new home, I met my now husband, Dustin. After only 4 months of dating we got engaged and 3 months later we were married. It was a whirlwind, but I wouldn't want to do this life with anyone else! He is the best thing that ever happened to me and how I found out about Coil & XRP in the first place!

Along with my husband came: country life. I had always lived in the city and suburban areas, so this was all new to me. Once we were married I moved from the bustling Nashville cityscape to the wide open country, an hour south. It has been an adjustment to say the least, especially with the fact that I was going to move to NYC a year after I moved to Nashville! Since then, I have learned a lot about tractors, cows, small towns & tornadoes. But I have eaten a lot more pie & homemade ice cream which has made it all worth it!

I love coffee. Most days I run off of it. When I was 16 I worked at a small coffee shop for a year. It was a 3rd tier shop, so it was all class with VERY good coffee. That is where I learned to be a coffee snob and learned about the beauty of pour overs and fresh pulled espresso. On a day to day basis you can usually find me with an iced cold brew but I LOVE a good cappuccino.

In high school I was in a band called “AMITY”. I was one of the lead singers alongside 5 of my closest dudes. It was a HOT mess and we lasted all of 2 months. It was a super fun summer with one really bad show, but a lifetime of memories that I still laugh at today.

A few years later I formed a mini duo with a friend of mine. We played quite a few gigs and it was a blast. That was the summer I really started to fall in love with performing and knew I wanted to do it full time. He ended up joining the military and I moved to Nashville, so needless to say we broke up, but it was fun while it lasted.

Would I ever join a band again? No. But I am looking forward to the day where I get to build one to back me for large shows. There's nothing better than a group of people who love music and have a blast together!

Ya'll. I could eat donuts & ice cream every day. I am not kidding. It's bad- for my health & my waistline. Specialty donuts are my weakness. 5 Daughters in Nashville is my favorite kind- they're 100 layer donuts infused with their specialty fillings and topped with ooey gooey goodness. My favorite is the maple bacon. *brb I'm gonna go to 5 Daughters* Let's not forget about Jeni's ice cream – now that- I could eat three times a day. Needless to say- Nashville is a foodie's heaven and although I didn't go to college, I participated in the freshman fifteen.

I LOVE country music. Now, I know most people hate it, for good reason. I don't like trashy country music. In my opinion it's annoying and can be very demeaning, especially to women. But ya'll, country artists know how to tell a story. I grew up on artists such as Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, George Strait, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Reba- I have looked up to these stars and learned everything I know about writing from them. These are the artists who taught me how to see more in myself, who taught me how to dream, who taught me how to capture my feelings and my life in a song – and that's not something you can ever take away.

And finally, face number ten. If you made it this far, bless you. My day to day job right now, outside of writing for Coil & music, is graphic design & web design. Remember how I said I transitioned my business? Well, I quickly learned that I did not like managing other people's social media pages. I did not like being accountable to someone else's time zone and I really hated feeling like the success of someone else's business rested on my shoulders. Rather than shut the business down and give up altogether, I turned to consulting and design. I had gained quite a bit of experience with graphic design and web design through helping my clients build their businesses. I decided to turn this into my full time gig and I LOVE it! It's extremely flexible, I get to be as creative as I want to and I get to help my clients put their best foot forward!

Well that's all I got for now! Check back on Monday's for more stories from my life.

It is such a delight to be able to look at the world through a pair of eyes. The looking glass that every human being comes equipped with. It's a wonderful, beautiful thing. You have the ability to see, experience, live through everything with a renewed sense of sight. The world whizzes around & through us so quickly. So quickly, that with only one pair, two eyes, it is impossible to capture everything.

That is why I love pictures. Pictures tell a story that most would have never gotten to see had the moment not been captured. It's truly mind-boggling to think that billions of isolated 3D moments could be captured in a 2D image.

You notice things, like the carefully crafted freckles spotted amongst a child's nose or how the light reflects off of a beautiful girl's eyelashes. Water droplets around the base of a puddle, slowly morphing themselves into one. Cracked cement crumbled at the edge of a driveway leaving a cozy nook for a family of insects to live in. Most matter- not to be ordinarily noticed by the human eye can be seen through the fluttering lens of a still camera.

I love that the beauty of these photographs are not only derived from the hands of the photographer, but from the thoughts and the minds of someone greater, better, bigger. The only one who could have created such an extravagant, wonderful, lovely world that would be captured by such a beautiful human being- created by the same.

Humans truly are the most beautiful piece of creation ever created. So many different systems, parts, little details, all wrapped up into one person. Beauty marks are my favorite, an old term, yes, but an interesting one. A sort of facade within a statement. Most think of beauty marks as not so beautiful, but for those who are onlookers, we see them as something quite different. Beautiful, beautifully different; freckles. They grace the skin of those who embrace them, and those who don't. But those who do, they stand out among the crowds. Strong, fierce, stunning.

But you know my favorite thing about humans? They all have stories. Every single one of them has a story to tell. But it doesn't stop there. They have many stories to tell. Files upon files stored in their cabinet- embracing the different moments that grace their lives. Stories of joy, pain, triumph, defeat — stories. Sometimes I wish I could line the entire world up and just interview each and every one. I wish I could learn their history, their family secrets, their best day, their worst day. Not their opinions, not a political debate, just simply their stories. Anything that they want to offer. Whatever comes to their mind. Whatever is meaningful to them, I would want to hear it. It is too bad that I can't do that. But, what truly makes me happy is that as a writer and a consumer of photographs, I can get a taste of that. Never will I ingest the full pie as I may wish to have, but at least I can enjoy a piece. Life is short. Unless you decide to take a certain life filled path, it is even shorter, but I can tell you this for sure and for certain: I will tell as many stories as I can while I am here.

- Riley Q