where the spirit has been like, ‘OK, we
have a quick message for you.’”
Finding Their Stories
Emma G helps teens discover these
messages through sharing their
own stories—but unlocking those
instincts can be a delicate balance.

“The kids [I work with] know that I’m
there with knowledge to impart, but
quite often, they don’t recognize the
knowledge that they have to impart,”
she says. “And that’s why songwrit-
ing is so beautiful and so key to this
journey that I take them on. It’s about
helping them to recognize the power
of their voice, the importance of their
voice and the validity of what they
have to share.”
Part of that involves collaborat-
ing with them as an equal, she says,
“especially with teenagers and young
people because… they’re trying to
find how they fit in; they’re trying
to figure out a space for themselves, and if
they’re being told, ‘I’m the adult. I’m the
boss. You listen to what I say,’ they’re going
to fight back.”
“When you give those kids the space
between those four walls—and it’s a safe
space—it’s OK to let your spirit self emerge
at least for five seconds. You can build a
song around some pretty quick visits,” she
says with a laugh.

As a street performer before the pan-
demic, Emma G also found ways to leave a
safe space for others, however briefly.“When
you’re a street performer, it’s very
much about studying people: making
sure you’re safe, making sure you’re
connecting with people, making sure
you speak to their pain points when
you’ve got five seconds of interaction
as they’re walking past you,” she says.

With lyrics like, “Open your mind
won’t you dream a little bigger/ Open
your eyes won’t you see a little big-
ger/ The chains that once caught you
in their teeth can’t hold you down/
So open your mind won’t you dream
a little bigger” from her hit song,
“Be Brave,” it’s hard to imagine not
feeling a spark of courage and joy in
her presence.

For teens and children looking
for inspriration, Emma G and Ross
encourage them to find ways to
use art as a tool.“We live in a world
that’s constantly telling us who to
be, how to act, and how to show up,”
says Emma G. “But in a world that’s
constantly telling you these ‘put you in
a box’ messages, it’s important to recog-
nize you hold the pen. Don’t let the world
write your song.”
To learn more, visit emmagmusic.com and
storytapestries.org. T
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