“I had to discover who I was without a cello—I had to find a new identity.”
– Emily Ann Peterson, Songwriter, Podcast Host, Teaching Artist
To an artist, her art means the world. It was no different for Emily Ann Peterson. Playing cello was second nature to her. For two decades, she had been earning her living as a cellist and cello teacher. Everything seemed to be going pretty well, but life had other plans for her.
The Diagnosis Altered Her Life Forever
Emily was a full-time cellist, teaching students of all ages when in 2013 she was diagnosed with degenerative neurological hand tremor. And it was in her right hand, her bow hand, which severely restricted her ability to play the cello. Her entire life and community all revolved around playing the cello. This disability, consequently, altered her life and career forever.
Emily couldn’t depend on playing cello anymore. Therefore, she had to discover who she was without a cello—she had to make her mark, again. And, she did.
Learning About Bravery
Dealt a hard blow by life, Emily never thought of giving in. Refusing to lose her life’s love of expression, she knew she’d have to be brave. In an act of neurological defiance, she broke through her creative glass ceiling, opening the door to limitless possibilities through songwriting.
Emily was always an artist, and she had to find a way to express herself. Eventually, she found her new calling in writing songs. She spent six weeks in the mountains writing songs and coping with her new reality. Writing songs also planted seeds for a memoir, a self-help book. Her disability had opened new vistas for her.
Emily learned what bravery actually is. She discovered the 12 ingredients of bravery and how to completely “show up” in the world—learning to cope with all of life’s challenges.
Emily’s 12 ingredients of bravery include: Vulnerability, Imagination, Improvisation, Context, Measure of Risk, Honesty, Intuition, Friction, Power of Choice, Defiant Expectation, Vision of Possibility, and Constraints.
Teaching Others How to be Brave
After the diagnosis, Emily did a lot of introspective writing, which led her to many interesting conversations with people. That led her to write a book, Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous. Through her book, Emily helps people from all walks of life understand what bravery really is, thereby allowing them to step into it by creatively using vulnerability, imagination, and improvisation.
She also hosts a podcast, Bare Naked Bravery, which features conversations with everyday heroes and creative entrepreneurs about the quiet successes and loud failures required to do the brave things.
