Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Reed.
Kristen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My mom, who passed away in 2009, taught me how to read and write when I was three years old. Almost as soon as I could write, I began crafting stories. As a child, I’d scrawl stories that were only a couple of sentences long on whatever paper I had in front of me and feel REALLY accomplished. Haha! Since then, having great teachers, reading good books, working with editors, and using other resources has helped me sharpen my skills enough that writing is a part of my everyday life.
In terms of music, I spent my early twenties working for a Canadian music company by helping produce and judge battle of the band’s concerts in Dallas. I also began interviewing bands for their website and eventually for a few others in the area. It was really cool getting to hear about how bands like The Maine, The All-American Rejects, and Set It Off created music, stirred up inspiration, and cultivated relationships with one another and their fans. But I eventually stopped doing concerts, reviews, and interviews to focus more on my corporate career and my newfound faith in Jesus Christ.
Through a series of unexpected events and connections, I wound up producing a local concert for the band Disciple to raise money for Restored Hope Ministries, a local safe house for sex trafficking survivors, earlier this year. Once the show was over, I felt God urging me to go back to music. As I was processing and praying through that, one of the women who helped me with the Disciple concert reached out and asked if I’d be interested in starting our own music company or nonprofit. From there, we started Finding Hope Music Festival!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? What advice do you have?
Things haven’t been easy, but I’ve been fortunately enough to have women in my life who lift me up and challenge me. Specifically, I’ve been in a community group through Watermark Community Church for over six years. They encourage me to do what I’m good at, call me out when I’m giving in to my struggles, and point me to biblical truth so I don’t get lost in my own feelings. Even though that means having hard conversations, it also means that I’m known and loved by women who are more like sisters instead of just having drinking buddies or women who I can go to concerts with. I highly suggest this for everyone no matter what you’re passionate about.
You also need to learn how to seek and accept feedback. When you put your work out there, you open yourself up to lots of opinions. The key is being humble enough to ask for constructive feedback—whether it’s from an editor, a peer, or a friend. Implementing that feedback or at least thoughtfully considering it can help you become better at whatever your craft is. After all, no one is perfect, so we will ALWAYS need improvement.
On the flip side, you also have to know when NOT to act on what people say. Not everyone will like what you’ve created whether because it’s because of differing preferences or contrasting beliefs. There are also people who will never be pleased no matter what you do because of their own personal brokenness, but your goal isn’t to please other people. Because of my faith, I believe that God calls us to faithfully use our gifts and talents to glorify Him. That doesn’t necessarily mean putting crosses in every painting or quoting scripture verbatim in everything you write. It means executing your craft with excellence—creating what is beautiful and saying what is true with love. When you commit to doing that each day, it’s easier to trust how God chooses to refine and use your skills and talents.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Finding Hope Music Festival – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
What makes us different is that even though we put on intimate concerts and plan to have a music festival with an amazing line-up, music is just a tool that we’re using. Our goal is to connect people with mental health resources and help them realize that they aren’t alone or unloved. We also want people to know where true hope is found—in Jesus Christ. Because of His death and resurrection, we have forgiveness for our sins without works being required, and we can have hope that this broken world and the anguish we experience is temporary. One day, pain, death, and sickness will be distant, unrepeatable memories, and the brokenness we experienced in our lives will seem like vapor in light of eternity. And I’m not saying that as someone who’s had an easy life. In my thirty-three years, I’ve dealt with abuse, loss, heartbreak, depression, anxiety, health issues, and more, but I still believe that God is good and has a plan for the world’s redemption.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
I think women have an opportunity to reject some of the false dichotomies and confusing narratives that the media and society have created. You can be a champion for women without putting men down. You can be an amazing mother and a strong woman whether you stay at home or kick butt in corporate America.
Also, your value isn’t tied to what you look like, how much you weigh, what your relationship status is, how much you make, or how many children you have. You are precious and have immense value because you were created in God’s image to do good works. Those works don’t save you, but they give your life meaning, purpose, and focus.
Lastly, if you need some inspiration about how to be a woman after God’s heart, Proverbs 31 illustrates this really well. The multifaceted woman described there was industrious, empowered, wise, caring, skilled, and faith-driven. Because of that, she was a blessing to her family. While not everyone woman is called to be a wife and mother like she was, those are still great qualities to emulate. I also love that you can cultivate all of them without competing with other women in an unhealthy way or putting down men. You can lift up and care for others by growing into the woman God created you to be whether that means being a businesswoman, a homemaker, or something equally awesome.
Contact Info:
- Website: kristenreedauthor.com
- Instagram: @kristenreedtx
- Other: findinghopemusicfestival.org
Image Credit:
Danielle Marie Porter
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