“Sharing what I love, coffee in hand” — Chantal

I met Chantal outside on a sunny day in Denny Park Seattle. She was part of a panel that would decide wether or not I was a good fit to the busking program. Everyone there radiated warmth and joy and so it was quite a view to have. That was my first time performing my songs in front of people and I remember the nerves and the smiles and the beautiful sky Denny Park was under that day.

I met her again at Cal anderson park in Capitol Hill. This time she was helping me set up for my 2 hour busking set with the brightest smile I ever had seen in-person. She shared her stories with me and I couldn’t stop smiling out of glee. I learned that she is a big fan of BTS and that she would travel go to the live concerts they did. I remember the gleam in her eyes as she talked about the fun of it all.

At Pioneer Square Park, I came to learn that Chantal liked to create art and that she played the clarinet also. One day I was wrapping up my single for the holidays project “pre-requisites” to be published on streaming services. I felt overwhelmed after sitting at the desk on the computer for so long and so I took a break from it and opened instagram on my phone. One of the first things I saw was Chantal’s post showing her recent watercolor art alongside her usual cup of coffee. There was two pieces in the post and one of them caught my eye and hung onto it. I let out a laugh because it seemed too good— the colors, the words, the pockets, the paper, the bleeds, the timing.

I was so happy when Chantal welcomed the idea of using that piece of art as the cover for my single for the holidays “pre-requisites” song.