I am so grateful to have had so many performance opportunities so far this year!

In April, I performed at Tuvalu Coffeehouse & Gallery.

Allison Merten at Tuvalu Coffeehouse

In May, I performed at Hop Haus Brewing Co.

Allison Merten at the Hop Haus

Also in May, I performed at Fisher King Winery.

Allison Merten at Fisher King Winery

At the beginning of this month, I performed at Bos Meadery.

Allison Merten at Bos Meadery

Next week, I have the opportunity to perform at PaintBar Madison. The details are as follows:

• Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016
• Time: 7pm-8:30pm; Echelon String Quartet 8:30pm-10:00pm
• Address: 1224 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

I am so grateful for all of my performances opportunities, and I am so excited to finally be performing so regularly! Performing for others, makes me feel so alive! It brings me great joy to share my love of music with others! ❤

In the past, I have written about finding a balance in order to keep music a part of my life. (Read about that here.) And, with all the time I invest in preparing for my shows, booking shows, and performing, now I am trying to find a balance between my music and the rest of my life. 😛 Particularly, my social life! 😉

Some people have hobbies/passions that don’t interfere with their social life; sometimes, those hobbies actually give them more of a social life. For example, for people whose hobby is sports, they can join a sports league and make new friends and spend time with friends during practices and at games.

On the other hand, for me, it is different. When I practice, it is a solitary activity. When I perform, I have the opportunity to share my love for music with groups of people, but my opportunity to actually socialize with people that attend my performances is limited to before and after I perform. 😛

So what is the secret to having both an active social life and an active hobby? 😉

I love performing! I also love spending time with people. 😀

I am still trying to figure out how to keep the balance in my life, but I am so excited that music is finally not the part of my life that gets put on the back burner. ❤

Wishing all of you the perfect balance! May you figure out a way to pursue your passions and also keep your social life alive! 😀 And if you figure out how to do that, please let me in on it. 😉