Artist in Residence: Carrie Newcomer

At 43, Carrie Newcomer still has a little "wander" left.

Newcomer, who will be coming to EMU next week as "artist in residence," has been touring nationally as a folk singer/songwriter since she graduated from Purdue. Although she has performed in such prestigious settings as Carnegie Hall and the World Festival Theater in London, she also enjoys the opportunities of performing in small towns. "Every area has its own personality," she said.

Newcomer estimates that she is out on the road approximately one third of the year. She did 115 shows for her last album, including all the traveling necessary to make tour arrangements. On the off years-between albums-she does not travel as much. When she is not on the road, Newcomer stays at her home in Bloomington, Ind. where she and her husband live in a woods just outside of town. Having a place to come home to has been important to Newcomer through her travels.

Newcomer says she has learned to write in every setting from airplanes and hotel rooms to local coffee shops. Inspiration is everywhere. "I find that [writing] makes me pay more attention to what's around me," Newcomer said.

Newcomer describes her most recent album, Betty's Diner, as a collection of stories from characters at a local diner. The story of an exotic dancer, for example, looks at the issue of minimum wage and judgment based on misunderstanding. A lot of the album came out of all of her years of traveling and meeting people and processing the years of story. Newcomer considers herself fortunate to have been entrusted with so many stories over the years. They have been tragic, beautiful, funny, noble, and real.

While Newcomer's songs do not reveal others' stories, she tries to give her audience a similar sense of closeness. "I'm not Britney Spears," Newcomer said, "I see the world pretty much close up." Newcomer believes these kind of personal close-ups allow people to get their hands around larger issues. Newcomer's work deals with social issues, relationships and love. "Love gives you the best stuff of your life, but it will always ask you to be true; it will take you to the crossroads and make you choose," she said.

Although her career has focused on music Newcomer majored in visual arts rather than music, attending first Goshen College and then finishing at Purdue. Similar to visual art, Newcomer's music has used "tons of creative thought." Her studies of educating come into play during teaching workshops. Another reason Newcomer did not study music is that she "wasn't ready yet to risk what was most important to me."

There have been tough times in Newcomer's career, especially in the early years. She's had to live with a lot of creativity and trust that the money will be there. According to Newcomer, there isn't much support for making a living as an artist. It's encouraged as a hobby rather than a career. Newcomer said she knows some people find that having to make money hampers their creativity. For Newcomer, however, songwriting had to be more than a hobby. "When you've something to fall back on, you fall back on it," Newcomer said. Being true to herself as an artist meant taking the leap of faith. And while there were a lot of lean times for Newcomer, especially during her years as a single mother, the money always came.

Newcomer's schedule while at EMU includes a coffee house, workshops, and a final concert, giving her lots of opportunity to interact with students and faculty. Campus Ministries and the office of Student Programs arranged for Newcomer to come to EMU to share her perspective on call and vocation. Other themes of Newcomer's stay will include sacramental living and social justice.