ABOUT

ABOUT I FEEL FIRST

Jessica Ann Stinchfield was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN where music was at the core of her upbringing. From a very young age, she remembers feeling the music. Her early memories include 60’s and 70’s folk records playing in the family home, and songs her father would sing and play on his D18 Martin. Her grandmother, a soprano opera singer for the Pittsburg Opera was a source of inspiration. Jessica continued to feel the music and expressed this in the form of dance, performing with her studio at nursing homes, charity events, and recitals at the Minneapolis Orchestra Hall stage starting at 3 years old. She had her first soprano solo in the Montessori School performance of The Nutcracker, where she continued her music journey along with her mentor and music teacher. She advanced to piano lessons, where her teacher identified her ear as she pretended to read the music.

 

Majestic Girls was the name of the group Jessica, her sister and cousins started and would to sing and write music together. Her love of writing went on and she was recognized for a composition and music score she arranged and directed for a theatrical scene in her high school Music Composition class.

 

Her mother and father’s incredible strength and resiliency while overcoming loss provided Jessica her unbreakable foundation of unconditional love and hope.

 

Jessica is now a mother of two beautiful boys, who are her guiding light and source of inspiration to write and dream. A graduate of St. Catherine University, she practices as an RN, LSN, Public Health. Songwriting has been a means to share and connect with others, leading to empowerment in her journey.

ABOUTIFF

MY MESSAGE

In this modern world, not feeling has become a strategy for coping with our day to day life. It has become easier to suppress our feelings to manage the weight of problems, conflict and catastrophe. It has also led to a more detached, efficient form of communication.

 

We start to ignore our feelings by working around them. A “fix it quick” response in our homes, relationships, our jobs, political regulation, and the suppression of feelings has become routine. Like autopilot, we ignore potential outcomes by not tuning in to our inner reactions in the decision making processes. Losing empathy is critical. Forgetting how to put oneself in someone’s shoes can lead to a dualistic, segregated view of humanity, thus preventing healthy connections. 

 

We must connect with our own pain and suffering and allow ourselves to empathize with others in their struggle. When feelings are validated, resilience can be built and mindful decisions can be made for a more empathetic world. We all deserve to feel heard. Through music, I Feel First will bring awareness of the connection we have to each other.

 

~Jessica Ann Stinchfield