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Abbye West Pates

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Nov 21 2021

Hiking Journal: Unknown Endings

We set out on a perfect and sunny November Saturday, headed toward the longest trail in Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. When my friend Nathan asked me if I was interested in hiking the 8-mile, one-way trail, I was excited to…

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Jul 2 2021

What It Means to Matter

Written during the Autumn of 2020, when it was hard for many of us to feel good about our work and our art. I'm posting now because, well, I'm always needing the reminder that I matter. The work matters. Every…

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Jun 29 2021

Planting Seeds and Other Activities Forgotten

Have you ever planted a seed and forgotten about it? It took so long to grow that you thought it was a dud and wasn't going to grow at all. But then, a whole year later, a little plant pops…

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Nov 19 2020

Hiking Journal: A Walk In the Woods


Why do some of us need to come to the solitude of the forest? Time away from responsibility, away from being needed, away from accomplishing. I can let go of worry when I am here; contentment and rest find me…

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Aug 5 2020

The Pandemic Pages: An Essay On [not] Writing

If I don’t recover the act of writing for JOY,
writing for myself again,
writing because I want to,
I fear I will never again write fruitfully. 

I listen and watch other artists talk and post about the discipline of…

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May 26 2020

Learning to Speak Kindly (To Myself)

When I first started running about 8 or so years ago, I worked up to a place where I could run a 10k (6.2 miles) without stopping to walk. Now, though, I find that a run/walk combo on most of…

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Apr 15 2020

Why Hymns?

I just released a 6-song collection of hymns that I'm really proud of. Listen here. I hope you like them!

Musically speaking, I've sometimes described myself as living in two worlds: the singer-songwriter americana-ish world and the worship…

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Nov 14 2019

Wideness in God's Mercy

This morning I recalled a line from a hymn (one I've tried to re-work for some time now), "There's a wideness in God's mercy/like the wideness of the sea." I love that. It stirs my imagination. For me, it takes…

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Aug 9 2019

Music + Lyrics: Different Like Me (Unreleased)

If you saw the acoustic iPhone video of my unreleased song, Different Like Me, over on Instagram or Facebook, you'll find the lyrics here. I don't have much to say about the song; perhaps it can speak for itself. 

…

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Jul 19 2019

This Love.

One month ago, in June, I released a new song called Long Year. And then I wrote this poem. I hope you like them both.

Love is always becoming. What it becomes remains to be seen, depends on the work,…

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Sep 20 2018

Music + Lyrics: Facebook Live, 09.20.18

A friend of mine recently experienced the deep darkness of loss, where someone died whom she loved dearly. She was young, the death was unexpected and quick. Tragic. 

My friend and I exchanged text messages as we watched…

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Aug 9 2018

Music + Lyrics: Facebook Live, 08.09.18

If you're reading this, you probably know that I host a weekly Facebook Live from my living room. Or dining room. Or from the side of the road in the middle of Virginia. You can see today's live video…

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Mar 1 2018

How To Host A House Concert: A Brief Look

I'm in a season of working to get the word out, educate and build a network of friends and fans and friends of fans (and friends of fans' friends friends... wait, what?) who are wiling to host a house concert…

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Nov 30 2017

make YOUR art. bust those ghosts.

In three weeks, my nephew Elijah will be 10 years old. He is a ghostbuster. Nevermind that he couldn't find a proton pack; he came up with the plans to build his own (which, actually, Uncle Jeff mostly built himself…

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Oct 17 2017

Let the Light In

Yesterday was difficult. The day was sunny and crisp, just like an Autumn day should be. The sky was blue and the leaves are bursting into color. The zinnias are still blooming because they can survive in the in-between, still…

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Oct 2 2017

Do you want to write?

If you want to write then guess what? You have to write. You have to pick up a pencil, open your laptop, silence your cellphone, park your butt in a chair, do whatever it takes to get yourself there. And…

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May 12 2017

Criticism and Competition: The "Why" of It All

Over the last several days, I've not been conscious of my "no criticism" challenge. Not surprisingly this struck me last night while I was criticizing something (though Jeff told me he thought it was more of a constructive criticism conversation…

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Apr 26 2017

Criticism and Gardening: Keeping My Mouth Shut

At just a little over 24 hours into the no-criticism challenge, I met a friend and colleague for lunch. Not 15 minutes into our time together, I found myself sharply inhaling to keep from making a critical remark: "Ugh, he…Read more

Apr 19 2017

Criticism and The Kitchen Sink: A Month-Long Challenge

If you're only looking to find something wrong,
you'll find something wrong,
if it's right or not.
Depends on the lens you're looking through...
(Brand New Song
 by Andy Gullahorn)
I've learned to be content, for the most… Read more

Feb 22 2017

A Poem: People Say

People say, get a real job.
People say, how does that pay?
People say, get your head out of the clouds.
People say.

People say, what's your goal?
People say, you should go on The Voice!
People say, all sorts…Read more

Dec 28 2016

2016 and The Kind of Musician I Want To Be

The year 2016 has been a year of firsts. Okay, it's also been a year of seconds (I released my 2nd album in April), but in some memorable ways, a year of firsts. The most memorable is that I went…Read more

Sep 15 2016

#Memphis2Maine: The "Why" (and the Halfway)

Why is there so much color - and I mean rich, deep color - right in front of our often cloudy-visioned eyes? If our lives and bodies were only good for work and usefulness and producing goods, then why the…Read more

Sep 8 2016

#Memphis2Maine: And so it begins.

Tonight, I'm sitting in the living room of a beautiful, quiet home in Knoxville, TN, my first stop on this tour from Memphis to Maine. I'm en route to my first house concert of the tour which happens tomorrow night…Read more
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