Existing as a twenty-something means learning to find beauty in the broken: we’ve got broken machines, broken relationships, broken career paths, and most of the time, our wallets are too broken to repair any of the preceding issues with a conventional monetary fix. But something that many people over look about the current millennial-twenties is our ability to circumvent these issues. Though we’ve chosen a “many lives” mentality, switching from one job to the next in a long and cobwebbed search to arrive at what we deem our inevitable dharma, financial prosperity is the sacrifice we make to pursue these goals. As a whole, the current day’s twenty-something hosts a slew of remarkable qualities and adjustments made to accommodate the inherent brokeness; we care about supporting our local communities, valuing each other’s artwork and trades, and have, on the whole, a deep propensity for all things sustainable and environmentally conscious.
And, as singer-songwriter Caroline Spence proves, a mid-twenties’ budget is nowhere near indicative of a mid-twenties’ mindset. The Virginia native’s music exposes lessons learned from someone with pronounced wisdom and maturity, spinning tales of lost time and turbulent love that seem to expand past her twenty-five years. With a soprano that is as sweet as it is vulnerable, and a sensitive approach to her masterful guitar lines, Spence invites us into a story-telling space that we wouldn’t typically expect from someone with such a fresh and untethered appearance. Certain people are born at the wrong age, maybe even at the wrong time. And though working as an artist might not ameliorate the brokenness, truthful storytellers find ways to learn the more important lessons at a faster rate, so they might go on to live their later decades more fully. Spence is certainly one of these artists, who spins the secrets she has gathered into timeless and irreverent stories.
Below, read Caroline Spence’s five ways to treat yourself in Nashville on a mid-twenties budget.
Her album, Somehow, is set for release on March 3rd.
By Caroline Spence
1. Nature – It’s always free! My new favorite place is the Richland Creek Greenway. It’s a little under 4 miles, great for 5K training or (more likely) listening to an episode of This American Life while walking at a reasonable pace (treat yo self and get that app). I also love the classics, Radnor Lake and Warner Parks.
Lockeland Springsteen 