For Anna Weatherup, moving from the hustle and bustle of Sydney to the more tranquil surrounds of Cessnock opened up the floodgates of creativity.
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And she has turned to the public to help make her dream a reality.
Anna is crowdfunding her latest album Crossing The Sea on the site indigogo.com and at the time of printing had reached 69 per cent of her $10,000 goal.
“I had been putitng the crowdfunding thing off for years because it can be quite emotionally hard puting yourself out there like that, but I’m over the moon with the response,” she said.
Anna, who was a contestant on season two of Channel Nine’s The Voice said that much of the inspiration for her latest work came from moving from Sydney to the Hunter Valley.
“Leaving Sydney and moving to the Hunter really inspired me,” she said. “Especially when you look at the wine growing regions – all of the art and care and love that goes into making the fantastic Hunter Valley wine – it’s hard not to be inspired.”
Definitely a labour of love, Crossing the Sea is the result of six years of hard work for Anna who co-wrote art of the album with her husband Tim Burcham.
However the old axion “never mix business with pleasure” did not ring true in this case.
“It really was a pleasant surprise working with Tim,” she said.
“It wasn’t planned at all it just happened naturally and it also helps that he is an amazing songwriter.
When it comes to crowdfunding, part of the fun is the extra goodies on offer and Anna said that aside from the usual album pre-sales there were some other more left-of-centre things on offer.
Anna said that she is making customised “retro” denim jackets for the project, adding that she may’ve found another creative outlet.
“The handmade jackets are proving to be very popular and I just love it. The idea of getting creative to be creative.
“I might just be looking to explore the idea a little bit more.”
Anna said that her time on The Voice had made her realise what it means to be a true artist.
“I learned that there are definitely no shortcuts to having a meaningful career – not just as an artist but in general,” she said.
“I felt like I needed to do the show to remind me that it’s all about being true to yourself.”
Anna will also be hosting a fundraising gig at the Royal Oak Hotel as part of the campaign where she said punters could here some new tracks or just “hang out”.
To donate to Anna’s crowdfunding campaign, visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/anna-weatherup-has-a-new-album-crossing-the-sea#/
