E44: A professional musician leaves Seattle after two decades on the road & builds a new chapter farming and making art in rural New Mexico | Cory Murchy in CO

I am excited to invite you to my conversation with Cory Murchy. Cory is a professional musician and fine artist who spent nearly two decades playing bass for the Seattle-based indie-rock band Minus the Bear. Cory reached a level that most musicians only dream of - being able to support himself entirely off of his music. He toured all around the world, playing sold out venues from New York to Japan. In 2018, the band played its last show and he had the opportunity for a major life change. Cory and his wife Annie decided to throw caution to the wind, sell their house in Seattle, pack up their cars and their dogs and take a house-sitting job on an 800-acre ranch in rural Colorado. It was an enormous change, but they fully embraced the hard work and the steep learning curve. This is where Cory developed a deep seeded passion for water movement, farming and irrigation. Following the ranch, they planted permanent roots in a little village nestled along the Rio grande in the high-desert of New Mexico. Cory had dabbled with painting when he was working as a professional musician, but he didn’t have enough energy or time to fully commit to the process. Once he left the city, he finally could focus on art. His wood-panel geometric paintings are explosions of color and energy. He initially planned to make a living through art commissions but realized that the hustle required to make that his full time pursuit was taking away the joy and peace that painting gave him. Instead, he opted to take a full time irrigation and farming job on a historic ranch and paint in his free time, on his own terms. Having been in a collective creative pursuit for 20-years, painting has been a therapeutic expression of his own individual creativity. It has brought tremendous calm, joy and clarity to his life. In our conversation we speak about the power of taking risks, believing in the process and picking yourself up when you fail. We talk about the future reality of water access based on Cory's knowledge as an irrigation specialist, and the joys of reaping what you sow. We speak about the pros and cons of making a living off of your art, compromise, and creative autonomy. This is a story about finding your voice through individual expression, the freedom to shift your path without fear, reconnection to self through change, and embracing new chapters in life fully.Read his full story and see photos from his visit on  urbanexodus.com/blogSupport the showSign up for  Apple Podcasts premium or our Patreon Membership for ad-free listening, rapid-fire guest interviews & our new mini-pod Ditch the City. urbanexodus.com | @theurbanexodus | buy the book