Naomi Westwater is Spiritually Creative, But Also Very Very Organized, ep. 336

About this episode

Naomi Westwater discusses their duality of being both creatively spiritual and highly organized while navigating personal challenges.

Something you might notice about Boston musician Naomi Westwater is that they have both sides of the brain on lock. They are very good at community organizing, grant applying, advocating, and other "left-brained" activities. However, they are also a creative, deeply spiritual, open-hearted person, traits typically associated with the right brain. That’s not always something that goes hand-in-hand, but it is a beautiful thing when it does! Westwater, who identifies as queer and Black-multiracial, grew up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, where they never felt like they fit in. Thanks to their parents, there was a lot of music being played: reggae, jazz, funk, classic rock and '70s feminist folk. There was always a deep connection with nature, which plays into their spiritual practice and their songwriting, two areas they previously kept separate. On their new album, 'Cycle & Change,' Naomi made an effort to fully embrace her identity as a songwriter and a witch. She shares, “Each song ties back to its seasonal context, weaving a story that spans spring’s hopeful beginnings, summer’s vibrancy, autumn’s introspection, and winter’s quietude…” Right in the final stretch of preparing to…

People in this episode

Host: The Bluegrass Situation

Guest: Naomi Westwater

Topics covered

• music
• creativity
• spirituality
• identity
• community organizing

Keywords

• Naomi Westwater
• music
• spirituality
• community organizing
• Cycle & Change

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Cycle & Change

Places: Boston, Cape Cod

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