NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A lot of us want to pursue our passions and dreams, but it's not always easy once bills are due.
So when there isn't enough dough always coming in, a Nashville songwriter has found another way to make ends meet.
She tells me this helped her uncover a new kind of joy, without entirely giving up her childhood dreams.
"It's always been songwriting, music," said Kaitlin Stark.
The industry can be joyous, but challenging and extremely competitive. Around here, we understand that. It doesn't always work out like you plan. You know you're talented, but do others?
"Sometimes you have to convince other people to think the same, and that can be hard," Stark said.
Stark's big dreams brought her to Nashville to become a songwriter, but it didn't come without the twists and turns.
"It can be really hard to make enough money to pay your bills as just a writer," she said.
It's a feeling so many of us face. How do I pursue what I love, while also paying my bills?
Cue — Flour Child Bakery, which you can find at the farmer's market in East Nashville.
You'll find her selling homemade sourdough bagels.
"Yeah discovering my love for baking was like, you know a whole new dream," she said.
She has sold everything, three cheese and even blueberry cinnamon bagels.
This all started when her husband encouraged her to follow this path. The very next day, she went through the process and Flour Child Bakery was born.
Stark reminds us finding a new dream doesn't always mean giving up an old one.
"Now I'm allowing myself to put my eggs in multiple baskets," she said. "And that's okay and I'm honestly so much happier."
She's able to spend more time at home with her family, including her 10-month-old golden retriever puppy, Hazel. Yes, we included Hazel in the story. You can see her trying to get my attention in the player above.
"I just want to make little me proud," Stark said. "I don't want to spend all my life wasting time and energy when I could be making joy."
Want to learn more about Flour Child Bakery? Click here.
Do you have a positive story you'd like to share? You can email me at Austin.Pollack@newschannel5.com.
I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.
-Lelan Statom
