💫5 Ways I Support My Artistry as a Professional Artist

At Donais Studios, we often remind our students that artistry is a lifelong journey. Whether you’re just beginning or deep into your professional career, it’s not just what you do in the practice room that shapes you—it’s how you care for your mind, body, and spirit as an artist.

Today I thought I would share five ways I personally support my own artistry. These practices help me stay grounded (read: sane), inspired, and growing as a singer, teacher, and creative soul.

YOGA 🧘🏻‍♀️

For me, yoga is more than movement—it’s breath, clarity, and presence. It’s a practice that I absolutely love. I wish I had more time for yoga in my week!

As a singer, my breath is the foundation of my instrument. Yoga slows me down and reconnects me with that breath. It teaches me how to activate my core, how to move with strength and control, and how to regulate my nervous system—especially helpful in performance situations.

Yoga offers me mental clarity and physical awareness, which are both essential to being a connected performing artist. When I step off the mat, I feel more centred and ready to sing from a deeper place.

FOREST WALKS 🌳

My dogs love them—and so do I. ☺️(You can often catch me on my forest walks in my IG stories.)

These daily walks are a blend of physical exercise, nature therapy, and creative inspiration.

Stepping away from the screen and into the forest gives me space to think, reflect, and dream.

Many of my BEST ideas come when I’m not trying to have them—when I’m surrounded by trees, moving my body, and letting my thoughts drift.

Creativity needs space. These walks give me that.

TRAVEL ✈️

Travel fills my creative cup like nothing else.

I love to explore the world, and my bucket list is ALWAYS growing. Travel offers exposure to new cultures, stories, music, architecture, and art. Whether it’s tasting local cuisine or hearing street musicians in a new city, I return home inspired every time.

One of my favourite travel memories is from a transatlantic cruise where my family—specifically my dad, my daughter, and I—all joined the ship’s guest choir. We rehearsed daily with fellow passengers from around the world. (They had to find some way to keep us entertained for 7 days at sea! 🙃) It was beautiful, powerful, and really fun. We performed in the ship’s atrium on the final night of the cruise.

There’s something magical about voices from around the world coming together in harmony—no matter your age, background, or country. Choral music really is a universal language and that particular trip solidified this for me.

SEEING LIVE MUSIC 🎸

There’s nothing quite like live music.

Concerts, theatre, open mic nights, and outdoor festivals—if there’s music playing, I want to be there!

In the summer, my family loves the Thursday night concert series in downtown Newmarket. You’ll often find us in the crowd, soaking it all in:) Old Flame also has some fantastic local artists performing on the regular (you may even catch a Donais Studios alum or two performing).

Supporting local and professional artists is important to me, but it’s also a well of inspiration. I get ideas for student repertoire, hear new vocal styles, discover new bands and musicals, and feel creatively recharged.

Live music uplifts us—it reminds us why we do what we do. ✨

PRACTICE 🎶

My practice routine looks different now than it once did.

With a full teaching schedule and lots of daily singing, I often don’t need a long warm-up. Instead, I focus my practice time on specific techniques or challenges I want to overcome.

Lately, I’ve been working on expanding my lower range—modern Commercial Music often sits quite low, and I want to be able to sing along with confidence (and not have my voice drop out every other note…lol).

Practice doesn’t have to be long to be effective. It just has to be intentional.

Every artist’s practice will look different, and that’s okay. The key is to stay connected to your voice and keep growing in ways that serve your unique journey.

Supporting your artistry doesn’t have to mean hours at the piano or a rigid daily routine. It’s about finding practices that nourish your creative self—body, mind, and spirit – as well as skill development.

These are just a few of mine. I’d love to know:

What do you do to support your artistry? 🤍

Drop a comment, send us a message, or share with your community. Let’s inspire one another to ignite, discover, and share the Artist Within.

Keep singing,

~Andrea “just breathe” Donais

P.S. Join us for a RISE Experience Day on Saturday, May 17!

This free, immersive choir experience is a chance for children and youth to discover the joy of singing, build confidence, and connect with others through music. Come hang out with us on Saturday morning!

📍 Brevik Hall, Aurora Cultural Centre
🕤 9:30AM–11:30AM (Q&A from 11:30–12:00PM)

We’d love to meet your young artist and welcome them into the magic of RISE Children’s Choir. RSVP here.