What would you do if you had three hours alone with yourself in a room, with nothing but a pencil and paper? Or an instrument?

Would you trust your instincts?

Would you be able to express yourself?

Would you feel proud of the result?

The challenges of the last few years have brought up a lot of questions for me about what it means to really be thriving, to be happy, to be resilient.

Maybe it has for you too.

In my toughest moments, the consistent presence that has kept me going has been art. At every turn, my training and experience as a musician and writer has gotten me through to the next day.

Happy Time Studio is founded on the core belief that people are happier when they can express themselves.

This is a skill that we try to teach our children - because we know it is important - and it’s also a skill that we benefit from as adults. At all stages of life, our relationships depend on our ability to understand how we are feeling and to express ourselves to others.

Let me back up - my name is Ali Marcus. It’s nice to meet you.

I have been writing songs for thirty years. As a professional songwriter, I have twelve years of experience touring and performing across America. I’ve written, recorded, produced, and engineered eight albums of original music, and a few other folk music compilations and arrangements beyond that. I spent some years running a community song circle among some of Seattle’s most inventive songwriters, and I have taught guitar, piano, and songwriting in Seattle and Anacortes, both individual lessons and group workshops.

I have a double degree in Music and 20th Century Art from the University of Virginia, where I focused on musicology, composition, post-war art and architecture, folklore, and the American origins of folk, country, and blues music. I studied classical piano for 14 years. Early in my career, I spent some time working as a music journalist, as well as working at major record labels and recording studios.

I also worked as a consultant for more than twelve years, supporting nonprofits in their fundraising, planning, and strategy. Some of my greatest joys in this work came from cohort-based teaching and facilitating peer learning opportunities that I designed and taught, and from training emerging leaders early on in their careers.

Is Happy Time Studio the right place for you?

Whether it’s in the arts, in your profession, or just being a human being in life, I know firsthand how important it is to nurture a sense of self – self determination, self understanding, self confidence. For me, these are building blocks that make up a good life: strong relationships, good decision-making, and a feeling of happiness.

My greatest wish for students of any age who share their time with us at Happy Time Studio is that you take with you a sense of trust in yourself, a certain knowledge of who you are, that shows itself to you in surprising, profound, hilarious, and ever-changing ways, again and again.

Thanks for taking the time to read about me and why I’m here :)

-Ali