Kate Lucas (Coda Chroma) on maintaining a creative practice amidst the chaos of family life
Hi Kate! Welcome to Mother Lode. Can you tell our readers a little bit about your music and family life?
I live with my two kids aged 6 and 8 who are in primary school, and my husband Damien, who is a music producer and audio engineer. We recently moved to Ballarat and are finding our feet in a new community. So far, so good!
I started playing guitar when I was eight and used to go busking, singing harmonies with my big sister around the NSW Northern Rivers area. I moved to Melbourne in early 2000s to study jazz guitar, played around for a while and then fell in love with songwriting in my late twenties. I write and release music under the moniker Coda Chroma.
At what point in your music career did you discover you were pregnant?
I discovered I was pregnant with my first kid after I had just written a bunch of songs and was poised to record the debut Coda Chroma album with Damien. We tried to demo all the songs quickly before the baby arrived, but I was sooooo tired and kept falling asleep during sessions! I didn’t end up releasing that first album until after my second child was born, 3 years later.
How did you imagine motherhood would affect your music career and creative output? How accurate was that?
I remember feeling nervous that I wouldn’t have anything to write about because I would be too happy! … No more songs about heartbreak, or so I thought – but I hadn’t banked on the fact that I am generally melancholy by nature, and also kids are pretty trippy; they inspire creative thinking. I did have a feeling that the process of creating and releasing music would move more slowly as a mum and I was right about that.
I had imagined I would be able to practice my instruments with the kids running around at my feet being cute, but it didn’t quite work like that, so I have had to teach them that I am unavailable when I’m practicing. We’re still working on that aspect, but they are getting pretty good at understanding the concept now. The kids are only allowed to interrupt for emergencies, but their version of an emergency is often very different to mine!
I dream of a day when the kids can come to shows and be calm in the audience, but at this stage they generally run around venues like maniacs which is very distracting!
How child/mum-friendly have you found the music industry overall? Have you encountered any specific discrimination or barriers?
Sometimes it’s hard to pin down exactly what barriers you face and precisely how you are being discriminated against, especially when some of the barriers are unspoken. When it comes to things like the marketing and promotion of music, I find there are some clear barriers. It’s expensive to release music, and even if that money comes back to you by the end of a release cycle, fronting up the costs when you also have baby mouths to feed can be very difficult and often limits the ability to launch music properly.
Also, Damien does the live sound production for Coda Chroma so we always have to arrange babysitting for rehearsal and gigs. It’s another layer of stress to manage in the lead up to tours that sometimes makes me feel exhausted before I have even begun!
Another barrier is that I often use up all my social energy and time on gigs, rehearsals and writing, with not much left for catching with friends. I sometimes feel isolated and often feel like the worst friend in the world.
Looking back, what unexpected and surprising ways has becoming a mother actually benefited your creative practice or career?
I prefer the songs I have written since having kids, and I think spending time with them has helped me reconnect with my imagination in a more playful and honest way.
I’m more confident in myself, and give less fucks about what other people think since becoming mum, which feels good. Maybe that is also down to getting older.
I’m more focused and use my time more efficiently now that it is so limited. I seize any chance I can to work on music, and I value it more than ever.
I hear a lot of female musicians in their late 20s or 30s talk about putting off having kids because they are worried about how it will affect their career. It makes feel sad that they are having to tussle with those thoughts. If there are people in the industry discriminating against women for having children, then they will do it before you’re even pregnant. Just the capacity to have children is enough to put doubt in the minds of those who would discriminate, so I would warn against letting such people influence women’s decisions on whether to have kids or not. Also, the kids are pretty good at backing vocals now so they have become quite useful for recording!
You are a prolific songwriter and music producer. It’s incredibly inspiring! We’d love to hear a few practical insights for how you maintain a healthy songwriting & creative practice.
Writing music is my escape, and my long-term companion – as well as Damo! Writing and performing music is a part of who I am so I never step away from my creative practice for too long. I write regularly and have set up a songwriting group which also helps encourage the regularity, and adds some accountability as well. Connecting with others from the group also helps me feels less isolated and provides me with a great deal of inspiration.
I don’t have a television which is quite helpful when it comes to keeping up with regular practice, as there is less distraction. I rarely go a day without playing the guitar or singing – and even if it isn’t always a super-focused, hard core practice session, just including music making as part of daily life is a huge help.
A big thing that also helps with the flow is making sure my gear is easily accessible. I am privileged to have my own home office where I keep my guitar, pedal board and amp permanently set up, but we also have keyboards, organs, a PA system, mics and stands in different rooms of the house ready to be used. Creative impulses can be very fragile so making it as easy as possible to whack down a song idea or jam on a tune is really important.
A final thing, I will often choose music over folding the washing.
It’s ok. Kate gives you permission to do music instead of fold washing.
Earlier this year, following a now-infamous triple j tweet, there was some very interesting discussion about ageism in the music industry. Have you experienced ageism in your career, or felt self-conscious as a woman over-30? How do you think motherhood compounds these issues?
I have battled lots of concerns and feelings of self-consciousness in relation to my music over the years, and that has included thoughts like “am I’m too old to be releasing music?” My answer to myself on that subject has again and again been “no, dammit!” And mainly because when I look for new music or choose an album to put on, I really don’t care how old the artist is, I just want it to be good! And I think there are a lot of people that feel the same way. If music is being held back by a few gatekeepers because of how old a woman is, then those gatekeepers are doing a great disservice to audiences and artists around the world.
You’re an incredibly active musician who is also self-employed and parenting two small children – how do you protect yourself against burnout? Have you consciously established boundaries around this, or do you manage your workload on the fly?
To be honest, I don’t know that I protect myself from burnout very well! I think my cortisol levels are often pretty high. But I am learning to incorporate new approaches. I try to exercise every day, I try to limit alcohol consumption to celebrations, I’m careful with social media engagement, and I try to be aware of my menstrual cycle and anticipate key times when I know I’ll need to rest. I don’t always stick to these things but when the wheels start to fall off, I use these areas of life as a kind of checklist.
Finally, what’s on the horizon for you?
I have a few things coming up! That little songwriting group I mentioned earlier is meeting in person for the first time to play a show at the Northcote Social Club on Sunday 19 December. I’ll be playing some brand new stuff that hasn’t been heard yet, plus a couple from the Coda Chroma albums. We’re calling it Subterranean Break Up and it’s a matinee (my favourite!), so everyone can catch up socially afterwards for a drink and some food. It’s all-ages and the NSC is an accessible venue so we really want everyone to feel welcome and to help us celebrate the return of live music.
I’ll also be releasing the third Coda Chroma album in 2022 so I’m busy, busy, busy getting everything ready for that, and I’m getting very excited to share these new songs with everyone.