Interviewing A Real Life Dreamer: Serenity Stewart

Last updated on March 12th, 2024 at 12:38 pm

Part of my dream journey is to meet amazing women who inspire me to become an International Speaker. I was first introduced to Serenity by her PR agent earlier this year. Her story captured my heart, as her courage made me fall in love with her willingness to not give up on her dreams. I would love to share the interview I did with her.

My interview with Serenity reminded me of this Quote:

“Reach high, for the stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal”.~Pamela Vaull Starr

Here is some information about this real-life Dreamer, Serenity: Serenity Stewart (www.serenitystewart.com) is an underground music sensation. She has survived hardship, single parenting, divorce, custody battles, entering the workforce, and figuring out how to survive times of great stress and frenzied fatigue. Song was her lifeline, her coping mechanism.

The tapestry of her life and experiences was woven together at first by music and dance.  As a youngster, she sang endlessly for hours and danced like no one was watching.  She adored all music and particularly found that the old records housed in the basement of our home became my favorites.

She studied old movies on Sundays after Sunday school, when I had no other commitments and could totally immerse myself into another world and secret longing. She worked long hours at the office and longer hours at home with four children. The music faded into the realm of singing on the freeway to bide the drive time and to satisfy a hunger to mesh music with long-lost memories.

A well-designed diversion to the pain and sting of life. Only after an unexpected turn, a twist of fate, I was offered the opportunity to see that life is a finite experience, and she changed courses.  In July of 2004, she suffered a brain aneurysm.  That year put a lot of things into perspective.

Serenity spent time traveling to Cabo and Puerta Vallarta and, at that moment, decided life was too short not to pursue her dreams. Serenity is now doing what she loves: bringing quality music to the masses. As a contemporary jazz artist with a Vegas-style show band, she is making a household name as a sultry, seasoned performer and an award-winning actress. She is classically trained as a soprano and has released her first album, “P.S. I Love You.”

The Interview with Serenity Stewart

Describe your profession and what you do.

I am a vocalist and a recording artist.  Daily, I sift through volumes of sheet music to find vintage pieces that I might love to bring the Serenity sound to.  I consider a piece of sheet music a form of communication, but it is not music until I “color” it and shade it how I believe it should be presented.  I spend some time listening to pieces I would like to record and more time sitting at the piano playing out the melody lines and reading through the lyrics.

I rehearse ongoing music I plan to record in the studio for 3-4 hours daily. I work with my keyboard player for 3 hours twice a week to review new arrangements and polish numbers. During rehearsals and meeting breaks, I love looking at new gowns and jewelry at some of my favorite vintage shops.  I respond to e-mails and press inquiries and do additional online research for and about music in the evenings and early morning over coffee.

Which obstacles did you overcome on your journey to find your dream or true calling?  

I made a new “arrangement” in my mind and spirit.  I had to overcome the idea that I needed to hold a mainstream job to be successful. More importantly, I established a new measure of success with myself.  Instead of using my title or pay scale as a yardstick, I began to weigh success by how much of myself I could give back to the world each day. My new perspective allowed me to measure success in terms of how much personal satisfaction and self-fulfillment I enjoy from my endeavors.

Would you say that you are living your dream life?  

Yes, I am.  In so many ways.  I can live my dream now that I have let go of old programming. I did not want to live on “Someday Isle.”  I had to let go of old ideas and realize that living your dream and doing what is really important to you makes you wealthy beyond compare.  There is no price tag on living a dream.

There is no price for the richness of experience, friendships, and being at peace within yourself. My biggest reward is giving back to others. Although it may sound trite, it is a simple truth. Americans like to live large, but living smaller allows you to embrace the greater, more important components of life.

This year, instead of “super-sizing” your fries and diet coke, super-size your returns on life by investing in yourself and your dream and giving back to the world daily.

What advice would you give someone who dreams of pursuing a similar profession as yourself?  

If it’s what you really want, do it. Do not wait, and do not allow others to take your dream and realign it with an ideal that doesn’t belong to you. Keep it real, keep it yours, and follow through. Anything worthwhile takes time and hard work, but if you love what you do, each day is a new beginning that you look forward to. Hold onto your dream like the tail of a kite that you want to take you to the highest heights.

Could you share a motivational message for someone who wants to be in your shoes and follow their dreams as you did?

The best days are those that take me to places where I look into the eyes of an elderly person who maybe hasn’t spoken two words to a loved one in many months. But through the power of song and the pathways of the mind that allow the song to take us back in time on a journey that defies the logic of language, I personally get to bring the experience of Music to many.  I see the eyes twinkle, the smile broadens, and the body moves to a language all its own called music.

And if by chance, by some miracle, I get the pleasure of spending time with children, small voices just waiting to be heard.  Small hands reaching out to touch you because the music and movement touch them; well, there is no better landing than that for the soles of my shoes and my soul, period.  I often say that I would have been happy if I had inspired just one child in my life.  I truly hope to inspire many.

Where do you draw motivation from, and what inspires you?  

Music inspires me, and the innocence of children inspires me. Knowing I can give something back to the world from myself is very inspirational. I am also inspired by others giving from themselves within their communities and embracing working together for the common good. And I love a good flash mob!

I am motivated to continue to work and give because enjoyment is derived from my giving.

I am motivated by the knowledge that I will leave behind a story, part of it in my music, that has meaning and will become a part of the tapestry of my children’s and grandchildren’s lives.

What is your favorite motivational quote and why?  

Every Possibility Begins with the Courage to Imagine It.

I believe this and am encouraged by the thought of all things being possible.  Imagine and Implement.

You can keep up to date with Serenity on the following links:

• Website: www.serenitystewart.com
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/songsofserenity
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestofserenity

With this amazing interview, I have learned so much from a Woman who had been through challenges that would cripple our spirit, But she has so much courage and has proven that when you have a dream, nothing will stop you from attaining it. Thank You, Serenity, for this honor. You are a true inspiration to me.

Sincerely, Sue Levy