Shawn Gallaway‘s mission is empowering people to take caring, positive action in their lives and in the world right now. He accomplishes this with resounding clarity through his music and art. As a multi-talented guitarist, singer-songwriter, and visual artist, Shawn weaves music, song, and painting into a richly textured experience that calls for enlightened activism.

Shawn’s relationship with music began as a junior in high school when he was given a guitar for Christmas. After about six months of lessons, he discovered his love of writing songs. While completing his major in Business Management at Babson College, Shawn continued to nurture his passion for music. He formed a band, playing local clubs and parties, and eventually moved to New York to learn the music business and become a songwriter.

Nashville became Shawn’s home base, from which he spent the next twenty years writing, recording, and performing across the nation in venues including the Broadway Music Hall in Seattle, Portland’s Living Enrichment Center, Diana Wortham Theater in Asheville, NC, and Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. He also became a successful composer with E.M.I. and Sony Tree publishing credits.

During his time in Nashville, Shawn also began painting. He took a course from a teacher who believed that there is a master artist inside each of us, thus freeing the minds and expectations of her students. Shawn began to use painting as a tool for healing and self-expression that carried over into writing songs as well. He found that each medium complimented and empowered the other. Shawn explains, “I started painting and drawing while recovering from a bout with depression and eventually turned to visual art as the means to restore my sanity and to deepen into the exploration of my Spirit. As the process evolved, my work became more specific, revealing images that I had previously been unable to vocalize or turn into songs. As I began to heal, words and music began to flow freely…at first a trickle, then a stream, then a waterfall of song.”

In 2005, Shawn relocated to the mountains of Asheville, NC to live the dream of creating his music and art as a vehicle to empower individuals to joyful, loving action. He continues to perform his music nationally, presents I Choose Love: The Experience workshops, and inspires audiences as a motivational speaker.

I Choose Love: The Experience is a multimedia production that follows the soul’s healing journey through pain, confusion and struggle to emerge into the freedom of self-awareness, purpose, compassion, and joy. It includes songs, stories, dance, drama, photography, computer animation, film, and a series of original paintings that brings together the love of eight individuals as they transform their fears into a beautiful mosaic of forgiveness, peace and healing. This theatrical piece is currently in pre-production.

In his latest release, Love Will Overcome, Shawn moves from the individual healing focus of his previous release, I Choose Love, to address global healing and restoration. Shawn says, “It is about raising awareness and empowering people to take action”. These songs highlight healing in the peace movement, the environment, our political system, communities and relationships and are delivered with a passionate plea for loving action. This recording features theme songs written for organizations including the Peace Alliance, New Energy Movement, Go Gratitude, and the Satyana Institute.