With nearly 6,000 #practicalharpist photos on social media, we see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes in your harp life. We’ve chosen some of our favorite photos from the last two months to give you a flavor of what you show us every day. Don’t forget to tag your harp life photos with the hashtag #practicalharpist so we can find you on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Winner

Mary Lattimore
@mary.nowhere via Instagram

Caption: This is freedom

Home: Philadelphia, Pa.

Age: 36

Occupation: harpist

Story behind the photo: I was on tour, opening for a band called True Widow and was driving myself and my harp alone, following behind their van. The drive had been particularly long and there were a lot of late nights on the tour, so while the band was grabbing dinner, I took advantage of an empty and quiet green room. Since the harp cover is kinda like a sleeping bag, it seemed natural to tuck myself into it. My friend Nicole from True Widow took the photo, and it sums up the rambling life of a touring musician, I think. You have to grab the naps whenever you can!

What’s your hidden talent? I really like swimming and can swim for a really long time.

What’s your favorite piece to play on the harp? My mom, Lelia Lattimore, is also a harpist and every year,   we perform as a duo at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C. We’ve been doing it since I was 16, so this year will be the 20th year! We play a duo version of the “Ash Grove” that I really love and always look forward to.

What’s your favorite smartphone app? Instagram is my favorite because it feels really personal and immediate and real-time. My favorite Instagram account to follow is astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent almost a year in space. Seeing his images coming directly from his isolated outer space experience transmitted down to us on Earth was really interesting and inspiring. I actually wrote a song for him and it’s being released next month. I sent it to NASA, they forwarded it on to him, and he communicated back that he loved it, so that was a real futuristic life-highlight that came from a smartphone app!

What did you want to be when you were a kid? I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to ride horses or be a ballerina, so I thought I’d be a ballerina on horseback in a circus/performance situation.

Runners Up