POULSBO — It all began 20 years ago in the shoe department of the downtown Seattle Nordstrom’s.
Poulsbo resident Arisa Houston remembers hearing a man playing the harp for shoppers and being drawn to the enticing melodies.
“There was no one else there and I sat down and I said, ‘Boy, that just sounds like music to my ears,’” Houston remembered.
That man’s grandmother became the teacher that opened up the world of harp music to Houston, now a highly sought after harpist in her own right.
“You never know where your harp’s going to take you,” said Houston with a laugh, while recalling the adventures she’s had as a harpist.
From playing the resorts in Hawaii on a borrowed, old Whirlitzer harp, to carefully packing a 100-year-old Erard harp around the 12th Century English village of Fowey. From six months playing in an Inside Passage cruise ship lounge to a surprise gig with the Almost Live crew at the Microsoft office party at the now defunct Kingdome. Houston said being a musician in a still growing field has given her a lot of opportunities.
And the opportunities keep on coming.
Three years ago, Houston and her husband, who works for a film company, decided to move to Poulsbo to avoid the Seattle traffic. Houston said she’s been able to find steady employment in North Kitsap by offering her musical services for social gatherings and special occasions.
But it’s her newest business ventures that have her the most excited.
Houston recently became a licensed hypnotherapist, and now offers relaxation sessions with couples as part of her wedding services in addition to lilting tunes for their big day.
Houston added that she likes to call her sessions “guided imaging” or “guided relaxation,” because the word “hypnotherapy” scares some people, but the sessions offer no more than some soft music and a place to rest and let go of stress.
Houston said the idea of mingling relaxation techniques with her wedding clientele never crossed her mind until one of her brides came to a music consultation in tears.
The woman was overwhelmed with the duties of planning a wedding and coordinating travel and lodging for family, so Houston said she offered to help the bride get over her nerves.
“I had her relax and I played music and suggested she go into a relaxed state that would last through her wedding day,” Houston explained of the session. “And what happened was I got to see the results. A friend of mine went with me to the wedding and he didn’t know about what had happened and he remarked, ‘Boy, that’s the most relaxed bride I’ve ever seen.’ And he used to be a wedding photographer, so he’s seen these things.”
And as if tickling the strings and offering relaxation were not enough, after about 20 years as a student of the harp, Houston’s other new venture is becoming a teacher.
She said for years people have asked her if she teaches, but until recently she’d always said no. Houston now offers lessons to would-be harp players ages 10 to adult and says she’s enjoying every minute of it.
“The real joy is seeing people for the first time who have never seen the harp. It’s a real thrill,” Houston commented. “I’m also excited about the teaching because I think there’s a lot of people who want to learn to play but there’s not a lot of teachers in this area.”
