You never know where you will find an inspiring artist. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to Acoustic Ash. She was performing at a local Michigan ACLU fundraiser. Her voice reminds you a bit of Tracey Chapman, and you will find yourself pausing to listen to Acoustic Ash.

Acoustic Ash spent her early childhood in Europe and even remembers as a young child being taken to the Berlin Wall as it was coming down, and holding a small chisel and hammering away at it. Perhaps, this is where she got her inspiration to infuse her work with powerful themes of advocacy and tenderness.

Getting to know Katherine also known as Acoustic Ash with this fun Q & A:

What inspires you to write music?

Real life events inspire me to write. I feel like music is a unique language that reaches out to the mass audience, it can break through social settings, religions, wealth, and unite people, even if only for those few minutes the track lasts.

Which artists do you think unite people?

The artists who embraced this spoke boldly and bravely through their music, Tracy Chapman has repeatedly done this through tracks such as: "Across The Lines", "America", "3000 miles". John Lennon penned Imagine and united people from all over the world- just by asking us to take a few minutes and really think about the world.

These types of songs are all there throughout history - "A Change Gonna Come", "Dancing In The Street", "What's Going On", "Earth Song". And the truth is that it's a cycle. Whenever the world seems to get chaotic, it's just before the next big change, because that is the time that the oppressed and the supporters unite. It is when humanity prevails.

Why do you admire Ellen Degeneres?

I think sometimes we can take the world we're in for granted. We have come so far but only through the actions of the brave who stood up for others and not just themselves. That is what drew me to Ellen. When I was younger I had a strong sense of who I was, however, that did not mean that it was easy to embrace who I was internally.

When Ellen's show was cancelled, I was devastated. Not just because the show was hilarious, but because I identified with Ellen and if people would turn their backs on this awesome and inspiring person for being who she was, what hope did I have?

Then, like a Phoenix from flames Ellen rose again, with grace and dignity. She warmed the hearts of the people and opened their eyes to see past sexuality and through to the person, furthermore, through her smile and caring personality she showed people to embrace one another and genuinely care for each other. Obama fermented this when he awarded Ellen the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Ellen inspires me to be the best version of myself and to be the voice of liberation and equality for others.

If you tell Ellen one thing what would it be?

I would like to thank Ellen for all she has done for my soul and artistry. Each generation and cause have someone who is willing to be the leader in a stand for equality and what is right.

You are very sensitive and recently wrote a song to honor the loss of a baby/child called 'Pathway Of Rainbows' . Tell me a little about the intent for the song.

The idea of this video is to raise awareness of baby/child loss and encourage people to talk about it, and (to) seek support knowing they are not alone. It is also a way to pay tribute to the lives taken too soon and keep their memory alive forever.

My uncle is one of the names in this video. He died when he was 3 years old. He was run over and the ambulance ran out of fuel on the way to the hospital. Peter died in my grandads arms, and in his final days of his battle with cancer he would talk about needing to raise the money for 'the baby's stone'.

I only discovered through making this video that 1 in 4 women go through the horrific ordeal of miscarriage. I don't know what shocked me more. The 1 in 4, or the fact I'm 30 and only just discovering this. My mother and sister have both experienced miscarriages and so it's close to my heart.

I hope that this song can bring comfort to those that need it. I hope the video can reassure people that they are not alone. I did provide links to support groups too so people have somewhere to turn to.

If you want to check it out:

https://www.facebook.com/TheAcousticAsh/videos/1304807736264594/

Acoustic Ash can be reached via Facebook .

Kristin Meekhof is a writer, speaker- co- author of the book, A Widows Guide to Healing . She can be reached via her website and offers a Mindfulness Coaching After Loss series.