We Are Living Proof: Why This Has Become So Much More Than Music

My heart isn’t just in making music. It’s in reaching broken people — because that’s exactly what I am. That’s why I started We Are Living Proof.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how strange life is. You can go through things that nearly destroy you, spend years trying to make sense of them, and somehow find yourself using those same experiences to help somebody else.

I never expected that to happen with my music.

My Story, All of It

I’ve been making music most of my life — through the good years, the bad ones, and some I’d just as soon forget. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, hurt people I loved, been hurt by people I trusted, and walked through some pretty dark places myself.

I’m not proud of every chapter. But it’s my story.

What Living Proof Opened Up

When I released Living Proof, I hoped people would connect with it. What I didn’t expect was how many would start reaching out and sharing their lives with me.

I’ve heard from people battling addiction. People who have lost children, spouses and friends. People fighting cancer. People simply trying to find a reason to get through another day.

Some of those messages have absolutely broken my heart. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, I started realizing something:

My heart isn’t just in making music. It’s in reaching broken people, because that’s exactly what I am.

I’m not writing these songs from some place where I’ve got everything figured out. Far from it. I still struggle. I still carry regrets. There are things I wish I could change, and people I wish I could go back and do right by.

But I know what it’s like to feel completely lost and wonder if life will ever look different. Maybe that’s why these stories have affected me so much — I recognize pieces of myself in so many of them.

Why I Started the Group

That’s why I started a Facebook group called We Are Living Proof.

I wanted a place that was about more than my music. A place where people could come together, share their stories, encourage each other, laugh a little, cry if they need to — and remind somebody that they’re not alone.

You don’t have to have your life together to belong there. You don’t need an incredible comeback story, and you don’t have to pretend everything is okay.

You can just be you.

The world has enough places where people feel they have to put on a smile and convince everybody they’re doing great. I wanted this to be different. Sometimes the people who have been through the most are the very people with the most love to give.

Why Any of This Matters

Of course I want my music to be successful. I’d love to stand on a stage and hear thousands of people singing these songs back to me. I’m not going to pretend otherwise.

But I never want to get so caught up in that that I forget why any of this matters.

If a song I wrote helps someone feel understood, if a conversation in our group helps somebody through a hard day, or if one person realizes their life still has meaning despite everything they’ve been through — then we’re doing something worthwhile.

I can’t fix anybody’s life. Lord knows I’m still figuring out my own. But maybe we can remind each other that broken doesn’t mean finished.

That’s what Living Proof means to me. And that’s what I hope this little community becomes.

There’s Room for You

If any of this sounds like you, I’d love for you to join us. Bring your story, your scars, your sense of humor, and whatever else you’re carrying.

Join the We Are Living Proof Facebook community

Thank you for listening, for sharing your stories, and for letting me share mine.

— Topher Ryan