Nathan Peterson

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Nathan Peterson has been creating music as Hello Industry for two decades. After four album releases and numerous iterations of Hello Industry’s live show, including their fully classical Black and White concert, Nathan has stripped everything down to only a guitar, his voice, and a song. Nathan is currently celebrating the release of two solo albums and two books — So Am I: Life, Living, and Letting Go and Dance Again: Grief is Healing — about the life and passing of his daughter, Olivia, as well as his latest Single Release, Masks: a song about finding togetherness in the midst of covid. During Nathan’s 20 years of writing, recording, and performing, he has created a body of work which invites our culture to rest, here and now, in the midst of the storms of life. Nathan’s words and voice invite us inward, toward our own Center, where our fear is the loudest; where our strength and hope are their brightest. Born in Chicago and raised in Germany, Colorado, and the cornfields of Sycamore Illinois, Nathan now lives with his wife and 5 children in Chicago.

Articles:

Month Five Worse Than First One

Month Five is Worst I’m sure there is a book somewhere that says Month Five after the death of a child is worse than Month One. I’m also sure reading it wouldn’t make any difference. This week, I have turned into a hateful angry person. I have blown up at home multiple times. Everything my wife Heather says hits me wrong. I’m embarrassed that my kids have seen me this way. Not to mention Heather, and probably some neighbors. I feel myself becoming someone I don’t respect. It feels like there is nothing I can do about it, just like […]

Six Months Later, Memories Don’t Fade

Six Months Later Today is six months since our daughter Olivia died. It is still so hard to comprehend, staring at this grave, that her body is just a few feet beneath the new grass now growing. Waves of sadness still hit me like a wall when I see a picture of her. I still feel an irresistible urge to touch my phone screen when a photo of her pops up. I still feel the dull ache of loss, the emptiness she left, and it physically hurts. It destroys our bodies. We are walking through these days with feet made […]

‘Are We Sure She’s Dead?’: On Disbelief

‘Are We Sure She’s Dead?’ Last night I dreamt about Olivia all night. I dreamt Heather dug her up and was holding her. She looked fine. No decay. She was moving. I have this dream often. I always think, “Wait, are we sure she’s dead? She’s moving!” Everyone in the dream tells me it is totally normal and that she is dead. But last night she talked. She said she loved me, Jude, Charlie, Ruth, and Heather. “Are we sure she’s dead?! She just spoke, for crying out loud.” “Yes, that’s normal.” In the dream, they put her in a big […]

Finding ‘Great Things’ in Disaster

Finding ‘Great Things’ in Disaster On September 2nd, 2012, I saw a tall man with a priest collar at Aldi. When he passed me, my spirit kind of jumped – like “notice this guy”. A few seconds later he came back and asked, “are you born again?” “I’m sorry, what?” “Are you a Christian?” I said yes. He said “I thought so. I felt like I was supposed to come back and tell you, God’s about to do great things with you.” I said “Really?” He said “Yes. Be very attentive.” I thanked him and he walked away. This was […]

‘It Just Is’: Accepting Grief as it Comes

Two nights ago, Olivia slept through the entire night, and the other three kids were at grandma’s. That may be the first full night of sleep we’ve had since Olivia’s birth: 400 days of sleep deprivation. Yesterday I felt superhuman. For about an hour. Then I went to put my new powers to work, and it happened. The oh-so-familiar battle. I may have been naive to think all I needed was sleep, and then I’d be “back on track”. I’d be productive and efficient and strong and sharp. I’d finish all the unfinished things. All the things my “true self” […]

‘I’m Scared My Daughter Will Die’

Fear is the Enemy I’m scared my daughter will die. I’m scared I’ll never amount to anything. I’m scared my kids will be embarrassed of me. I’m scared I’ll get sick and not be able to take care of my family. I’m scared I’ll be forgotten. I know I’m not the only one. So many of us are scared to the point of paralysis. Ironically, this paralysis is exactly what brings our list of scary scenarios into being. Fear is the real enemy, not the scenarios. I believe the greatest battle I’m fighting, and my generation and my culture is […]

Fear at the Door, Rest Inside

In the spring of 2012, I heard this word: “Rest.” I knew this word was important. I knew it held something of great value — something good for me. But I wasn’t even entirely sure what it was. Was it extra sleep? Was it not working on Sundays? Shortly after I heard this word, my life began to change. For one reason or another, one by one, the things with which I occupied myself were stripped away until I found myself with nothing left to hold. A year later, I was in a panic, wondering how we were going to […]

Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.