Meet VALERIE

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to VALERIE. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

VALERIE, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?

When I find that I haven’t written a song in a while or improved at a skill, I’m reminded of this proverb:

Proverbs 14:23 – “There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

For me, creative disciplines like songwriting and singing are ones where I sow much more than I reap. Good ideas don’t just fall from the sky. For every ten songs or lines I write, there’s one I like.

If I’m feeling stuck or unmotivated, I remind myself that all labor is profitable, even that which feels as though it is in vain. This has helped me to stop judging myself and press on when I’m lacking inspiration while trying to make something.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a singer-songwriter!

I make conceptual, fantastical pop music, and I actually released an independent record last October called WITHIN THE CONFINES OF YOU, which is all about the confines we make for ourselves based on our experiences.

Throughout the record, I explore those places I got stuck in, which took the form of the open ocean, a ship, a storm, a war, a different era, dreams, novels, and an imagined future, coalescing into an asylum I lived in voluntarily.

Ultimately, I realized that I gripped the keys to my own confines. And that’s how I broke out.

You can find WTCOY on any streaming platform at this link: https://linktr.ee/thevaleriemusic

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I’m still so unseasoned, so it’s hard to say what has been the most impactful. Here are my guesses:

-I’m very industrious, or perhaps just… stubborn. If I plan to do something, I carry it out, no matter how long it takes. I’ve learned the hard way that sometimes it’s okay to pause or to quit what’s not working, but for the most part, I try to break down locked doors or find the keys.

-I’m very curious, and I ask a lot of questions, almost to a fault. I hate when people tell me, “Let’s Google that.” The internet is a great tool for confirming information, but where’s the fun in that? If I don’t know or understand something, I want to try to figure it out first. I think exercising curiosity has led me to develop a large imagination, which has helped me a lot as an artist.

-I read a lot, and I listen to a lot of music. I also like to gaze at art, despite having only a rudimentary knowledge of art history. If you’re creative, I think it’s important to engage with other creative works so that you can learn from them and draw from them. I use a lot of allusions in my songwriting, and I like having a lot to choose from in my knowledge base.

To others, I would say to look in the mirror and examine your best and worst qualities. Lean into the good with caution, and try to improve the bad without being too hard on yourself.

It’s also wise to remember that your best and worst qualities can change over time – your best qualities can become hubris, and your worst qualities can become crutches. Constant self-reflection is really useful in the early stages of any journey, and it’s something to hold onto no matter how far you travel.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

In the past 12 months, I’ve worked hard on becoming a better piano player. My two main reasons for learning piano have been to 1) write songs with more ease and 2) be able to perform my own songs acoustically without relying on a track or a band.

I get nervous when I play piano in front of an audience, no matter how long I’ve spent practicing. This year, I’ve been challenging myself to fail more by playing piano in front of as many people as I can, whether it’s friends and family or a group of strangers. It’s been helping me face the fear and become a better pianist in a live setting, where there are variables you can’t control and pressure to do well.

I like the optionality piano gives me and how expansive it makes music feel in my mind. Because I’m not as skilled at playing piano as I am at singing, I play more wrong notes, but I make more interesting discoveries that I can save for later to use in songs.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Sabrina Warnick
Lucas Morelli
Sebastian Hernandez

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