We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jorge Flores a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jorge , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
There was a long point in my life that I felt lost and confused as to what to do in life. I really had no idea which direction I wanted to head to because of the lack of confidence and not having had explored many of my interests. During this time, I also considered myself as being an Atheist when it came to having a belief system in a Higher Power. I had started going to Community College to get my degree in Audio Engineering but ended up changing my major twice because of not having confidence in what I could do with music as a career.
It wasn’t until I started to read books about dreams and lucid dreaming that led me to learning about psychedelics and the affects they had on people when used in a Shamanistic/ritualistic manner. Learning about this and the history that came with Shamanism allowed me to explore the Inner Self more. As a student, I was into philosophy and psychology and having had some of that exposure prior to learning about this allowed me to have an open mind and feel connected to it on a deeper level. In 2018, I had the opportunity to attend an Ayahuasca ceremony and that was what fully changed the way that I saw life and what I felt my purpose is with this life at the moment. I realized that I wanted to stick with music because it was the gift that was shared with me by the Higher Power.
Being able to put some of the lessons that I keep learning into song stories to pass along is one part of why I am here on Earth. We are all here to pass on knowledge to the next generations and we all do it in different ways. In a way I had always known music was calling me but it took me taking the long way on the journey to realize that was the North star we were following.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I always loved music with a meaningful message. A song that drew you into that atmosphere and took you out of the environment you are in. Listening to artist like Tupac made me feel something and it made me want to create that same effect to whoever is listening to my music.
Being able to be a good story-teller is what brings people in to the world you have created with your art. Stories don’t necessarily have to be told with words either. It is in the energy that one puts into creating that art and story. What I feel most excited about with my art are the the different interpretations of the knowledge that has been shared in the story.
Last December, I released my first full album on streaming platforms and I felt most proud of the multiple-dimensional story that is a full story as a whole and also single stories as each single song. I based the project off of Plato’s Allegory of the cave. I have always been intrigued by this story and the meanings it has and decided to create my own spin on it. Each song is a different stage/emotion that one goes through as they progress through understanding the cave more by exploring and coming back to it.
I have a studio space in San Marcos that I am able to record in and also have the pleasure of running my business from there as well. Being able to record myself and my friends has allowed me to use those skills learned to record others as well and continue my career journey. I have been able to work with some amazing local artist since I opened up the studio and have recorded a lot of great tracks.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
There are two areas of knowledge that I appreciate the most that I was able to study. Those two areas being Philosophy and Psychology. Taking classes in these areas allowed me to develop as a human being and also helped me understand a bit more of the people around me as well. Being able to see that we are the way we are because of events that happened to us as kids, or things that have been passed on through genetics allows us to be more empathetic. It allows you to see your growth as a human differently as well because you are able to read the roadmap a bit better than someone going at it blind. I always recommend people to take psychology and philosophy classes in school because it exponentially supports your growth the more you take in. This creates a deep thinking, analytically empathic person.
Being able to listen and soak in information like a sponge is another skill that is impactful for anyone. This allows you to learn from others mistakes and take in that extra information that you would not have access to otherwise. Knowing that you can learn something from anyone in the world that you interact with is important for growth and the journey as well. One can mold into any situation quicker because being able to listen and soak information helps you grow and learn quick. One can best improve these skills by understanding the Greek Philosopher, Epitectus, who said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
The last quality is being an explorer and child-like. I feel this is the catalyst for creativity and being able to tap in to the state flow. Exploring is being fascinated in learning about a lot of different things, being open to trying things out. This helps the journey because it taps into creativity and allowing you to not let the adult thinking mind take over. A way to develop this and improve is to follow your instinct and heart. The kid at heart and the exploration will guide you through the journey because that part of human beings is tapped into the collective consciousness, the energy that flows through life.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I feel the most impactful thing my parents did for me was give me all of the love they gave me. They both played huge rolls in my life in different ways to make me the person I am today. The love they gave me and continue to give me gives me the confidence to go out and go for my dreams. It gave us the support we needed to grow up and learn. With all of the love we were given it was always easy to share the love with other people. The whole family was full of laughter and joking around and that taught us to have a light-hear as we go through life and laugh through the good and bad moments.
They also impacted me in different ways when it comes to music. They both had separate tastes in music, and I was introduced to a wide variety of genres from a young age because of this. I am able to tap into these different frequencies when creating my own art because of the inspirations passed onto me as a kid with the music they listened to.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahomie_beats/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dahomiebeats9214
Image Credits
Elizabeth Hernandez, Juan Flores
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