We recently connected with Komplex Simplicity and have shared our conversation below.
Komplex, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
My generosity comes from my father and mother. I have never met two people more committed to sacrifice and giving in my life. All of my friends call my mother and father mom and pops. My father is the shining example of servitude, making decisions for the sake of the family, even at the expense of self. His selflessness taught me early how to approach life, how to assist those in need, and how to sacrifice for the people I love and care about. My mother is a beacon of hope for people in search of love. I think its secretly her superpower. Her house has been a home to so many young people who don’t share our last name, but share a story rooted in love and second chances. Seeing both of them accept anyone we brought home and nurturing them as if they were there own, became a reflection of the good I wanted to project to the world. Everything I am is because of them…and God of course!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
It is always difficult to describe exactly what it is that I do. As a creative professional, I have my hands on multiple projects at any given time. Life has lead me through a series of events, which forced me to stretch my creative muscles and discover gifts and talents I didn’t know I had.
After a long background in music and performing back home (in Los Angeles, CA), I began authoring books in 2016. After leaving LA, I navigated my talents to Clarksville, TN, and expanded into spoken word. (Spoken word is a form of poetry, which has a stronger emphasis on performance and delivery versus written/read literature.) I spend a vast amount of time in Nashville and, as a result, have connected to many artists who are passionate about similar things.
Using spoken word as a conduit, I started the UNPOPULAR Movement, a platform and lifestyle brand which reminds people to be whoever God created them to be, regardless of age, gender, or other societal stereotypes and norms. I am a curious writer, exploring the things I observe in life with metaphors and beautiful word pictures. I have a dynamic approach, whether I speak on the stage or my words are written on a page. I hope to enlighten the truth with every release, while exploring topics and emotions everyone can relate to. In that, I hope to help make the complexities of our reality simple, and that is the basis of my name, Komplex Simplicity.
Having the ability to express myself through spoken word lead to opportunities for merchandise. My oldest sister being the beacon of light she was, believed that I could create the merchandise myself. I vividly recall that telephone conversation. She believed in my ability so much, I had no choice but to believe too. Today, I co-run a clothing printing business where I serve the needs of people who desire to express themselves through what they wear, of small businesses who need clothing for employees and of creatives like myself who needed clothing for branding purposes. As my sister is no longer with us, her vision and belief in my ability lives on through every design and piece of clothing worn.
When I am not writing, performing, or creating with clothing, I enjoy activism through labor and community organizing, photography, podcasting, and blogging. I’m also co-host of Clarksville’s Power of Words, the official open mic night of Clarksville, TN.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first thing that comes to mind is commitment. There will be times when you feel unmotivated, where you feel uninspired, or you simply don’t feel like it, but being committed will help push past all those barriers that are bound to pop up. It’s what gets me out of bed at 6am to work out, when I’d rather continue sleeping. It’s what stops me from quitting when things get difficult, when life becomes too much, or when I hear a no and feel like I deserved a yes.
The second is that consistency builds muscle memory. A great friend of mine Trisha Alicia (she’s an amazing artist, you should search her work wherever you listen to music. I even co-wrote one of her songs!) used to always tell me that creativity was a muscle. I didn’t understand why she would say that at first, but when I began looking at from a different perspective it made more sense. A basketball player typically has a place on the court that is their “sweet spot.” They can guarantee with a high level of surety that the ball is going though the hoop when they shoot from that spot. For great players, that place is the free throw line. There’s no one to guard you, and it is purely mental. For that reason, its mostly muscle memory. If you shoot the ball from that spot over and over, your body learns the motion. I have found that creativity is the same way, the more you do it, the better you do it, and depending on your art form, the more accurate it becomes (if that’s what you’re searching for as an artist).
The third is resilience. In late 2020, I lost my older sister, not to the pandemic, but the absence of her presence shook me creatively. In the year after her passing, I didn’t write, I struggled to create in other areas and I no longer performed spoken word. After months went by, I convinced myself that I was done with spoken word. One night I had a breakthrough and I was finally able to express creatively what she meant to me, and how it felt to be void of her daily presence.
Through an invite, I went to an event in late 2021 and performed. That night was essential to where I am today and coupled with therapy, I have grown tremendously as an artist and as a woman. The worst thing that happened to me as a person, is the best thing that happened to me as an artist. It has allowed me to share parts of myself I never thought I would and taught me how to bounce back when life knocks me off balance.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was accept me for who I am creatively. Even when I was young, my parents have always embraced and supported my creative needs, even encouraging me to continue. Their continued love and support fuels me daily… and I am forever grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: iamkomplexsimplicity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkomplexsimplicity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamkomplexsimplicity
- Other: https://linqapp.com/komplex_simplicity
