Krystal McRae’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

Krystal McRae shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Krystal, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Morning! I have to say I think integrity is super important to me in the sense that it’s a good show of your moral compass, and what you stand for.
You can be smart, and be high energy, but if you don’t have a strong sense of who you are, and your values, I don’t think any of that matters as much as one would think.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Krystal McRae, a NYC based multi-hyphenate event professional, creative, and writer with work on TeachRock.org, Antlers Zine, and the solo EIC of “Scenes From the Underground,” an indie music blog here in NYC that has been going for the past 8 years. I write about bands both in NYC, and beyond, and I also produce shows from time to time. I just did my 9th showcase last month for the Holidays!

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I think what breaks bonds between people is a misunderstanding of folks either intentionally, or unintentionally. The other thing that breaks bonds between folks is the lack of communication, and not saying what is on your mind.

What restores those issues, is open communication and empathy, and trying to understand where folks are coming from, and not staying in your own head.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
My younger self would need to hear not to be so anxious about the her life path, and work, and that her tenacity, grit, and gifts are what will take her places.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my closest friends would say a good work ethic, social justice, and being a good person.

A good work ethic means you will put your nose to grind when it matters, and WORK for what you want, and not in a “burn yourself out making money/survival kind of way,” but rather you know what makes you happy, what gives you passion, and you work towards those goals, and the life you want.

Social justice because too many things are happening in the world to ignore, and as a Black woman in the arts, and events field, WE HAVE to look at issues. Everything is connected, and while some MAY LOVE to think we live in a vacuum, we do not. In my own creative process, I don’t shy away from making sure my showcases are diverse, I am writing about other Black and Brown/BIPOC acts, and even pushing for more diversity in the music scene.

And lastly, being a good person, but more importantly being a good person with morals, and heart, who cares about the community both larger and smaller, and who knows when facing adversity, we only REALLLYYYY have each other in the end.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope my story is a story of not only being a hardworking person who set her mind to something, but one of faith and tenacity as well.

Like, I didn’t back down, or give up on what I wanted to do because I was so sure of of myself from childhood. And with what I built, I did it with honesty and kindness, and a vision for what things COULD be

That is what I want to leave behind…making things better for folks coming after me who want to do what I have done, and maybe didn’t see themselves represented.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kammie1217
• Instagram: @scenesfromtheunderground

Image Credits
Photos by Debbie Rodriguez
and Mike Borchardt