Meet Arressai

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

Arressai, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
The feeling of fulfillment in my life is often gauged by how regular I am with my creative practice. I truly believe ignored creativity metastasizes. I’ve seen this in the women I grew up around.. hugely creative and uniquely talented but stifled, and self sabotaged; the consequences of which have been guide posts for me. I believe it’s imperative, not optional, to honor this life-giving force. I’ve definitely had to exercise patience, gentleness and curiosity in navigating it’s expression but I’ve landed on a practice and perspective on it I’m honored to share on this platform. I have become a huge believer in the efficacy of process + algorithms. In a days time, I eventually had to ask myself, how are my daily habits fostering the kind of life I want to live and the things that bring me joy and fill my cup? Honoring my creativity daily is an ongoing practice. Carving out time and space for my creative work and simply sitting down and showing up has been my most important solution for keeping that flow alive. Practically, this looks like waking up early, writing, and turning on my equipment first thing and simply sitting down. If I sit down to it; the rest unfolds. Just get my feet to where I need to be on a daily basis and the process takes over. Nurturing that flow makes me a better woman, partner, daughter, and friend. My cup runneth over, I have to and have had to really reprogram the concept that if I enjoy it it must not be productive but I have found that creative expression is deeply, deeply productive. Showing up to the work is the only way I’ve been able to nurture that relationship and build that muscle.

It’s worth adding, on the days where my feet feel heavy I sometimes need activities that act as resets: nature-immersed hikes, long mornings of deep writing and reflection, a nurturing day of cooking for myself, enjoying a day with my significant other, a beach day or long talks with my girlfriends. Balancing rejuvenating, restorative activities are essential. Committing to the practice of showing up to my creative outlets allows me to engage with my work in a playful, rejuvenating way. Nurturing creativity in my life has also helped me overcome perfectionism, live more authentically, and genuinely transform my character. I so strongly feel that force is in within all of us and so uniquely and curiously placed.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an artist, a musician, and a neon bender. I moved to Berlin, DE in 2014 to follow my creativity and returned 3.5 years later with the marriage of sound and light in my repertoire. I have been a practicing music producer for 10 years and I spent last year doubling down on a huge body of work; a 12 track album with a holistic story at it’s core. 2024 marks the launch of the album, song by song with the intersection of my visual art (I am also a neon-bender, thus the light element in my work). Immersive events alongside the song release give attendees the opportunity to come into my process and experience it for themselves in person along with monthly curated content inspired by the music.

Starting in January I will host a series of immersive events that allow attendees to come into my process, experience my brand of sound meditation and essentially walk into the world imagined by me when creating my music.

You can learn about upcoming events and take a look at my process and work at:
www.arressai.com
Instagram: @arressai
TikTok: @arressai

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?
Looking back on my journey so far, I can’t help but place commitment at the forefront of qualities necessary to cultivate a career in the arts. It’s the wild west, there is no corporate structure. You dance with the force, you follow your voice and you keep coming back to the work. Ignoring the call was equally as hard as following it, to be honest. They both require commitment it just depends on whether you enjoy suffering or growth more, which brings me to my second most important quality; willingness to experience discomfort. I have had to change my character and do a lot of work around this one but I truly believe willingness to experience discomfort is the cornerstone of growth. The only time when discomfort has been unbearable were the moments I spent thinking about what’s ahead instead of moving towards it. Moving my feet and learning that discomfort breeds opportunity has been a revelation. I could never intellectualize or perceive the joys of stretching myself from my home, my bed or my comfort zone. Friends aren’t met in the shadows they’re met in the light of stepping out, taking risks, and putting ourselves on the line. Finally, discipline! Showing up is a discipline, meditating is a discipline, work is a discipline. Cultivating the practice of doing the same thing maybe even at the same time every day is an ongoing practice and it’s the single thing that can actually transform you into a completely different human being if you want to be. Practicing taking actions aligned with who you admire or who you want to become, this has and continues to characterize my evolution towards a unique and authentic career in the arts.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My biggest area of growth has been in my commitment to the body of work I have always wanted to create (an immersive holistic album). So. Many. People. I know or meet have a passion project in their hearts they are afraid to share. I have been one of those people for 10 years. I have committed to the process despite my meandering path; the skills I have had to acquire to bring something like this to life have taken years to acquire. Twelve years to become a music producer with a distinct and unique sound, 5 to become a decent enough neon bender. 7 meandering years of exploring my voice and really just healing myself to be able to even sing in front of another human being.

I am genuinely not the person I was when I started. I was afraid to speak in front of people, hardly able to finish sentences. Afraid, beaten down, exhausted, looking years beyond my age. Following my heart’s passion project has transformed me from the inside out. I look people in the eyes, I carry myself like I belong here. I am not afraid to walk into a room, to hold my own, to be heard and to be seen. From the diary of the world’s most self-conscious girl, I am not who I used to be. I feel purposeful, like I am adding to the stream of life, contributing to the world a problem I sought to solve. I make music that is of service, music that heals, music that is accessible but means something deeper. Music that could transform you because it transformed me. Everything else I do helps me tame my nervous energy and keep myself immersed in my process; the visual art, the neon. It’s a strange cocktail of mediums but even being honest about that and deeply committing to my work is the biggest leap in my growth yet and I am so excited for the next year of releasing this work to the world.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Bio Image: Amanda Lim Emerge Installation Image: David Irwin Mad Tasty Sound Bath Images: Brandon Lavoie

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