Meet Biz Barclay.

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

Biz, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?

I spent a lot of time alone taking care of myself as a kid, so that definitely helped foster independence to a degree. I wasn’t unfamiliar with having to figure things out and work with whatever I had. But I will always credit my work ethic to my high school theatre teacher. I went to a vocational school with a focus on performing arts and up until that point I had always sort of coasted by. I did fine enough in school but never really studied, my big sister was an athlete so I was shoe-horned into a lot of sports that I did okay-enough in but I was always disappointed that I never wasn’t exceptional. Transferring to this performing arts school sophomore year was a bit of a last-ditch effort to find something I was good at, and even though I spent the first year as “Oz Lady” and “Witch #3” I learned that had teachers who firmly believed that hard work beats lazy talent. It was a “slow and steady wins the race” mentality there where they not only encouraged independent study and training, but they taught us how to do it. How to break down your biggest dream into a few hundred milestones, then break those milestones into tasks. The acting exercise of following up the question “what is your ultimate goal?” with “how are you going to get it?” became the bedrock for how I’ve approached everything I’ve ever attempted since, and it’s the lesson and experience that I’m the most grateful for.

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?

I seem to be doing a bit of everything these days, but I think first and foremost I’m a singer and recording artist. I released my first EP in 2024 called “Gomorrah” and have recently made the jump from indie-folk-rock to honest-to-God-Pop music and am having an absolute blast in the studio lately. My newest single ‘Carried Away’ came out February 21st and feels like the perfect kickoff to this new era. I also spend a lot of time talking, on the internet. Most people found my work through the multi-hour video essays I make on YouTube, deep diving into everything from Flowers in the Attic, to the influence of capitalism on Mars-related media (it’s more intense than you’d think!) I like to think that all of my work reflects my desire to think more deeply about the world and the things that we put into it. I use all of the critical thinking and literary analysis skills I learn making videos to help craft music that not only makes you feel something in the moment, but gives you something to think about and chew on and dissect later. I’m a big lyrical analysis person and my favorite albums are ones whose lyric sheets I could come through for days, so ultimately that’s what I’m trying to create.

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?

The most important qualities I would say are critical thinking, time management, and the ability to say “yes” to things that scare you. People are going to criticize your work, whether you like it or not, and you simply won’t be able to ignore it all without living under a rock. Learning how to critically analyze the work of your peers and those you aspire to will make it easier for you to know what criticism might be worth taking, and what is total bullshit. For time management, start by setting a timer and working on something for short 5 or 10 minute bursts, then work your way to up 20 or 30 minutes. This will help you get a better idea of how long things actually take and how much you are capable of committing to before you set your schedule. The last one is by far the most important, you have to say yes to things. Especially new things. Even when you don’t want to do them (within reason, obviously.) Go to that concert by yourself, sign up for that class, get up at the open mic. You won’t know what you’re capable of until you fail at something, and you can’t fail until you go for it. The good things is that failing is sort of the best thing that can happen to you when chasing something, so it’s a win-win. Well, it’s a win-fail, but still.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’m really interested in co-writing and/or songwriting for other artists. I feel like I’m overflowing with ideas that aren’t always right for me, but would be perfect for another artist. Getting to bounce ideas off of other people and create something new together is also really really exciting. I’d especially love to work with other queer & femme artists so please hit me up! I’m on instagram @upinurbiz, there’s a contact form on my website, or you can email me directly at [email protected].

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Where does your self-discipline come from?

One of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. We asked some

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
Working hard in 2025: Keeping Work Ethic Alive

While the media might often make it seem like hard work is dead and that