Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edgar Galvez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Edgar, 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?
Finding one’s purpose can be a very confusing and lonely journey, especially when your closest role models never had the opportunity to find theirs, making it hard for them to help guide you to find yours. My journey has been a bumpy road in figuring out my purpose, but the more I move forward, the closer I feel I am reaching my ultimate purpose.
My journey in seeking my purpose began in a summer program I did during my freshman year of high school. This program, Upward Bound, played a fundamental role in helping me discover my passion for Spoken Word Poetry. In Upward Bound, we were enrolled in summer classes—one to help prepare for the next academic year, and the other was a random enrichment class. I was placed into a spoken word poetry class led by Jamie The Poet. At first, I didn’t really like the class because it forced me to open up and think about some difficult experiences in my life. Coming from a harsh background and a traumatized community, I never understood the importance of reflection and speaking up. I knew there were many situations in my community that needed healing, but I never had the opportunity to speak about them and express how I felt. This class gave me that chance to let my tongue loose. I learned how to utilize poetic devices, write poems, and witnessed poets perform their work. For the first time in my life, I felt a sense of inspiration like no other.
To provide more context, in my family, I play a very unique role. Being the first-born son in the United States, I carried a sense of responsibility and a will to change my family’s trajectory. Coming from an immigrant, low-income family, we faced adversity growing up, and during that time, all I envisioned was finding a way to succeed. But I also felt a sense of justice and a desire to raise awareness about the issues we faced.
After feeling inspired and realizing that poetry could really be something meaningful, my mindset changed. I started to write poems that showcased my life and the experiences that shaped my reality—things like family issues, political struggles, and social justice concerns.
In the summer program, we had a summer showcase where each class got to showcase the projects they worked on. One poem that I had the opportunity to work on was a duo poem, where you create a poem with a group and then perform it. This poem absolutely changed my life. The duo poem, “Racismo,” was created by myself and a peer, and it took a stance on racism. When writing this poem, we envisioned sharing the experiences that the Latinx community faces. We discussed how the accomplishments of our community and our ancestors had been used against us, and yet our people are seen as less, often placed in a box and criminalized. Reflecting on that, we encouraged the audience to use that internal fire as motivation to change that perspective—that we, the people, are the change we wish to see in our communities.
Our teacher encouraged us to perform at the summer showcase, and with hesitation, we agreed. We felt that our words carried compassion, trauma, and power that could move the audience. The day of the performance, as nervous as we were, after rehearsing and having our lines and hand gestures memorized, we performed.
The aftermath left me in disbelief at how powerful words are. The loud applause touched my heart; I saw my peers in tears, in awe, and feeling empowered. One of the Teaching Assistants came to us afterward and mentioned how she appreciated us highlighting the story of Alex Nieto in our poem.
This experience made me believe that I had more work to do. It was only the beginning of my journey. I felt a sense of passion being on that stage, letting the words roar out of my vocal cords—words that yelled pain and a seeking of freedom.
This experience showed me the importance of storytelling and the need to heal, educate, and inspire my community. That poem led me to continue Spoken Word poetry, and I found myself writing more about my life, performing in different spaces, eventually being highlighted in a documentary on Hulu, Homeroom, and serving as the student speaker at the UC Davis 2024 Chicanx Graduation Ceremony. Many other incredible moments have shaped my purpose, but all have led me to perform my poetry and share the stories of my family, community, and people.
I have a strong sense of my purpose now.
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?
Hi readers, I am DrizzE, a Spoken Word poet, artist, storyteller, and motivational speaker. I write music and poetry with the goal of telling my life stories, my community’s stories, and my people’s stories. I am here to educate and empower my community about the importance of storytelling and teach how to use Spoken Word poetry as a form of healing, self-expression, and activism. What makes this so unique is the ability to make an audience reflect, feel emotions, paint a picture, and motivate with just words and my voice.
I’ve been shifting my storytelling into music and am in the process of creating my first E.P. On this E.P., I aim to capture my journey in the music game. My music style is inspired by J. Cole, Larussell, and the hyphy movement from the Bay Area. With a touch of my Mexican roots, I incorporate Spanish in my music to create something even more unique.
Something else to look out for is my first poetry book, which will feature all my poems from the beginning of my journey through 2024. I’m also working on establishing a larger presence of poetry and music in Oakland, aiming to create a community for poets, artists, and creatives to come together, share space, and network by hosting Open Mics in the Fruitvale area!
Check out my Instagram @drizzy.3d & @RealLifeMelodies, where I’ll be showcasing my poetry, music, workshops, and upcoming events.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that have been crucial in my journey are Confidence, Consistency, and Drive.
With the path I’m taking as an artist and poet, confidence is so important to have. I must believe in myself before anyone else can believe in me. I gained my confidence once I realized I carry more than just words, but the power to motivate myself and others. I had to believe in this journey even though I didn’t see many people on the same path. I knew this calling was real for me because I always found myself taking opportunities that pushed me to write and perform. At times when I questioned if I belonged on this route, I found myself writing, and in that writing, came beautiful poems. I began to look at my work as gems of what I call Real Life Melodies. Confidence led me to take every opportunity in front of me, to challenge myself, to be both a leader and a student when needed. Because I believe in my work, I found the strength to keep going down this path. My advice is to challenge yourself to do more—put yourself in situations where you can practice your skills and talents. This is how you gain confidence. Sometimes you may mess up or feel uncomfortable, but in the process, you gain valuable lessons that will help you build confidence and comfort in the unknown.
Without a plan, it’s only a dream. I would always find myself saying, “I am chasing my dream,” but I never knew how to actually capture it. Being consistent played a huge role in my journey, and it’s still a work in progress. It was hard for me to set goals, especially with so many other responsibilities like school, work, and extracurricular activities. I found that making yearly and monthly goals was a great place to start, making them more achievable. This year, I created a thorough vision board with my goals for the year, breaking each month down into smaller milestone goals. This helps me stay consistent and focused on what I’m working toward. Organization became a vital asset as well, using tools like Google Calendar to schedule time for projects, meetings, and events. I highly recommend making your goals attainable with a vision board or plan. Staying organized is crucial—use tools like calendars and reminders to keep you on track!
Lastly, having drive has been one of the most important qualities for me. It’s that fire inside me that doesn’t let me quit. Coming from my circumstances and witnessing struggle, I refuse to give up on myself. I’m hungry to win and do something different in this world. I have a calling to leave my mark, and that keeps me pushing forward. I’m highly motivated to do something different and be someone in this world. I always reflect on my WHY. Why am I doing this? Why am I here? Why am I spending my time on this? And who am I doing this for? I think about why I started in the first place—to uplift my community, bring light to our injustices, capture our stories, and make sure they aren’t silenced or forgotten. I think about my mom, my brother, my dad, and my sister when I do my work. I think about the issues our community faces that are rarely shared. I’ve met people on the same journey as me, and I seek advice from them. Being a student of the game and hearing their stories keeps me going.
Thoughts like these fuel my fire. It ignites my passion to know that I’m creating some sort of change, big or small. I encourage you to think about your own why and connect with people on a similar journey. Your WHY will keep you grounded in your work.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
One challenge I have faced is staying true to my art and being myself (getting lost in the sauce). What I mean by that is, as I grow as an artist and poet, I encounter many people who share their experiences and stories. It’s easy to get influenced by that, which can lead me to question my art. I meet people who say I have to cater to an audience, and the audience must love it if I want to grow, and that I need to do music a certain way. In that process, I’ve noticed myself making music differently, in ways that aren’t really me.
It’s a tough thought to grapple with, but I try to overcome this by remembering that I don’t aim to be the same as others, and that my work comes straight from the heart. I remind myself to be the best version of myself and to stay as authentic as possible. This means that even if no one likes what I do, as long as it fulfills me and makes me happy, it will take me far. Rather than trying to please everyone and ending up unhappy with my work because it doesn’t feel like me, I focus on being true to myself in my art. I know I’ll eventually find an audience that appreciates what I do, but first, I need to appreciate and be happy with my own work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @drizzy.3d @RealLifeMelodies
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edgar-galvez-9a4280202
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DDrizzEE
- Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/drizz.e
Image Credits
– Gabriel Figueroa
– Jason Tapia
– Darren Taira
– LegendDev & Grassroots Poetry
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
