Meet GRACE OTTO

We were lucky to catch up with GRACE OTTO recently and have shared our conversation below.

GRACE, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

In a lot of ways, I’m still learning about myself and the mental health issues I face. With our current mental health system, getting a diagnosis is difficult and expensive, even with the privileges I have. One thing that has helped a lot is the practice of radical empathy. When I have depression, anxiety, or am completely overwhelmed by whatever’s going on, I ground myself in that moment and get curious about why I’m experiencing those sensations rather than completely shutting down. “Oh, I’m depressed? Well… that makes sense, the world is getting obliterated”. In a way, I think a lot of my mental health struggles come from a genuine love of people and the planet. These mental health problems that a lot of us are facing are very natural byproducts of structures/systems that don’t work and probably never have. So that’s the macro, the societal “why”, is just as important, if not more important, than a lot of things individuals can do. It’s a slow truth and a huge reason I’m so outspoken about politics and world events. We are the earth experiencing itself. If you have this empathy and love, then you’re part of the earth that’s protecting itself, but that empathy and love have a price because everything is so backwards. That being said, sometimes it’s like “huh, why am I having a breakdown in the club after 3 tequila Redbulls, a pot of coffee I needed to wake up in the morning, enough nicotine in my bloodstream to tranquilize an elephant, and a family history riddled with anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, and Autism… hmmm”. Either way, I try to be understanding when those moments arise and make changes where they’re necessary. I’ve recently had a realization that if I can’t do something immediately to change the outside world, I can work to make the place inside my head as nice as possible. That way, I always have a place to retreat to. I think that might be the whole point of mindfulness and meditation, and it’s something I’m working on now with that realization.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Hi, I’m Grace Otto and I am an independent musician/artist from Phoenix, Arizona!

I’ve created my life around a love of singing. It’s what I always come back to. When I was younger, I thought I’d be a musical theater actress, but I got rejected from the BFA Musical Theater program at the University of Arizona and switched courses. Luckily, the BA Theater program gave students a lot of ways to explore what they wanted to do, and I found a love for writing and collaboration. I started writing songs and going to open mics during my junior year of college, and things started to click. I realized I could write about anything I wanted, and sing in any way I wanted. It was liberating. I wrote a lot of the music I’m releasing now during the COVID pandemic with producer Hiram Hernandez. We didn’t know each other super well at the time, but we were watching what felt like the end of the world and making music together. One of my favorite songs we did is called Bad Man, which we are in pre-production for release now. We wrote Bad Man at the beginning of the George Floyd protests, the day after the Minneapolis police station was burned down by protesters. I’m artistically fueled by injustice, interpersonal or societal. I had a stint in activism for years after we finished the album, and activism plays a key role in how I move through the world artistically. What we’re doing with the music video is playing with the idea of “the man” as something that hasn’t fundamentally changed and affects all of us in different ways. I also find a lot of joy and inspiration from the local Phoenix drag community. I think drag is a master class in presence, performance, and expression. I pull a lot of fashion inspiration from drag queens and anything from the 80s. There’s an intoxicating theatricality to it all; big hair, big tits, over the top, crass, loud, welcoming, messy, and unabashedly authentic. I just love it. I’m not sure when that song will be officially out, probably the end of summer. There’s a lot of work that goes into releasing a song independently, but it’s going to be special.

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?

Resilience, authenticity, and one that I’m still working on – discipline. The resilience to keep going, you will get rejected. If you love it, do it anyway. Someone’s always going to be snickering in the back, who cares? Even if it’s someone you love or respect, you’ll never get better if you don’t try. Be the weird kid. Popular kids peak in high school, and that’s way cringier than trying. Be genuinely curious about yourself and the world around you. Be honest with your taste and surround yourself with people and things you love. If you’re an artist, practice a ton, whatever it is. This one is so hard for me; doing what you need to do every day, even if you don’t feel “inspired” or “good enough”. Keep going. There’s a Porter Robinson song called “Mirror,” and at the end there’s a line I’m obsessed with. It’s “sometimes the inner voice is encouraging, calling for you to run those final few yards, keep going keep going keep going, it will all be ok in the end”.

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?

Right now, I’m figuring out how to get over the anxiety of posting on social media. There’s a huge difference between performing live and making content. I’ve gone viral before during the pandemic for political posts on Tik Tok, when we all had more time. When a post doesn’t “do well,” now it hurts, especially if it’s something I’ve worked hard on. There’s a little voice in the back of my head that says, “Why are my likes/views low? Am I a failure?” There’s a necessary posting consistency that I struggle with now. Building a social media plan is crucial to get ears on a release. Social media is so funny because you can never post enough, but you also don’t want to annoy your base or burn out. I have some friends who have found success on social media, and they’ve been helping me with a plan. In general, having people who support you and your dreams is crucial for overcoming any type of anxiety. I’ve adopted the idea of taking messy action. A small post with a couple of hundred views is better than not doing anything and getting no views. No one is going to do it for you, and it’s gotta get done. Just hit the buttons. Way easier said than done, but it’s better than not doing anything.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Anton Orleans
Matt Marine
Lance Gergar
Patty Powers
Paige Papadopoulos
Krystle Cordell

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