Meet Mackenzie Kristjon

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mackenzie Kristjon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mackenzie, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is a very real thing and in the music and performance world, we call it “stage fright”. As soon as you step on stage, you get an immediate feeling like people are staring at you and you do not belong there. Honestly, the way I got over it was just to get onstage many, many times. I also do acting but as there are cameras but no live audience, you don’t get that same scary feeling. I remember I’d get onstage when I was even 17 at a bar opening for some larger act that tours and start forgetting the chords and the lyrics. After you trainwreck enough, you start developing little tricks like “if I make a mistake, repeat it” or trying to remember that the people in front of you probably have no idea how you are doing what you are doing and if they could do it, they would. They already view you as an expert because you are actually there. It’s never easy but time and repetition are the best means of achieving greater self-confidence. Also it’s important not to take things too seriously. Remember: everyone cares much more about themselves than they care about you so most likely, that tiny mistake you made which for you looks like a nuclear bomb is probably a blink of an eye to them. Keep it real!

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?

THIS MAD DESIRE is my rock and roll brand which is “like Neil Young on David Bowie drugs”. I’m Icelandic-Canadian and live and work in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area in the Great White North (Canada). I have been writing and performing practically since being a toddler when I would grab a toy electric guitar and mime Ace Frehley licks to adoring audiences around the house.
Soon my parents realized that I had a “mirroring issue” with his hands (i.e. they both do the same physical movements). After a doctor laughed, “Well, he’ll never play the piano,” my mother immediately enrolled me in piano lessons, which started my musical journey, which has taken me around North America, UK, Europe, and Iceland.
THIS MAD DESIRE has released numerous albums including the full-lengths American Dream and Open Hearts Open Minds as well as Christmas EP Holiday Classics V1.
Aside from music, Mackenzie has published The Culinary Saga of New Iceland (Winner of 2 Taste Canada Awards) and the Mermaids …For Real!! books by my mother Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns as well as a poetry collection “we are all things and all people” in addition to various others.
Additionally, I work in film as cast and crew for all sorts of projects from major Hollywood pictures to Hallmark Christmas movies.

The latest single from THIS MAD DESIRE is Ready For The Weekend (See See Beats Remix).

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?

This is a tough question but I would say:

1. Diplomacy -Be friendly to everyone as you never know what life will bring. Someone who you don’t like today might be a collaborator tomorrow.

2. Do what you say and say what you mean – i.e. be dependable.

3. Be diligent at your craft. Learn as much as you can and actively improve your skills. That will help give you the self-confidence to thrive.

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 always looking to collaborate with musicians and filmmakers in all kinds of ways. If that is you, please go to http://thismaddesire.net and connect with me there. You’ll see that collaboration is how I get through everything!

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