We recently connected with Pynk Mo$cato and have shared our conversation below.
Pynk , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Developing my confidence was far from a solo task, it was really my father who instilled it in me from a young age, that I was “cute, smart and clean” or “CSC” as he called it. I was told to write it down and put it on the wall in my room where it stayed for the majority of my adolescence. Moving through the era of social media did make it a little more difficult to believe all the time though. I will say that I didn’t often find myself caring too much about what others thought about me, it was always a battle against myself and how much better I always want to be. The key to developing my self-esteem in an era of intense comparison and unrealistic expectations has been to ensure that the only person I compare myself to is who I was yesterday. The only life I truly know the ins and outs of is my own, therefore that is the only person I can accurately assess. The more I grow and understand that nobody has it figured out the easier it is for me to be myself completely. A lot of people are not who they claim to be and you would never know that based on a photograph. I discovered that most of the time comparison is the thief of joy and when you release yourself from the standard of what you think you should be, you allow yourself the space to be all that you can be on your own.
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 am an artist through and through. It bleeds into every aspect of my life. From my clothes, to my overall self expression. I love art and creativity and everything on the right side of the brain. When it comes to my art, I feel as though I have a very versatile reach because I have a very diverse experience. I come from a Kenyan background but grew up in a very suburban town, i then moved to areas with more diversity, and was able to connect with people from all walks of life. Life experience is what makes art breathe. It gives a 3d effect to a 2d painting. I am a musical artist, my strength with visuals is more in graphic design rather than painting. However that brings me into the most exciting part of my career. It’s acquiring new skills that may not even be in your field. Through music I’ve learned about graphics, engineering, sound systems, stage construction, event contracts, basic video composition, the list truly goes on. I haven’t reached the level yet where I can just make music and have a successful career. However, I feel as though even if given the option to that’s not the route I would take. I think it’s important to have a hand in every piece of your art to protect your vision. That’s the space I’m in right now as I’m creating my first project, I’ve had to push it back due to cover art changes and not seeing eye to eye with photographers etc. It doesn’t help that im relatively young in my field at times the older people I work with don’t always take me and my vision seriously. Ironically the name of my project is called “Oh so you think you grown now?” It’s a coming of age EP designed to walk the listener through the major points in my life thus far, and where I am now. It means a lot to me and has been a very expensive process. So I will be shamelessly taking my time.
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 3 qualities as an artist that were the most beneficial to me, would be confidence, persistence, and resilience. As someone just starting out I would definitely recommend building your resilience, that comes with persistence so you’ve already got two of the traits knocked out. Through those unavoidable trials and tribulations, you build confidence. The simple fact that you were able to bounce back and still have success stories to return with will definitely build your confidence and ability to do it all over again. The best thing to do is to keep on doing it. I know that’s cliché but whoever coined that term knew exactly what they were talking about.
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?
I would say the main obstacle I face is the court of public opinion. I’m in a space where I understand the closer I get to my goal of visibility the more I expose myself to those who may not be fans of my work. Not only that, but more notoriety opens the space for more public degradation or criticism of the craft I’ve spent years perfecting. Altogether I’ve probably received less than 50 negative comments over the course of my career, but that is being said as someone who is still very new to the scene. It’s a double edged sword trying to get your name out there and locate those who will be your fan base, because in that process you inadvertently attract those who will be your “hate” base. I would say something that diluted my fear is the fact that those who dislike my work are still fans. You have to at least know who I am to have an opinion on what I do. Flipping the script and changing my perspective on which opinions I perceive to be valid have changed the way I approach being vulnerable to so many people I don’t know. I find great comfort in the fact that I don’t know these people because they become nothing more than usernames. Not only that, but my lack of knowledge on them reinforces their lack of knowledge on me. Thus invalidating anything they have to say about me that isn’t positivity. Everything is truly about perspective, and I am determined to keep my confidence and joy. My anger and sadness are reserved reactions for those who know me well enough to accept me when the emotions pass. Not strangers who think I was off key on a freestyle.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/pynkmoscato?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pynkmoscato
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/nuuaR
Image Credits
Rick Crank Mix Lounge
