Meet Shane Lara

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

Hi Shane , so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

I began taking healthy risks when I realized that failure isn’t something you need to be afraid of. We frame failure like it is the end of the world instead of a learning experience. Yes we may fail but we will live to fight another day. When I first started rapping or doing slam poetry I wasn’t some expert or master writer. I had to put out music or perform poems that had a lot of room for improvement in order to grow. If I never put out my work to recieve constructive criticism I would have never gotten to the level I am at now. When I put out Hip-Hop music or read poetry at a venue or college people saw me and that exposure gave me paid opportunities. I was recently invited to host a poetry workshop and presentation on Native American environmental justice by the Youth Leaders Institute. I was paid fifteen hundred dollars for my time and that only encouraged me to take more healthy risks as well as not worrying about putting my work out for others to see. I also know that my work represents the Native American community I am very close to so in order for me to represent them I have to take risks because being Native comes with difficult historical conversations many may try to reject but they are discussions that need to be had.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I would say that at my very core, I am spoken word artist but I don’t limit myself to one medium. As someone who is talented in words I carry many titles that all offer me fulfillment but also act as a tool to elevate Native American voices. Through Hip-Hop I use lyricism over a dope beat to get people bobbing their heads but also speaking truth that non-Natives people may find controversial. Through poetry I come with hard hitting messages focusing more on punchlines to a crowd who may have never engaged in the craft or understand my people. Through literature and Novel writing I am telling stories from an Indigenous perspective that touch on themes of colonialism, erasure and resiliance. In other written stories we are portrayed as the enemy or the noble savage but we are rarely ever portrayed as human beings who are still fighting to this day to keep our ancestors alive and our culture preserved. Each of my mediums serve to elevate the Native voice. My recent Novel 4 Directions Through Fire is a post apocalyptic genre from the Native perspective that is on Amazon Kindle. This year alone I have been invited to colleges and non-profits alike to do a mix of presentations, poetry workshops and spoken word performances. I am usually very available to any space that would have me and wanting to hear my truth.

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?

My first quality I would say is my passion for writing and tribal people. Without passion or something to fight for the work I have done so far would have never existed. You can’t make beautiful art if your heart ceases to be in it. My second quality would be discipline. I have a sense of urgency when I write or create because I know my voice is needed deeply so if I’m writing a novel I set aside time to write at least one chapter or listen to an instrumental, write some creative bars or read more about Native history so I my work can reflect voices accurately. My third quality is humble confidence. When you become an artist you will hear from people who don’t care or see how important the arts are. Some will ask why you are wasting your time or think you won’t be successful in the arts. We live in a country that values profit or humanity and expression. Despite all that I know what I have to say matters. I know my feelings are valid, I know that I have a gift. When I started out I believed I had something worth saying before anyone else ever truly did and I have the confidence to stand in front of others and share knowing any negative comments or thoughts won’t stop me from creating. For anyone starting out I would say that one of the most important things you can have is self love and respect for yourself. If you have self respect you won’t allow anyone to put you down or make what you do feel worthless. Always remember to filter out advice people give you. Not all advice is good advice. If it doesn’t feel right to you don’t follow it. Trust in your heart, think critically and come to your own conclusions. We worry too much about what people think or follow the crowd instead of having conversations with ourselves, so get to know who you are, build a strong foundation and you will be unstoppable.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

For me stress is like noise in my head that doesn’t leave. I get very irratable because I am still trying to find work that falls in line with my passion. I get tired of working for someone elses dreams at times as well as trying to stand on my own two feet in a world where housing is expensive and it’s just expensive to be alive. In those moments where I feel like I’m going to snap I turn off the TV in my room or anything that is making noise so my space is completely silent. I then speak to one of my ancestors named Angelique and I tell her my stresses. My traditional Indigenous tribal beliefs play a huge role because we believe our ancestors are not dead and gone, that they are still here beside us like they never truly left. I offer my ancestors water or a spirit plate and I feel like I’m not alone. They may not be able to fix the outside world but they make me feel heard and that my fustrations are very valid. That’s what I want most when I’m stressed. To just be understood and loved. I will also just stay home for a day and not do anything creative to let my mind rest. My advice to others is to have a safe quiet space to decompress because even the strongest willed people have a breaking point. Our society glamorizes the grind that eventually leads to burnout. Have a healthy balance. There is nothing wrong with working hard but there is also nothing wrong with taking some time to yourself, with your family or what relaxing activities that you find peace in. Don’t listen to the work culture we have in this country either. Jobs come and go but it’s the relationships we foster that last lieftimes.

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Image Credits

My personal grad photos were taken by Benjamin Cruz

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