We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lo Artiz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lo, 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.
Music alone has saved my life countless times. I persist for music & because of music. It’s been my medicine since I was a kid and is the tether that keeps me grounded. I struggle with bipolar disorder, pre-dominantly depressive episodes, so having music as my outlet has saved me time & time again. I also have a strong support system that has taken me a while to build. I prioritize my mental health because I have to. There’s no cure for the disease I have but it feels manageable when I’m in my purpose. Showing up for myself in my music career, being productive, and being creative when I can are just a few ways for me that evoke the feeling of being ‘in purpose’. If I can do one of the 3, my day is already a better one.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m an independent music artist based in Los Angeles, originally from Miami, FL. I’ve known I wanted to be a music artist since my earliest memories. That’s always been the plan for me. I’m one of the lucky ones who knew what they wanted to do with their lives before they could properly tie a shoe.
I’m a Soul artist with influences in Motown, Hip Hop, and R&B. I’m also a producer & arranger.
I just put out my sophomore album ‘LOVE LACED’; a 12-track album mixing the worlds of Neo Soul & Hip Hop.
A few of the tracks are self-produced. The rest were produced by dear friends. Only loving hands created this album and I hope that can be felt while listening to it.
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?
Consistency/Purpose/Health
These 3 pillars make the journey a lot easier for me. When you are consistent in your craft not only do you grow & get better, you develop a discipline to walk in your purpose. Purpose is also a pillar because it’s the perfect set of blinders for your journey – everything else is a distraction. As long as you keep your eye on your purpose, everything else that seeks to distract you falls away. Comparison & imposter syndrome become less frequent when your blinders are up. They still happen because I’m a human being but my dharma reminds me everything else is just noise.
Health is another pillar because when my body or mind are afflicted then I can’t be a proper vessel. This would make consistency difficult which would make being in ‘your purpose’ difficult. Health needs to be a foundation and is my only priority over my craft.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
‘It’s All in Your Head’ written by Russ is the book that got me to stop complaining about not being where I want to be in the music industry and start acting on things more. It reminded me of my “why” and gave me even more “why’s” I didn’t see coming. Consistency was one of the biggest pieces of wisdom in the book and has proven to be a successful methodology.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.loartiz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loartiz/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/loartiz?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LoArtizMusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/loartizmusic
Image Credits
Photos by Taylor Shae
