This past week, I was lucky enough to get a quick interview out of my good friend, DC native + Guilford alum Jordan Clark. Jordan came back to Guilford a few weeks ago as a performing alum during Guilford College's annual springtime fest, Serendipity. Clark mixes past eras and genres of music into a sort of hip-hop jazz fusion... He pulls inspiration from artists like Prince and Al Green and throws in new wave twists, crafting his own personal sound. I was hanging with Jordan for the majority of the spring fest, and I could tell things felt pretty different being back at Guilford. It's always mind-altering to go through the transition of exiting college and moving back home, and so I reached out to ask him about his experience. His answers really resonated with me and the whole interview felt really relatable and organic. Anyone going through a similar transition will definately relate to his words.
We were also able to squeeze in a super weird/fun photoshoot while he was visiting. It was amazing to collaborate with a fellow artist. I always find that when I collaborate with people that work in different disciplines than me, the most interesting results come through. It's an added benefit that Jordan is an artist himself, although he isn't primarily a visual artist.
Read on for the full interview + a sneak peek of the photoshoot.
♤ ♧ ♢
We were also able to squeeze in a super weird/fun photoshoot while he was visiting. It was amazing to collaborate with a fellow artist. I always find that when I collaborate with people that work in different disciplines than me, the most interesting results come through. It's an added benefit that Jordan is an artist himself, although he isn't primarily a visual artist.
Read on for the full interview + a sneak peek of the photoshoot.
♤ ♧ ♢
As a Guilford Alum, how did it feel being back on campus over Serendipity?
Guilford felt familiar. Guilford had corridors of teens with all the same Identical rooms, with the same rusted bed springs. The same amount of Horseplay. Skateboards. Guilford felt familiar. I found the lake and woods to be particularly important in grounding myself before the show. Being in the city so long I almost forgot what nature felt like it seems. The campus might have felt the same, but the woods felt especially warm and welcoming.
Keeping all sensory organs/feels in mind, how did it feel different being at Guilford?
Most of the seniors at Guilford were Freshmen or Sophomores when I was a Senior at Guilford, meaning there was a slew of new faces I came into contact with. I could hardly recall a name or two in any immediate surrounding...if I was lucky. I guess that contributed to some additional stresses beyond the performance I was supposed to do that Saturday. What was once considered a “family event” for me had now become another show in front of majoritively strangers.
I also didn’t feel safe at Guilford. I’ve been keeping up with the Yik Yak threats towards the Black Lives Matter student organizers so I had that in the back of my mind. The south in general gives me anxiety.
Do you feel that the school and students have changed since you time here? If so, how?
Yes. Yes. Yes. I saw so many khaki shorts, button-ups, and boat shoes. The style, the vibe was just different. There was also significantly less diversity than I remember. It is like we went from mildly diverse brown rice dish with a few spices to a dry plain rice dish with no hot sauce, no salt OR pepper.
How do you feel that you have changed as a person since Guilford?
I’ve had more experience. I’ve lived beyond school, which is all I really knew up until I was about 22. I walked parts of the Appalachian Trail by myself. I’ve had encounters with the KKK. I’ve been homeless. I’ve slept on couches and relied upon the graces of those I’ve come in contact with. I’ve worked dishwashing jobs. I’ve been higher than high and I’ve been low as the dirt. I’ve been to places mentally where I didn’t think I wanted to live anymore. But not like in a dramatic I want to make a scene kind of way. I legitimately questioned if I should t remove myself from everything and just move somewhere remote until I pass? I would change my name and dodge all responsibility of living. Guilford had alot of support systems in place. Various people congratulating me and cheering me.. Since I’ve left I’ve felt a lot of isolation and I’ve had to really lose myself to improve myself. By shedding all self-definition I was able to begin re-discovering myself. I think journaling helped. It’s my hobby. I used to write all these emo paragraphs and poems about how I was hurt. But then, I began to recognize how I’ve hurt people the same way I’ve been hurt. Where I used to think that my detached personality was my greatest trait I now began to understand was a great flaw. College was so busy and loud that it was hard for me to find time to reflect. Through meditation and reflection I’ve begun to intentionally address certain parts of my personality and focus on who I want to be and where I want to go.
Has your music style changed since being in BRE ? (his former band, the Blue Roots Experiment)
Oh yes. Remember, the Blue Roots existed before I joined. They were making music while I was still in Ghana, West Africa. So when I joined I was an additional piece to the band. I had never been part of a band so I didn’t understand how to compose and how to navigate so many varying ideas. I was the Experiment portion.
I’d argue that only 35% of the BRE was really my music. When I first joined the BRE I felt very auxiliary and had not developed my voice quite yet. Basically I was putting lyrics and vocals over whatever everyone else came up with in practice. It wasn’t until I composed & arranged our first single Dreaming In Technicolor did I find that I could contribute a significant amount to the band despite not being a music major. However, I was not the band director or leader so I found my ideas often contested by the “band leader.” What I thought was an equal and safe space to share and express ourselves I found out was not. As I began to take on the responsibility of being lead vocalist, I began directing the band a bit more and that became a point of tension among myself and the found of the band until eventually we broke apart. I never really had any of my ideas fully fleshed out and I was acting as part of a group during the time; therefore, my music style was a combination of six other people’s input.
What has influenced this change?
Not being in a band helped me focus on my own individual voice. I was also only speaking for myself. In that regards, I have full control and ownership over. Having an all white band backing you and speaking on my black experience just felt a bit odd.
Towards the end of the BRE I had begun exploring my voice more. Gray and Alice really liked my singing voice and helped me develop confidence in my voice. Now, I sing. I think mainly I’m just different now. As noted above, I’ve had hundreds of new experiences to draw inspiration from. I don’t feel good most of the time so my songs aren’t about feeling good. For example:
“I ain’t no famous name can’t find it on a golden plaque/ I wait the morning shift see life pass on the railroad tracks.”
Song Title: Path Forked Years Ago
Now most of my songs include some reference to working my soul into a hole, isolation, being a bullet away from becoming a hashtag, etc. I’ll say this, nothing sucks more than working a job you hate. So there’s alot about that.
Do you feel that you have found your niche in art/music?
No. It takes a long time to find your voice and I’m still searching for mine. I think that’s with anyone and everyone. Isn’t that kind of the journey of life? The search for yourself. I don’t really like niche and don’t care too much for it either. It’s like, I don’t want to only be hip-hop, or R&b, or soul, because I know personally I have so many different interests that I’d like to explore them all. You know Gil-Scott Heron’s album “Pieces of a Man” (1971)? It really touched me. Instead of a niche I think it would be cool to deliver a feeling. I would be happy if I could deliver similar fees that that album gives me when I listen to it.
How do you attempt to find this niche?
I don’t know. I’m just me. I just live my life and write it. I think everyone is special. There will always be a “better” writer, singer-songwriter, pianist, etc. But no one can be better at being me than me. Therefore, as the black proverb goes, I will just “stay in my lane.”
How does being a black male artist influence your life as a whole?
Black artist have always developed alternative ways of existing outside of oppression. Improvisation, adaptability, and imagination are the core components of resistance and are evident both in the arts and black cultures at large. I’ve always used my oppression, my anxieties, my frustrations, and channeled them into arts and expression. When I was in high school I wrote about it in my poetry class. When I graduated I did a summer of stand-up comedy where I talked about “great customer service” for all black people with managers following us around. Or having entire sidewalks for ourselves because all the white folk in DC cross the street. I thought I was funny at the time. Now I sing about it and am currently writing a book called “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right but The N-Word Will Start A Fight.” Being a black male influences everything I create because it’s part of my identity. The same goes for being a male. Same goes for being a son, brother, a student, and a lover. Sometimes when I get down about not being creative, I remind myself that I’m black and we can create from nothing. You ever heard of Chitlins? It comes from the days of slavery when the slaves were given the parts of the pig the masters didn’t want. Black people took the small intestines of the pig and turned them into a delicacy. I remind myself that I have the power to overcome, create, and do anything in this world as long as my mind and heart is in it.
Do you feel that if you were a woman, you would be viewed differently as an artist?
Absolutely. Especially being a black woman. Black women are the most influential people in American history. Black women are strong and experience not only racism, but also sexism. Often times Black women are at the forefront of the struggle of civil rights and cultural revolution but often overlooked. Black women are exploited in the music industry and have to work twice if not three times as hard to reach the same level of popularity or success as their white counterparts. If I were a black women I don’t think I would be taken as seriously. I wouldn’t be applauded as much.
Navigating a band of predominantly white men would have been difficult. History proves that those dynamics are not the most efficient. The basic model for any musical band has always been a male group. If women exist in this equation, they are usually used as backup singers or dancers to attract more listeners/viewers. Who knows, if I was a woman maybe I would have never even been asked to join the BRE.
You see today there are very few female producers, managers, sound engineers, and so on. The fact that so many of these positions are occupied by men puts female artist in a weird and vulnerable position. Many props to female artist. It’s like how do you gain recognition without becoming a sex object or sacrificing your ‘real’ identity? In a perfect world my gender, race, age, or sexual-orientation would not matter. But sadly, that is not the world we live in.
How do you feel women are perceived differently in the music/art industry?
Undoubtedly, Women are objectified. The music industry is famous for exploiting female bodies to increase sales of CD’s. As a man, I’ve seen many peers look at a female artist’s appearance and judge them first on what they look like as opposed to the quality of their music. The music industry is ruthless.
The music industry sucks and is a male dominated field. Women artists often make headlines while men make the sales. Beyonce changes her hair to braids and is on the front page of Esquire while Justin Beiber over here just appropriated dreadlocks and no one blinks twice. I know women in the music industry who, once they assert themselves or stand up for themselves, become labeled as cunts or bitch.
If you weren't making music, what would you be doing?
I’ve been writing a book since I was 18 titled “Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right But The N-Word Will Start A FIght.” I would still be writing actively. For a while I was a Criminal Investigator for the Public Defender Service, I really enjoyed that. It’s basically solving riddles and puzzles actively and helping others in the process. The issue with that was it took too much time away from what I really wanted to focus on.
Looking back, what would you have liked to tell your college self?
I would have taken advantage of the resources available, in regards to music, and learned the basics such as Music Theory from the classes and teachers provided. I could’ve saved myself quite some time learning basic chords and scales while in school as opposed to learning on my own. However, I say that with some reserve because I do believe that formal music education can ruin alot about music. Formal music education teaches that music is really math. All music we dig comes from twelve notes. The chromatic scale is technically numbers and so I know many musicians who look at music as a static equation that has only a set amount of notes that can fit into it. But when we listen to music we’re not thinking trigonometry - we’re feeling it. It’s not about math. It’s about sound.
So, it would be nice to have been able to save myself that time and learned more about the craft. I don’t think I would ever wish that I could go back and do it over differently. I think less restrictive environments and mindsets allow the individual to pursue their personal choice more freely if that makes sense? Also, I believe that formal schooling has fucked up the way people look at education. Like once you leave school the learning stops. I believe that we actually learn better when we take initiative and learn the world in ways in which make sense to us personally.
How do you define success for yourself?
I consider success a continuous journey. There is no end to success. I believe I will lead a successful life if I live it the way I want to, taking control of my journey and holding onto my values.
How do you define creativity in your life?
Creativity is free. Creativity is free from self-doubt. Creativity is making mistakes and knowing which ones to keep. Creativity is flexible and free-flowing. Creativity is genuine and it comes from the spirit inside each of us. It comes from equal parts vulnerability and innovation.
So when I write a song, I usually have the recording. Or if I’m playing the piano I’m playing the piano and just singing along. I keep whatever mic or recording tool I have running. During these freestyle sessions I let my mind run free and it’s a very therapeutic exercise. No pressure, I allow myself to go wherever lyrically and vocally. It’s my way of making mistakes and keeping the ones that really are innovative and express me the best.
Do you feel that in order to be "creative," you must be human or freethinking?
I think people are animals too. We are no smarter, we are just different from other lifeforms on this planet. I think that animals can be creative and innovative in their own ways as well. I think about this all the time. In DC, about 98% of all the deer homes were decimated in the construction of the city. Yet, they still are here. Like there are so few places for them to hide, yet, they adapted. I think that innovation and creativity are interconnected because you need creativity to innovate, or make something new.
How do you deal when your creative juices aren't flowing freely?
When I first moved back to Washington D.C., August 2015, I’d work on music and writing for at least six hours per day. I have at least 3 projects worth of unreleased material. I mainly wrote about being broke and the struggle of living in a newly gentrified Washington D.C. Out of nowhere, it felt that I had worked myself into a hole. I no longer had soul and I was so sad that I sought advice from all sources, doctors, friends, family, bandmate, friends, etc. The best advice came from Beau Young Prince who told me that my energy needed to circulate and I was trying to force authenticity. I was not allowing myself to function and express freely. If writing songs wasn’t working he told me, what about writing for my book? What about painting? What about playing piano? What about reading a book? What about going for a walk and experiencing the world? I began to learn to respect the laws of dormancy. Trees don’t produce fruit all year and neither can I.
New wave or old wave?
Eek!!! Okay, I’d say old wave only because the old wave includes live instrumentation. I definitely appreciate the new wave; however, if the song cannot be adapted into live instruments than I feel some type of way about it.
Artists you're into right now? (music or visual)
Phony Ppl, Anderson.Paak, Mild High Club, Beau Young Prince, Gabriel Garzon-Montano, Diggs Duke, Tuxedo, Moonchild, Rome Fortune Space Captain,and I love Father. I don’t know what it is about Father to be honest. His soft trap music makes me happy. There’s also like larger artist such as Hiatus Kaiyote, Travis Scott, The Internet, D’Angelo, Toro y Moi, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Pharrell, Jill Scott, Kanye and Kid Cudi. Yes, even after “Satellite Flight” I still rock with Kid Cudi. The list goes on & on depending on the weather and my mood.
Most influential artist in your life? (philosophy wise)
Okay, that’s a very difficult question. I definitely look at my mentor Diggs Duke for guidance and my peer Beau Young Prince for guidance. However, I will say this, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan’s book “The Tao Of Wu” (2009) is one of the most important books I’ve read in my life as an artist, creative, and musician. It’s one of those situations where someone else puts my feelings and thoughts into words. I believe music brings me closer to a higher power. It’s the one time where I feel I’m living beyond my physical self and collectively pooling energy from my surroundings. If you’ve ever jammed with another artist you have probably felt that moment where the two (or more) of you have clicked. Not to sound some type of way but it’s a very religious experience.
How did it feel leaving college?
It felt great! It still feels good!
Do you feel that you could have handled this transition better? If so, how?
I don’t really think so. There’s no proper way to really handle that transition. Maybe financially I could have saved up so that I didn’t have to be homeless for a while? But then again, that experience gave me a bunch of creative material and experience. So, would I take that back? No. I had a good time. I survived.
Advice for upcoming graduates transitioning into the "real world"?
College knowledge is a type of knowledge that is only useful within the shitty structure that’s been created this way of life. Reality is an illusion and the “real world” is what you make it.
Anything that I didn't ask that you would like to add?
*Does Guilford exploit it’s musicians and student creatives?*
Yes. Guilford since I was a freshman, back when Dante CK was still attending the school in 2009-2010, Guilford would have him and the musicians at the school play for free or next to nothing. When it came time to Serendipity, Guilford would exploit its musicians in order to bring a turnout to the events. Where the opening act on Day One would get paid 2,000$, Guilford on Day Two would pay its students 500$ or less to do twice as long as a set at the same exact time. Guilford failed to respect many of us over the past 7 years I’ve been around, but be the first up to own our accomplishments. It’s not cool if you ask me. I still love Guilford though.
Guilford felt familiar. Guilford had corridors of teens with all the same Identical rooms, with the same rusted bed springs. The same amount of Horseplay. Skateboards. Guilford felt familiar. I found the lake and woods to be particularly important in grounding myself before the show. Being in the city so long I almost forgot what nature felt like it seems. The campus might have felt the same, but the woods felt especially warm and welcoming.
Keeping all sensory organs/feels in mind, how did it feel different being at Guilford?
Most of the seniors at Guilford were Freshmen or Sophomores when I was a Senior at Guilford, meaning there was a slew of new faces I came into contact with. I could hardly recall a name or two in any immediate surrounding...if I was lucky. I guess that contributed to some additional stresses beyond the performance I was supposed to do that Saturday. What was once considered a “family event” for me had now become another show in front of majoritively strangers.
I also didn’t feel safe at Guilford. I’ve been keeping up with the Yik Yak threats towards the Black Lives Matter student organizers so I had that in the back of my mind. The south in general gives me anxiety.
Do you feel that the school and students have changed since you time here? If so, how?
Yes. Yes. Yes. I saw so many khaki shorts, button-ups, and boat shoes. The style, the vibe was just different. There was also significantly less diversity than I remember. It is like we went from mildly diverse brown rice dish with a few spices to a dry plain rice dish with no hot sauce, no salt OR pepper.
How do you feel that you have changed as a person since Guilford?
I’ve had more experience. I’ve lived beyond school, which is all I really knew up until I was about 22. I walked parts of the Appalachian Trail by myself. I’ve had encounters with the KKK. I’ve been homeless. I’ve slept on couches and relied upon the graces of those I’ve come in contact with. I’ve worked dishwashing jobs. I’ve been higher than high and I’ve been low as the dirt. I’ve been to places mentally where I didn’t think I wanted to live anymore. But not like in a dramatic I want to make a scene kind of way. I legitimately questioned if I should t remove myself from everything and just move somewhere remote until I pass? I would change my name and dodge all responsibility of living. Guilford had alot of support systems in place. Various people congratulating me and cheering me.. Since I’ve left I’ve felt a lot of isolation and I’ve had to really lose myself to improve myself. By shedding all self-definition I was able to begin re-discovering myself. I think journaling helped. It’s my hobby. I used to write all these emo paragraphs and poems about how I was hurt. But then, I began to recognize how I’ve hurt people the same way I’ve been hurt. Where I used to think that my detached personality was my greatest trait I now began to understand was a great flaw. College was so busy and loud that it was hard for me to find time to reflect. Through meditation and reflection I’ve begun to intentionally address certain parts of my personality and focus on who I want to be and where I want to go.
Has your music style changed since being in BRE ? (his former band, the Blue Roots Experiment)
Oh yes. Remember, the Blue Roots existed before I joined. They were making music while I was still in Ghana, West Africa. So when I joined I was an additional piece to the band. I had never been part of a band so I didn’t understand how to compose and how to navigate so many varying ideas. I was the Experiment portion.
I’d argue that only 35% of the BRE was really my music. When I first joined the BRE I felt very auxiliary and had not developed my voice quite yet. Basically I was putting lyrics and vocals over whatever everyone else came up with in practice. It wasn’t until I composed & arranged our first single Dreaming In Technicolor did I find that I could contribute a significant amount to the band despite not being a music major. However, I was not the band director or leader so I found my ideas often contested by the “band leader.” What I thought was an equal and safe space to share and express ourselves I found out was not. As I began to take on the responsibility of being lead vocalist, I began directing the band a bit more and that became a point of tension among myself and the found of the band until eventually we broke apart. I never really had any of my ideas fully fleshed out and I was acting as part of a group during the time; therefore, my music style was a combination of six other people’s input.
What has influenced this change?
Not being in a band helped me focus on my own individual voice. I was also only speaking for myself. In that regards, I have full control and ownership over. Having an all white band backing you and speaking on my black experience just felt a bit odd.
Towards the end of the BRE I had begun exploring my voice more. Gray and Alice really liked my singing voice and helped me develop confidence in my voice. Now, I sing. I think mainly I’m just different now. As noted above, I’ve had hundreds of new experiences to draw inspiration from. I don’t feel good most of the time so my songs aren’t about feeling good. For example:
“I ain’t no famous name can’t find it on a golden plaque/ I wait the morning shift see life pass on the railroad tracks.”
Song Title: Path Forked Years Ago
Now most of my songs include some reference to working my soul into a hole, isolation, being a bullet away from becoming a hashtag, etc. I’ll say this, nothing sucks more than working a job you hate. So there’s alot about that.
Do you feel that you have found your niche in art/music?
No. It takes a long time to find your voice and I’m still searching for mine. I think that’s with anyone and everyone. Isn’t that kind of the journey of life? The search for yourself. I don’t really like niche and don’t care too much for it either. It’s like, I don’t want to only be hip-hop, or R&b, or soul, because I know personally I have so many different interests that I’d like to explore them all. You know Gil-Scott Heron’s album “Pieces of a Man” (1971)? It really touched me. Instead of a niche I think it would be cool to deliver a feeling. I would be happy if I could deliver similar fees that that album gives me when I listen to it.
How do you attempt to find this niche?
I don’t know. I’m just me. I just live my life and write it. I think everyone is special. There will always be a “better” writer, singer-songwriter, pianist, etc. But no one can be better at being me than me. Therefore, as the black proverb goes, I will just “stay in my lane.”
How does being a black male artist influence your life as a whole?
Black artist have always developed alternative ways of existing outside of oppression. Improvisation, adaptability, and imagination are the core components of resistance and are evident both in the arts and black cultures at large. I’ve always used my oppression, my anxieties, my frustrations, and channeled them into arts and expression. When I was in high school I wrote about it in my poetry class. When I graduated I did a summer of stand-up comedy where I talked about “great customer service” for all black people with managers following us around. Or having entire sidewalks for ourselves because all the white folk in DC cross the street. I thought I was funny at the time. Now I sing about it and am currently writing a book called “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right but The N-Word Will Start A Fight.” Being a black male influences everything I create because it’s part of my identity. The same goes for being a male. Same goes for being a son, brother, a student, and a lover. Sometimes when I get down about not being creative, I remind myself that I’m black and we can create from nothing. You ever heard of Chitlins? It comes from the days of slavery when the slaves were given the parts of the pig the masters didn’t want. Black people took the small intestines of the pig and turned them into a delicacy. I remind myself that I have the power to overcome, create, and do anything in this world as long as my mind and heart is in it.
Do you feel that if you were a woman, you would be viewed differently as an artist?
Absolutely. Especially being a black woman. Black women are the most influential people in American history. Black women are strong and experience not only racism, but also sexism. Often times Black women are at the forefront of the struggle of civil rights and cultural revolution but often overlooked. Black women are exploited in the music industry and have to work twice if not three times as hard to reach the same level of popularity or success as their white counterparts. If I were a black women I don’t think I would be taken as seriously. I wouldn’t be applauded as much.
Navigating a band of predominantly white men would have been difficult. History proves that those dynamics are not the most efficient. The basic model for any musical band has always been a male group. If women exist in this equation, they are usually used as backup singers or dancers to attract more listeners/viewers. Who knows, if I was a woman maybe I would have never even been asked to join the BRE.
You see today there are very few female producers, managers, sound engineers, and so on. The fact that so many of these positions are occupied by men puts female artist in a weird and vulnerable position. Many props to female artist. It’s like how do you gain recognition without becoming a sex object or sacrificing your ‘real’ identity? In a perfect world my gender, race, age, or sexual-orientation would not matter. But sadly, that is not the world we live in.
How do you feel women are perceived differently in the music/art industry?
Undoubtedly, Women are objectified. The music industry is famous for exploiting female bodies to increase sales of CD’s. As a man, I’ve seen many peers look at a female artist’s appearance and judge them first on what they look like as opposed to the quality of their music. The music industry is ruthless.
The music industry sucks and is a male dominated field. Women artists often make headlines while men make the sales. Beyonce changes her hair to braids and is on the front page of Esquire while Justin Beiber over here just appropriated dreadlocks and no one blinks twice. I know women in the music industry who, once they assert themselves or stand up for themselves, become labeled as cunts or bitch.
If you weren't making music, what would you be doing?
I’ve been writing a book since I was 18 titled “Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right But The N-Word Will Start A FIght.” I would still be writing actively. For a while I was a Criminal Investigator for the Public Defender Service, I really enjoyed that. It’s basically solving riddles and puzzles actively and helping others in the process. The issue with that was it took too much time away from what I really wanted to focus on.
Looking back, what would you have liked to tell your college self?
I would have taken advantage of the resources available, in regards to music, and learned the basics such as Music Theory from the classes and teachers provided. I could’ve saved myself quite some time learning basic chords and scales while in school as opposed to learning on my own. However, I say that with some reserve because I do believe that formal music education can ruin alot about music. Formal music education teaches that music is really math. All music we dig comes from twelve notes. The chromatic scale is technically numbers and so I know many musicians who look at music as a static equation that has only a set amount of notes that can fit into it. But when we listen to music we’re not thinking trigonometry - we’re feeling it. It’s not about math. It’s about sound.
So, it would be nice to have been able to save myself that time and learned more about the craft. I don’t think I would ever wish that I could go back and do it over differently. I think less restrictive environments and mindsets allow the individual to pursue their personal choice more freely if that makes sense? Also, I believe that formal schooling has fucked up the way people look at education. Like once you leave school the learning stops. I believe that we actually learn better when we take initiative and learn the world in ways in which make sense to us personally.
How do you define success for yourself?
I consider success a continuous journey. There is no end to success. I believe I will lead a successful life if I live it the way I want to, taking control of my journey and holding onto my values.
How do you define creativity in your life?
Creativity is free. Creativity is free from self-doubt. Creativity is making mistakes and knowing which ones to keep. Creativity is flexible and free-flowing. Creativity is genuine and it comes from the spirit inside each of us. It comes from equal parts vulnerability and innovation.
So when I write a song, I usually have the recording. Or if I’m playing the piano I’m playing the piano and just singing along. I keep whatever mic or recording tool I have running. During these freestyle sessions I let my mind run free and it’s a very therapeutic exercise. No pressure, I allow myself to go wherever lyrically and vocally. It’s my way of making mistakes and keeping the ones that really are innovative and express me the best.
Do you feel that in order to be "creative," you must be human or freethinking?
I think people are animals too. We are no smarter, we are just different from other lifeforms on this planet. I think that animals can be creative and innovative in their own ways as well. I think about this all the time. In DC, about 98% of all the deer homes were decimated in the construction of the city. Yet, they still are here. Like there are so few places for them to hide, yet, they adapted. I think that innovation and creativity are interconnected because you need creativity to innovate, or make something new.
How do you deal when your creative juices aren't flowing freely?
When I first moved back to Washington D.C., August 2015, I’d work on music and writing for at least six hours per day. I have at least 3 projects worth of unreleased material. I mainly wrote about being broke and the struggle of living in a newly gentrified Washington D.C. Out of nowhere, it felt that I had worked myself into a hole. I no longer had soul and I was so sad that I sought advice from all sources, doctors, friends, family, bandmate, friends, etc. The best advice came from Beau Young Prince who told me that my energy needed to circulate and I was trying to force authenticity. I was not allowing myself to function and express freely. If writing songs wasn’t working he told me, what about writing for my book? What about painting? What about playing piano? What about reading a book? What about going for a walk and experiencing the world? I began to learn to respect the laws of dormancy. Trees don’t produce fruit all year and neither can I.
New wave or old wave?
Eek!!! Okay, I’d say old wave only because the old wave includes live instrumentation. I definitely appreciate the new wave; however, if the song cannot be adapted into live instruments than I feel some type of way about it.
Artists you're into right now? (music or visual)
Phony Ppl, Anderson.Paak, Mild High Club, Beau Young Prince, Gabriel Garzon-Montano, Diggs Duke, Tuxedo, Moonchild, Rome Fortune Space Captain,and I love Father. I don’t know what it is about Father to be honest. His soft trap music makes me happy. There’s also like larger artist such as Hiatus Kaiyote, Travis Scott, The Internet, D’Angelo, Toro y Moi, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Pharrell, Jill Scott, Kanye and Kid Cudi. Yes, even after “Satellite Flight” I still rock with Kid Cudi. The list goes on & on depending on the weather and my mood.
Most influential artist in your life? (philosophy wise)
Okay, that’s a very difficult question. I definitely look at my mentor Diggs Duke for guidance and my peer Beau Young Prince for guidance. However, I will say this, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan’s book “The Tao Of Wu” (2009) is one of the most important books I’ve read in my life as an artist, creative, and musician. It’s one of those situations where someone else puts my feelings and thoughts into words. I believe music brings me closer to a higher power. It’s the one time where I feel I’m living beyond my physical self and collectively pooling energy from my surroundings. If you’ve ever jammed with another artist you have probably felt that moment where the two (or more) of you have clicked. Not to sound some type of way but it’s a very religious experience.
How did it feel leaving college?
It felt great! It still feels good!
Do you feel that you could have handled this transition better? If so, how?
I don’t really think so. There’s no proper way to really handle that transition. Maybe financially I could have saved up so that I didn’t have to be homeless for a while? But then again, that experience gave me a bunch of creative material and experience. So, would I take that back? No. I had a good time. I survived.
Advice for upcoming graduates transitioning into the "real world"?
College knowledge is a type of knowledge that is only useful within the shitty structure that’s been created this way of life. Reality is an illusion and the “real world” is what you make it.
Anything that I didn't ask that you would like to add?
*Does Guilford exploit it’s musicians and student creatives?*
Yes. Guilford since I was a freshman, back when Dante CK was still attending the school in 2009-2010, Guilford would have him and the musicians at the school play for free or next to nothing. When it came time to Serendipity, Guilford would exploit its musicians in order to bring a turnout to the events. Where the opening act on Day One would get paid 2,000$, Guilford on Day Two would pay its students 500$ or less to do twice as long as a set at the same exact time. Guilford failed to respect many of us over the past 7 years I’ve been around, but be the first up to own our accomplishments. It’s not cool if you ask me. I still love Guilford though.