Creative Circle Tuesdays: Mr. Rigz

Mr. Rigz performing with a three-piece jazz band and the Ars Flores String section

Name: Mr. Rigz

Website: facebook.com/misterrigz

What is your medium(s):  Music and Poetry

What type of art do you do?  I try to focus on simple, universal themes, but present them in big, powerful, yet conceptually detailed ways.  So, to take a simple idea, layer it with a lot of sympathetic emotions and then throw in some "easter eggs" for those people who are really paying attention.

Mr. Rigz

What inspires you?  My past, my family, friends, people around me, finding myself in random situations, other poets, "underground" music, creative professionals, nighttime shenanigans

What pieces did you include in the exhibit "L’éléphant dans la Salle" and why?  I did a lot of my usual poetry pieces.  Honestly, I don't know that I necessarily was trying to match the "Elephant" theme, but I find Spoken Word lends itself to be a very cleansing art form, in general.  So by just speaking our stories, I feel like it was a good fit.

War Within - Mr. Rigz

Self taught or traditionally trained?  Mostly self-taught.  I've taken bits of musical lessons here and there, but nothing too permanent.  I've maybe taken 1 or 2 poetry classes in my whole life.  And I've been trying to go to more poetry workshops, but usually it's more for the community and connection, than to learn things.  Maybe I get some good reminders of things to think about or focus on.  And also, I like to get new resources to note and use later.

Share one thing that has impacted your work?  It changes.  In the past, it would've been things that happened to me, or to the people around me.  Nowadays, it's more about the connections I'm making with people.

Name one thing we may not know about you or your work?  I never really considered myself an actual poet until just recently, maybe within the past year or so.

A Perfect Grain of Sand - Mr. Riz

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?  I'd end poverty.  I don't see any point in it.  Some people honestly try to justify that for some to be incredibly wealthy others have to be poor.  And then when you start to put that on a global scale and compare wealthy countries to entire countries, so entrenched in poverty, that they don't have clean water or proper schools, I think you realize how unnecessary 10 bedroom mansions are.

If you had access to a time machine, where would you go?  I'm not sure Paris, New York and Chicago in the 1920s.  Maybe I'd go back and try to meet Jesus.  Or hang out with the ancient Egyptians or the Mayans.  Maybe ancient Ethiopia.  

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring creative, what would it be?  Work on your art everyday for at least 30 minutes.  If at the end of thirty minutes, you have nothing then go take a break, but at least devote 30 minutes to your art everyday.  There are a lot of things that happen in the short term and the long term that improve your art when you make a daily commitment to yourself.

If you could have one super power,what would it be?  Some kind of space and/or time control.  Like that ability to phase to and from different places without having to take the time to drive there would be pimp!

Social Media drug of choice? Right now it's facebook just because that's where I get the most interaction.  But I'm trying to branch out more.  For instance, I just started a project on Instagram.  In order to motivate myself to get back into playing drums again, I learn at least one song every week, film myself playing and then post the clip up onto Instagram.  It's actually kind of big commitment for a small 12 second video, but the true benefits are reconditioning my hands, body, lungs and mind into that particular mode of creative thinking and muscle memory.  The Instagram project is just a public way of holding myself accountable to continuing the discipline and a fun way to document my progress.

Jasmine Sweet - Mr. Riz feat. Anon De-Evolution