Creative Circle Tuesdays: Alana DaCosta

Alana DaCosta at A Swing Thing - The Social Lubricant Photo Credit: Alessandro Abate

Name: Alana DaCosta

Facebook Page: facebook.com/pages/Alana-DaCosta-Singer-Songwriter/129462090439799

What is your medium(s): Music, Poetry, Multi-disciplinary

What type of art do you do? Experiential World Music

What inspires you? LIFE, all the experiences in life influence my creative outlets. Oftentimes, forcing me to step out of my comfort zone and simply create without bounds and without regret. All is Divine Order and

What pieces did you include in the exhibit "L’éléphant dans la Salle" and why? (please share some of the story behind some of the work) One day while throwing out the trash, I found a large and heavy table top . I had to have it. Not knowing that it would become my first painting “Lady Blues”  a depiction of the labels that are often branded on women and internalized. Yet, this lady chooses to expose all these labels and not allow them to define who she is. She realizes that she is beyond what she sees, hears and speaks....She goes within and sees her freedom and is no longer defined by limited standards of society...

Lady Blues by Alana DaCosta

Alana DaCosta performing & co-host at L’éléphant dans la Salle art exhibit at the 1310 Gallery

Self taught or traditionally trained? Traditionally trained in  music and voice. Self taught visual artist

Share one thing that has impacted your work? In 2007 my father passed away. This was a major life-changing event for me. After his passing, it was like my creative flood gates opened and my music, sketches and poems changed drastically. I began to create and explore whatever my heart desired with no apologies and no regret. I challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone and became a creative rebel. Now, if I have the desire to create something be it a song, poem, drawing, dance, etc., , I just do it, unapologetically.

Cant view the link?  Click here: http://youtu.be/Cw7w5tizFmE

Name one thing we may not know about you or your work? This was my first “official” painting.  I have always loved to find discarded objects that are no longer wanted and change them into something beautiful. However, because I have no training in visual arts and I would never share any of these works or any of my sketches because I was afraid of rejection. Also, I have always been very selective with what music or poems I share. During this exhibit, I decided to let the “vibes” and energy of the attendees to determine what songs and poems I shared. As a result I shared “VICTIM”, “QuickSwitch” and other pieces that I rarely share with others.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? That people can live life freely and responsibly in their truth.

If you had access to a time machine, where would you go? I would go to a time when we never needed a time machine to travel through time. A time when we as a collective understood who we truly are and our place in the universe

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring creative, what would it be? Do not allow fear or doubt to stifle your potential...

If you could have one super power, what would it be? To fly....

Social Media drug of choice? At this time, Facebook....

Side note from Niki Art Studio: Not only is Alana DaCosta a talented artist, I have had the pleasure of working with her on numerous projects and collaborations.   From photographing and designing her album cover to co-producing a couple of art exhibits at the Sailboat Bend Artists Lofts aka 1310 Gallery.   Besides being the co-producer and host for the L’éléphant dans la Salle art exhibit, Dacosta is also the co-creator of the movement #WhatsYourElephant - A human experience project using the arts to create provocative conversations around the unspoken.  To find out more about that project, click here.

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