I had the pleasure of speaking with musician/artist Melissa Auf der Maur at the start of the week. The flame-haired innovative artist has launched her own multi-disciplinary production house/label. Her latest project Out Of Our Minds is made up of: record, short film & comic book. With other artists such as the inventive Devonté Hynes a.k.a Lightspeed Champion recently releasing his latest album Life’s Sweet! Nice To Meet You! with a book to coincide and my dear friend Amelia Arsenic with all her projects that run seamlessly in unison it seems more artists are working super hard to give us some awesome multifaceted art and entertainment. I hope you find some of the following Auf der Maur insights inspiring:
Listen to your dreams…
I listen to my dreams and often I let them give the guide. It’s about turning the mind off and going into the subconscious; it’s definitely the root of all that I do. When you turn your mind back on, and once the truth and the instinct of things come out, then you get the tools out fine tune it. It’s always about emptying the mind out and letting go and listening to your heart and gut and letting things roll out of you—that’s why I listen to my dreams so much; that’s where the good music stuff lies.
Music has power…
My mother used to put me to sleep in my cradle when I was two or three. She used to put me to sleep with epic Mozart, this really huge, classical, dramatic music—I very much remember that. When I reflect on the moments as I was growing up going to music school and I think about the moments that really changed my life in terms of my understanding of the power of music was in a children’s choir when I was twelve or thirteen. I had a Welsh choir teacher who was very ambitious. He got a 200 children choir to do Mozart’s Requiem with Montreal Symphony Orchestra! I have no idea how he trained us to do that but he did! I remember in the big performance of it, it was in one of those classical music venues and feeling the power of it—all the stringed instruments—I remember thinking that’s when I understood that there is nothing stronger than the power of music. I recently connected the dots of my mum putting me to sleep with classical music and of that moment.
Work out who you are & share it…
I’m just the luckiest girl in the world I can honestly say I believe that I was loved as much as anyone can be loved. I think that’s why I love to share my heart with people. I feel full of love. My parents are unbelievably supportive. If there was one lesson I’d take from them if I have a child of my own it would be: never tell the child who they are, just ask them who they are. That’s what my parents always did. When I said I loved photography and there wasn’t much money in the family my mum brought me a second-hand camera. When I said I loved music my father got me a second-hand bass. A child knows what makes them happy, that’s one of the most important things you can do for someone.
Love rules all…
If your foundation is coming from love you can do anything. My cat Isis has a song for her on the album called Isis Speaks. It’s based on this dream I had. I woke up and Isis was staring at me and I had this crazy out of body experience where I understood that Isis was teaching me the greatest lessons of eternal love!
For more on MAdM check out my feature in Rave Magazine next week!
Make today count!
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PS – I need your help guys! I’ve been working on a project and would be super appreciative is y’all could assist me by sharing your thoughts/insights on what ‘truth’ means to you? and what it means to you to be true to yourself? Much gratitude in advance :)
