LCL • local • living a creative life Salloul and Rawa

Nejoud Al-Yagout is a poet, writer, and founder of Coexist Kuwait, known for her calming presence and support in the Kuwait art scene. We sat down with her for this episode, in which she tells us about her experience self-publishing her 12 books of poetry and novels, as well as what she believes gets in artists' way when creating their best work: ourselves. She urges us to get out of our own way, listen to the voice guiding us through creating our masterpieces, and give ourselves the time and space needed to get it all out, even if it takes days upon days of creating. 

Rocker and singer-songwriter Abzy grew up trying to be Eminem, then figured out it wasn't for him. He kicked off his music career with a win at British School of Kuwait's Battle of the Bands in the early 2000s, and since then, he's been hooked, writing lyrics and music, switching up musical styles and exploring songwriting choices.  Music is his passion, and he believes that following your passion is the best way to live a life you're proud of. Tune in to hear more about Abzy's journey, and why staying real and true to who you are is the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Hashim AlNasser, known as BuKisha, is a guitarist, composer, and member of local recording studio The Juke Pro. He's collaborated with tons of artists and bands in every genre you can name, and he believes that's what given him the knowledge and knowhow he has: the practice of taking up every opportunity, no matter what kind of music. He shares his philosophy with us in this episode - it's better to be a jack of all trades, instead of a one-trick pony. Tune in to learn about how you can open doors to creative thinking in your own work by taking up studying a new skill.

Tarfa AlFarhan, co-creator of Souffle Beauty, a Singaporean-Kuwait skincare line, believes that you can't sell your work unless you trust in it. If you have no confidence in what you've made, you're going to have a hard time convincing others that it's good. Tune in to hear about Tarfa's journey in creating Souffle's skincare products, including where and how the idea first sparked, working with formulators, patience when it comes to paperwork, and sales. You'll take a peek behind the scenes of what it takes to grow an international brand, and how you can apply those strategies to your creative work.

In this episode, your faves (none other than co-hosts Salloul and Rawa) answer the questions you sent in. We chat about our motivation behind starting LCL, what a creative must do or needs to have in order to *be* a creative, and whether or not creativity means making something completely new. A special thank you to you guys, the lovely listeners who sent us questions for this episode.

Check out Done with Grace with Haider Al-Mosawi: http://www.lclpronouncedlocal.com/dwg

Show notes for this episode: http://lclpronouncedlocal.com/2019/08/13/q&a1/

Yasmeen Husseini is a 17-year-old self-taught musician, the singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, editor, and producer behind Flowerbxmb (@flowerbxmbmusic). We chat with her about her practice routine, experimenting, how to find your own voice. Yasmeen believes that when we're uninspired, it shows in our work, so it's important not to force it. Tune in to hear more about what to do when you're in a creative block, and how to create work from a genuine and inspired place.
Read the show notes and more about this episode here: http://lclpronouncedlocal.com/2019/08/06/20-dont-force-it-with-yasmeen-husseini/