Meet Rūta Kuzmickas | Musician, Artist, Poet

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rūta Kuzmickas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rūta, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
As a classically-trained pianist, the idea and experience of risk-taking is one of the undercurrents of all things I do. Classical performance involves an immense amount of preparation and commitment, so every moment you’re onstage for a competition, recital, audition, etc. you’re either too careful and precious about all the work you’ve put in, or you throw caution to the wind and take the risk of trusting it instead. I find these days risk is in my experimentation with where and how the areas of my artistic life will lead me, whether or not I can be open to the next impulse taking form. Aside from classical music, I’m also a visual artist, poet, and singer-songwriter under the artist name RŪ. I wouldn’t have done half of the things I do were it not for taking the artistic risks I’ve taken, most of which come from a place of simple curiosity when I ask, “What if I just went ahead and did this? What if I took a chance and didn’t require permission?” I believe in proving to myself that the risks I take are worth it, that there’s immense power in the choice to simply “see what happens next”.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel wildly lucky to have grown up surrounded by art and music— thanks to my mother, we had an upright piano that she’d practice on what felt like (to my delight) every day, and soon enough I was improvising music for my dolls, then starting lessons by age six. My dad is an architect, graphic designer, conceptual artist, and photographer who has permanently influenced my taste. He’d look over my shoulder as I painted or drew something and would say, “Don’t be so cautious.. with courage, with courage!” and taught my sisters and I to think as creatively as possible. We weren’t allowed to buy greeting cards and always made our own (a brilliant parenting move in retrospect), and I took my musical path incredibly seriously. Over the years, with the backdrop of music competitions, concerts, recitals, intensives, and six years at Rice University, there were certain artistic practices I fell in love with and just couldn’t get enough of. Eventually I started taking on tangible collaborative projects, visual art commissions, publishing my poetry, music composition, and finally, songwriting. The most inspired and productive state I attain is when I’m making things for others just to connect with them in ways that are interesting. I love to play with words, images, colors, textures— keep myself in a state of exploration by seeing if I can surprise a feeling or a thought in someone else. And no, it’s not necessarily easy to want to know and do so much, but it’s easier to acknowledge that for me, it’s vital to connect my ears to my eyes to my words to my body; otherwise my heart is lost. I make sure to always carry something to write with, paint with, and listen to, and to share as much of it as possible with the people who’ve seen something they loved in any of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I spent a month in L.A. last year, driving around the city, on a secret mission to master my new driving skills at age 25, and allowing serendipity to take over. If I took someone there again we’d play it by ear and feel like it had all been a hazy dream, with souvenirs in the form of a plate from Sqirl, a book from Stories, a ticket stub from the Getty, etc. Classic spots aside, I’d make it a priority to languish in the most casually stylish parts of the city, but explore where the locals go. I’ll need a few more true visits to L.A. to give an actual answer, but one of my favorite drives I took there last year was follow a pin on the map my friend Joe texted me with the explanation, “There is a fig tree here. It grows over the fence.” Send your friends the pins where fig trees grow.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe so much of my story to so many people. I think of them every day. My beloved piano teachers: Ekaterina Melkamini, Jean-David Coen, Dr. Robert Roux, Jon Kimura Parker. All of my friends and creative partners, old and new. I’m so lucky to have my family be who they are. My current life partner, songwriting partner, producer, and cheerleader Kenneth Edwards. And of course, the internet!

Website: www.pabloneruta.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/__ruta

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4r1UF0t3t0CoNL2GLLTMTL?si=utwzROzBRkq53Xqy87owyQ

Image Credits
Kenneth Edwards, Arthur Hitchcock, Barry Carlton, Talisa Swanson, Jakub Kukla