We had the good fortune of connecting with Candice Belton @SPCHTHRPY and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candice, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
There’s an interview of a writer that will always come to mind when considering a question like this. The interview goes somewhere along the lines of, “Why do you write?” And the writer responds, “Why do you shit?” Ultimately, because one has to. That is much how I’ve come to feel about the necessity of self-expression via various channels and outlets. Otherwise life feels cloaked in a sheer layer of grey and dullness for me, it begins to feel pointless if I am suppressing my experiences and emotions and disconnects me further from others.

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.
RFLCTN {reflection} is my most recent series release that I’ve been crafting since 2020 and remained silent about. Initially I had only come up with my handle @SPCHTHRPY as a word play on the fact that my main medium of art is use of words and poetry but also because I used to have a speech impediment and underwent years of speech therapy. I was often shy and meek when speaking, doubted myself often, and endured enough brutal life experiences that I started racking up internal shame to the point where I couldn’t look myself in the eyes. So one day, I had a lightbulb idea of using mirrors as my canvas and affixing the most poignant thoughts and affirmations to combat that inner critic’s voice. And then, like a divinely led trickster, I had the idea of installing these mirrors throughout Long Beach and L.A. so that I could trick the community into loving themselves a little more. As of this past week, I’ve publicized RFLCTN {reflection} to my IG @SPCHTHRPY to spread the word, accept donations to fund the community installs, and to launch pre sales coming soon. Via my work, I want the world to be reminded that potential has no expiration date, you are loved, and we are all reflections of one another.

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?
If further in L.A., hands down Topanga Canyon. Too many favorite hole in the wall shops, small music venues, hiking trails, and memories to list here. It just reminds me of good old days when I was working so many music festivals that my little crew and I were borderline van life between events and this was a common stop destination to gather bearings and recenter. If in Long Beach, we’re going to Yoga on the Bluffs, at lease one Open Mic night, hitting a drum circle on the beach, swinging by Pike’s bar for some live music, and maybe the Farmers Market by Cherry Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ll try and keep it brief but I need to thank my best friend and gifted videographer/photographer Andrew Goldfarb for always supporting me and lending me some of his courage when I misplaced mine. Thank you to my mentor, Farah Andersen for teaching me about true rebirth and restarting life anew. Thank you to Bianca Pitman for properly “seeing” me ever since we first met and for shining a light onto me. Thank you to my most recent collaborator, Bulldog DM for recognizing my talents and abilities and for inviting me in to be a recent part of Charlie Puth’s Live Streaming Event as the Production Art Coordinator. Thank you to Marvimon Productions for being a constant source of refinement with every type of live event that there is; I value my time as a Venue Manager there. Huge thank you to CRSSD Fest 2023 and Lucidity 2023 and to all of the upcoming music festivals who have invited me to join the team as their Artist Relations Specialist and Manager!

Website: https://spchthrpy.art.blog/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spchthrpy/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicebelton/

Other: https://ko-fi.com/spchthrpy

Image Credits
Andrew Goldfarb @goldsightmedia

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