Meet Ctln | Artist

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

Hi CTLN, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Intention directs and fuels success. I hold myself accountable to walk the walk and lead by example. It’s vital for your audience to trust you and see you embody the positive qualities that they see in themselves (or want to). I write my music in real time about real experiences and lessons I’m learning from these experiences. Oftentimes I end up relearning the same lesson I was learning when I made the song as I’m releasing it. I use the process of releasing music as a way to let go of the past and embrace the future with this new lesson integrated into my spirit.

If my audience can take away one thing from my artistry, it’s the confidence and courage to go after what they want unapologetically. For me, it’s the act of being an artist and allowing myself to be seen in my Truth that hopefully inspires people to embody their Truth for themselves.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is a heightened reflection of my life, bold in nature and rooted in truth. It’s hard for me to write a song about something that didn’t happen to me directly or to whoever I’m writing for. My calling as an artist is to wear my heart on my sleeve and share my healing journey in real time, both tastefully yet organically. While my music isn’t directly about my experience as a burn survivor, the act of being an artist in my body is groundbreaking and fresh. I intentionally don’t make my music about that experience, because I’d rather let it speak for itself in HOW I write and present myself. In doing so, my hope is to catalyze or deepen my listeners’ healing journey back to wholeness and learn to embrace themselves unapologetically. After all, we are not our bodies, our personality, or our identities, but the soul underneath it all.

My music artistry encompasses my other artistic disciplines in acting, directing, and modeling through my visual content. I treat my music videos, album covers, and social media content as art projects that keep me in-process and focused on the creative spirit of storytelling (rather than outcome). I am most proud of my music videos, where I direct and star in all of them, because it allows me to take a very real experience that I wrote a song about and cathartically transform it into something larger than life. Making music videos satisfies my passion for and background in theatre and acting and it allows me to control my own narrative. Growing up, my favorite thing to do was watch my favorite artists’ music videos, because as a visual learner, that was my way of really entering their world.

Looking back at my past two years in LA, I often don’t give myself enough credit for how much I have learned, integrated, and executed about music making, the music business, and being a music artist. While I grew up singing in choir and musical theatre, my first step towards professional artistry was through acting. I pivoted to music in late 2021 with absolutely no idea how to write and record a song, just my background in arranging music for my a cappella group in college. Going from writing “songs” in my bedroom and being so scared to take up space as a musician, to recording, releasing, marketing, and making visuals for over a dozen songs ~consistently~ is remarkable. It took a lot of courage and permission to fail in an unfamiliar and unforgiving city to be where I am right now. And the best (yet most terrifying part) is I’m just getting started.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friend is actually coming to visit me in a few weeks, so here’s our itinerary! I’m such a (vegan) foodie, so I want to take her to all the best vegan spots in LA. My best friend just appreciates good food, so they’ve got an open mind. First stop: Pura Vita in WeHo for brunch. We both love exploring, so I also want to experience new things in my own city, too. Now that I have a car, we can go on all the Malibu hikes that our hearts desire and discover endless views. We are also going to go to Disneyland, which I haven’t been since I was a small child. We’ll end the trip with some friends’ live music shows (they’re always happening around the city) and thrifting across LA. My favorite thrift spots include Crossroads, Society of St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, and the Melrose/Silverlake Flea market. Goodwills often has some great finds too. I hope she left some room in her suitcase…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my Godfather who inspires and reminds me to walk with Spirit in the unfolding of the eternal present moment. He reminds me of who I Am and supports my spiritual growth and happiness. My parents and grandmother are other honorable mentions, because they encourage me to be happy and free, whatever that looks like for me. They’ve inspired my grit, my ambition, my wit, my intelligence, and my bravery.

Website: https://linktr.ee/ctln_fischer

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

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@CTLNfischer

Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ctln_fischer?_t=8qvqwVlkgYR&_r=1

Image Credits
In Nature: Bria Williams
Gold: Madison Stonefield
Laying on the Couch: Erica Brandell
With the Band: Andrew Olszewski
Jazzy: Brendan Babinski