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

Hi Joel, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Before, I used to do nothing but work 24/7 without any breaks or allowance for living a life outside of my craft, which lead my work to become more results driven for a short time. Somewhat recently, I’ve allowed myself to balance a personal life with my work. Having more life experiences at a faster rate has helped my work to grow and expand almost exponentially. The music has a lot more life lived behind it, and characters I play as an actor have more experiences to draw on to allow me to relate and empathize more. The idea of letting go and a change in perspective has also opened more doors for me, which have shown me new types of success which I felt had a wall in front of them before.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve had a multitude of challenges present themselves to me, from personal health, health of loved ones, and set backs within the multiple industries I reside; and the biggest take away from all of them is to never ever stop creating. Never cheat the art. Always make sure you lay down that idea, record that demo, write that verse, add some more to your character breakdown, analyze that script more, run your lines more, whatever the thing is do at least something every day. Even if it’s just the start of a concept or idea. But never cheat anything. That mind set has led me to any success I’ve found or continue to find. My newest song, “Need To Know” that releases in April, and the few films I have in pre production, are examples of what doing something every day leads to.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would mostly take them to my various favorite vegan restaurants like El Cocinero, Something Vegan, or Pure Vita. Goin to dinners and seeing great movies are hobbies of mine so I enjoy those restaurants or any of the other theaters nearby. The broad is a great museum and Malibu is always a great getaway

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost I have to shoutout Jakob Matthew. He directs all my videos, takes all my photos, and is a writer and director himself. We’re shooting a film together in the next few months that I’m starring in, which I’m incredibly excited for. He’s one of the most talented people I know and have the pleasure of working with. I just so happen to be lucky enough to be his older brother!

Instagram: instagram.com/joel.matthew

Twitter: twitter.com/joelmtthw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKAYIqbGhaZw_4aCdZN84yw

Other: Spotif: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5PdaNCAx6vQkcza98R7Vhd?si=TbErzeLoTWS2_MZkzkX4gA Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/joel-matthew/1449679250

Image Credits
Jakob Matthew

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.