Meet Lindsay Stovall | Artist Name: G.Smith – Musician, Visual Artist

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

Hi Lindsay, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Something inside of me from a very young age decided that rules were just suggestions (for better or for worse). I was always creative as a kid, and my parents decided to enroll me in different creative classes outside of school. I took technical art classes and writing classes and I always got worse grades for not fully following the assignment guidelines. I tended to let my imagination run with wherever it wanted to go, and if I thought it was a worthwhile tangent, I’d follow it. As I’ve grown and nourished many creative paths, somewhere along the way I actively adopted the philosophy that I never wanted to learn too much on the technical side of creating art. If I got too technical, if I followed the rules too much, then the life and the soul would be ripped from whatever work I was making. The human element would be lessened. I paid attention to artists that I loved, and the majority of those artists, be it musicians, painters, or writers, hadn’t set foot in an art school. They just one day picked up a paintbrush, followed their intuition, and started splashing the canvas. I think the best and most raw art is made from that place of not knowing, but feeling, and being in touch with that human spark so you are able to recognize it and use it. So most of the time when I’m producing a song, or making a piece of art, I find myself just playing around. I have no idea where it’s going, I have no idea how I’m going to get to the finished product, but I just kind of keep my ears open and my mind open and as long as I feel emotionally connected to it, it’s good. And generally if I feel an emotional connection to it, than other people do too. I try to make an effort not to subscribe to trends, typical instrumentation, or media. I love finding new sounds and materials. One time I sampled my drying machine that had shoes bouncing around in it for my drum sounds. It was making this perfect beat, and I used it for a song. It’s hard and it doesn’t always work, because there is so much information that influences me without me even knowing it, but it’s something that I care deeply about, being in touch with that voice in your head, your intuition.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think my art has a playfulness to it. Like I said I don’t necessarily know every technical in and out of how to make music or a painting or a video, but I do pay close attention to what evokes an emotion, and try to steer clear of choices based on what is “cool” or what’s happening right now. I play around a lot to get the sounds and sites I want. I love to incorporate a kind of sense of humor in my work, especially visually. Because I’ve never questioned what I wanted to do with my life, in a way, it was easy. I only say easy because even when things were hard, there has always been this steadfast knowing that what I am at my core is an artist. And I don’t think a person has to even be successful to call themselves an artist. You can be an artist whether you profit off of it or not. And I’ve always felt like an artist, in my successes and my failures, and that’s been enough for me in the hard times. I also have a nourishing community of friends and creatives, and community is probably the most important thing to have in order to be a successful artist. It’s important to both give and receive support, and to not only ask for support. Go to shows, share the music and art that you love, etc. It has to be a two way exchange. And everyone wins when everyone helps each other.

I’ve overcome a lot of personal struggles. Loss, addiction recovery, so that battle has been a big part of my creative journey. I think the most valuable lesson I’ve learned from those things is how important it is to be vulnerable, and to take ownership of yourself and your own life, and to understand what is and isn’t for you. Being in recovery is probably the single most important thing that’s boosted my connection with myself and therefore my creativity. I know who I am, what I value, and what I want to say.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Los Angeles is such an amazing cultural hub. There is also a great combination of city life and nature. Since it’s such a big city so many great artists come through here on tour. I love the smaller venues like The Moroccan Lounge and The Teragram or The Echo/Echoplex, because they host artists big and small, and they aren’t too big, so the shows are intimate and fun. There are also warehouse shows, where an addressed is disclosed night of the event, and there is a makeshift venue and the music is LOUD and there is no curfew and it’s such a coming to together of people from all walks of life, who just want to dance and have a good time. During the day I like visit Omars Exotic birds, where you can go and look at and even interact with all of these insanely exotic, beautiful birds. Some of them are friendly, some of them will take your hand off if you let them, but either way it’s awesome to be able to see them so up close. I also love to get outside, the mountains are so close to where I live specifically, and mountains always make me feel so happy. I generally like to find a hike with a waterfall, it’s the best end to a long hike to just sit by one and get your feet wet, and there are alot to choose from. My recent favorite is Switzer Falls, because you follow a creek for most of it in the trees, and then you go up a little and the views are so pretty, and then of course there’s the waterfall with the big pool underneath it. Food wise, Los Angeles has some of the best sushi in the US. If you have a budget, Sushi Park is the kind of sushi where you don’t even want to talk to anyone, you just want to close your eyes and experience tasting the sushi because it’s that good. There’s something so magical about it. If you don’t have alot to spend, Sugarfish is also a good choice.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My friends and family. I have been so lucky to be surrounded by such creative, loving, and open minded people throughout the entirety of my life. I’m so blessed with the people in my life. Every person that I know and love does something creative, or follows some kind of path that they are passionate about. I have so many friends and family members that make music, that paint or write, I have friends that help their communities in such generous ways, help the environment, and beyond that are just good people. It’s amazing to see, I respect and love them all so much. My parents always encouraged my creativity. They bought me a piano that I didn’t really know how to play, but I’d learn songs by ear and that’s really where it all started. My sister and brother are insane artists in their own right, my brother is a visual artist, and my sister is the best writer. And then I met my friends (that I still have) in high school, and we spent so much time just being wild, and talking about art and music, and just being there for on another when times were fun or times were tough. I’m very lucky.

Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5tHkHru8vN2x9R9Y1Pmzvp?si=E1o4OOMDSSW6e_00huYnww&dl_branch=1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g.smithofficial/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/g_smithmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gdotsmithmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwGPhG3omx4x5Fx7tH6gqxQ

Other: linktr.ee/G.Smithmusic

Image Credits
All art is created by me. Photo of me playing live – Sheldon Powell Photo of me and mannequins – Mallory Turner