Meet Martin Novales: Artist

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

Hi Martin, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’ve been blessed to have the majority of my biggest risks in life take place in moments where I felt I had no other choice. Moments where I felt pushed to an edge or to a breaking point that helped propel me towards whatever that risk was. For me, my biggest risks tend to involve leaving something behind. The first meaningful risk I ever took was moving from the small Midwestern town in Wisconsin I was born and brought up in, to San Francisco. By the time I turned 16, I was so over the cold weather, and ready to experience more. I was seeking out more opportunity when it came to my music. SF represented that for me at that age. It was hands down the most terrifying decision I ever made for myself, especially while still in high school at the time. But in retrospect, that risk paid off greatly for me as I was able to grow and open my eyes to so much. Not just musically, but personally as well. About 10 years later, I found myself in a similar scenario. I felt I had basically reached a dead end in San Francisco. All the newness and “opportunity” I felt I opened myself up to had grown stale. I felt so often a feeling of seclusion—like I was in my own lane, chasing this music thing, while not really having too many creative peers with similar aspirations. So, at age 26, I was propelled to take another leap of faith. I packed up my stuff and was moved to LA within two weeks. It’s been almost 4 years already (which is insane to me) but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to take that risk. I knew that there was a chance I might hate it here, or that I’d find myself drowning, or that I’d never find “my people.” But I also knew that I didn’t want to be 30 and still having that same dilemma. In less than four years I’ve grown so much and have gone through so much evolution. Both personally and as a musician. I don’t think that happens without taking that risk. I think at the end of the day—growth really does come from being uncomfortable. A lot of times “risk” and “fear” are synonymous. So when I really look back on some of the risks i’ve taken in my life. They were really just decisions that I was scared of making. Or decisions that forced me to come face to face with my fears. And to me, no matter what ultimately comes from that risk—whether it be success, failure, or anything in between— I don’t believe actually matters. Because to take risks, means to trust yourself and take whatever that leap might be. And at the end of it all you’ve still grown and gotten better.

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.
Super excited for my EP coming out soon. Been steady building for the last few years, sharing as much of my voice as I possibly can. Put out a lot of covers on YouTube and just music in general. I think I’ve learned to be less of a perfectionist. I’ve learned that my music is better out in the world than sitting on a hard drive as I have an internal struggle on whether or not it’s good enough to share. It wasn’t easy in the beginning but I think over time I’ve learned to take myself a little less seriously and let go a bit. At the end of the day I think honesty is key with any art form, and I want the world to know that that’s where mine comes from. My music is made not to please everyone, but rather to share my story and speak my own truth.

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?
Definitely take a little day trip to Malibu and hang out on pretty much any beach out there. Then grab birria tacos from Birreria San Marcos in Van Nuys. Or literally anything from Mariscos Vallarta in NoHo. Tsukemen at Tsujita is definitely a must in Sawtelle as well. Food is always the priority. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Dylan O, Ricardo R shoutout to these guys for pushing me and always giving me that healthy combo of encouragement and tough love

Website: https://linktr.ee/martln
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martln/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martinnovales
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/martinnovales
Other: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/7hbt5COPR9EYJj9CLN89th?si=NFbPfPi_Q3ONkPT6-_JiJA

Image Credits
Anson Lam https://alamography.com @lam.ography