Meet Phoebe Silva: Musician + Artist

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

Hi Phoebe, we’d love to hear about a book that’s had an impact on you.
The two books that have had the greatest impact on me as an artist (and human) are Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids and The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Just Kids came to me at the perfect time in my life, when I was in my twenties living in New York City and pursuing an acting career that was going nowhere fast. The way Patti describes her journey of artistic self-discovery in tandem with her loved one Robert Mapplethorpe moved me so deeply and redefined the way I thought about my own artistic calling. It also opened my eyes to the power and importance of artistic community, in its depiction of the arts scene in New York in the early seventies. I knew that New York was long gone and in no way resembled the twenty-first century version I was living in, and I ended up later finding that community I craved when I moved to Los Angeles. For whatever reason LA seems to have retained its indie arts underbelly in a way New York hasn’t… maybe it’s because LA is a younger city, or maybe because it’s easier to make a commercially successful living here as a creative person. The Artist’s Way is one of those cult presence books that everyone has at least heard of. One time I was reading it at an audition in New York and the woman sitting next to me told me it changed her life. No one ever talks to each other at those auditions. I found a $2 copy of it at the Strand in NYC and had no idea what a jewel I’d found. I’ve read it and done all the exercises 3 times. I always own 2 or 3 copies of it and lend them to people or buy them for people. It’s self-help and creative recovery and spiritual psychology all at once. It’s literally alchemy. It catapulted me out of creative stagnation, lit the fire of maturity under my ass, and saved me with its routine practices several times. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Oh man. Well nothing has ever been easy. I had a lot of re-wiring my brain to do before I could figure out what I was most suited for as a vocation and career. I always knew I was an artist, and I loved to do many things but had such a hard time figuring out which path fit me the best. I’ve painted and I’ve played music my entire life. So now that’s what I do. I write songs, record music, perform music, I teach music lessons, and I create visual art as a painter, crafter and designer. I always knew these were the things I was good at and I loved to do. However everyone told me my entire life that I couldn’t make a living as an artist. It was presented to me as impractical and unrealistic. So the things I was best at felt devalued, and in turn I felt devalued. I fought through a lot of internal conflict, low self esteem, clinical depression and anxiety, trauma, all kinds of emotional and psychological obstacles. I’m stubborn as hell which has served me well. I fought my demons for years. I’m proud that I haven’t had a day job or punched a clock working for someone else for over a year now. I’m proud that I found a way to create music and art on my own terms and work for myself. I’m proud that I discovered who I was largely unguided and stayed determined to heal myself from abuse that held me back. I’m proud that I have a network of friends and collaborators and supporters that is growing and allow me to create all the wild things I see and hear in my head.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have a close friend who lives in Seattle who is vegan and I’ve always wanted to take her to all the good vegan spots in LA. Gracias Madre, Donut Friend, SunCafe, Crossroads, Little Pine. I love to walk around Echo Park lake and shop for books and records and vintage clothes in that neighborhood. I love Los Feliz and East Hollywood where I used to live, another good neighborhood to spend an afternoon in. I love the beach, I usually go to that spot between Santa Monica and Venice where it’s quieter. Hollywood or Echo Park used to be the neighborhoods I spent most time in at live shows in clubs and dive bars, though obviously during the pandemic that hasn’t been the case. I love the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. If I had a friend in town I would definitely take them to the Venice Canal District to walk around, the Rock n’Roll flea market at the Regent (so many things I miss during the pandemic!!!), up to one of the overlooks in the Hollywood Hills at sunset. And the Arts District! So many vibrant neighborhoods we have here.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people in my life who deserve shout outs! I love shouting out my loved ones and collaborators. It’s tough to pick just one… I guess the catalyst for my entire current life circumstance was the summer of 2013 I spent in Denali National Park, Alaska working at a dinner theater as a performer. I met my ex-boyfriend at that job. He hosted a weekly open mic at one of the local bars that summer and would invite me to sing and play with him. He introduced me to The Head and the Heart, whose first album had recently become noticed and propelled them into industry visibility. Their song “Rivers and Roads” was the first song I covered with my ex Mike. Because of that summer, that song, that relationship, I started writing songs, I fell in love with playing impromptu late night gigs at dive bars. I discovered who I really was and what really lit me up as a person.

Instagram: instagram.com/phoeborama
Twitter: @phoeborama
Facebook: Facebook.com/phoebesilvamusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4NK8v8EyAyLxY4Rgond0dw
Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GTWBHuPN2vFW18UK7oiNH?si=wRR0wIjaQReOxtPzEt4jZg