Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to AUTM VALOR. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

AUTM, appreciate you joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

When I was around 15, my best friends and I started an arts collective called Deep Seedz. Our goals were to make great music together and have a positive impact on our community. We would perform at events all over the city so we could get our names out there. Then, thanks to one of our older movement comrades, we started getting booked at social justice conferences. This is around the time that I first got paid for my art. I remember it like the back of my hand. We were performing at the MS Civil Rights Museum for Martin Luther King Day. We had 15 minutes to give it our best shot and we did. A week or so after our performance, we each got $200. Being 17 and getting paid to perform was absolutely bonkers to me. It made me feel like all the work that I was putting in was worth it and that I could really make this my life. I ended up spending it on my cap, gown, and other things I needed for graduation that year. Honestly, even if I wasn’t getting paid from my craft, I would still do it because it’s my passion and that makes it all worth it.

AUTM, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Autumn Brown & I go by AUTM VALOR in the creative sphere. I’m from JXN, MS and I’m currently 23 years old. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a huge fan of good music and at 10 I started gaining a serious interest in how music is created. I participated in any activity that would get me more experience with it. I took advantage of the free violin classes my school had (which I do not play nowadays), I started writing songs for fun whenever I had an idea, & I started diversifying my music library by asking my older cousins for their old cds. From there, I started to get into figuring out how to bring song ideas alive through music production. I found an online digital audio workstation and started tinkering with it. I quickly became enamored by it all and this has been my main focus in creation for the past decade or so. I deeply enjoy developing ideas into physical reality and bringing joy into the world as much as possible. That’s why all my hobbies are other creative endeavors like djing. I love music and I also enjoy bringing my community together for a good time. I believe everyone deserves an opportunity to feel safe & joyful. I want to make a positive impact on the world with my art. No matter how minuscule it might seem in the grand scheme of things. I want to enjoy my life, express that, & hopefully shift our collective reality in a more positive direction. This is why JXNOLOGY is such a phenomenal collective. We’re a bunch of young creatives who want to make a positive impact within our community through art, activism, & collective healing. Not only is JXNOLOGY giving creatives an opportunity to share their art & get compensation, it’s also providing spaces to develop deeper relationships and build trust within our community. These are core reasons why I do what I do and I believe deeply in myself and my homies. I’m super proud of them and all the initiatives they’ve helped move forward especially in a place where it feels like everything is coming against you all at once.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The mission that drives my creative journey is to make positive impact within my community & the world generally. I want to make things that make people feel seen, understood, & really euphoric honestly.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I have had to unlearn following pre-set standards. The industry’s standard might not be my standard, my professor’s standard may not be my standard, my standard that I have now can be completely different tomorrow. All that to say I had to unlearn the rigidity of rules and standards to embrace genuine expression and be more flexible with my creation. I want humanity to live within my creations.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autmvalor?igsh=aTdtb2lsMDh4ZnUy&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@autmvalor?si=FxE12hRzkSdFkWOr

Image Credits
Walker a.s.