Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chanel Moore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chanel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
Hmm, I’d say I knew I wanted to pursue a professional writing & performing career after my first couple of live performances. Seeing a crowd react to something I thought only I could relate to was wonderful to see.
Chanel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hey everyone, my name is Chanel Moore- formerly known as Shion Love and I am a Spoken Word Artist from Altadena, California. You may have seen me perform in Los Angeles or a video or two on Instagram. I’ve been writing poetry since elementary school however I got my start with the black-woman-owned art collective Pick It Up LA in 2018. Sharing my words with others and being impactful was my motivation to keep going. I never knew my personal experiences could be so relatable to others. It was after my second performance that I was approached by a few folks who wanted to purchase a book from me-and I did not have a book to sell! That’s when I knew I should keep walking the path that I was on. Although,I have taken a sort of hiatus to focus on my family as well as growing and learning, I keep the words of a dear friend close to me: “Once, Always. ” No matter how much time I take in between my performances or videos, once a poet, always a poet. I look forward to stepping on the stage again and sharing my words.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
That’s a great question. I am still unraveling threads of guilt and unforgiveness. I’m not sure where holding onto these emotions and letting them define me started but I can say that for a long time, I waited for someone else to relieve me of the pain I felt, not knowing I was the one with my finger on the trigger. Whenever I face life and beat myself up for mistakes, I try to remember that I’m doing more damage than anyone else could ever do. Doing the work to be kind to myself and patient! I feel like patience for yourself isn’t talked about enough. It’s cool to push yourself and be disciplined-that’s how things get done, but living a life of hurry, and you’re the one with the whip? Not for me.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect would be getting it out, man! It’s one thing to have a feeling but it’s another thing to have the words to describe it. Then I have th nerve to make it rhyme and find a flow? Just magical!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rarechosen/
Image Credits
first photo- by NUCREATIONSBYTINU