We recently connected with Addison Chandler and have shared our conversation below.
Addison, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
On April 24th of this year, I released a single from an album I’ve been chipping away at ever since my junior year of high school called “It Cloudy”.
Going into it, I had this whole plan laid out about how I’d perfectly divide my time so that I’d have the full project out before I became a sophomore- alongside some very lofty ambitions to launch a hand-made clothing line and full-length short film (comprised of music videos) to accompany the album. Instead, I found myself spending most of my time playing bass in this band called the 529’s and feeding a borderline-unhealthy obsession with table tennis.
Getting roped into that band came totally out of left field, and it took until just recently for me to actually commit myself to being in the group. Throughout my first year of college, I was so attached to dates and deadlines I had set for myself, and I put so much pressure behind them that I had a crazy difficult time allowing myself to actually relax and enjoy the experience of being a first-year student at UCLA, gigging with this awesome group of guys.
Last year, the band and I spent every Thursday night playing in the courtyard of this awesome Italian restaurant in Westwood called “The Prince of Venice”. They’d give us free food after every gig and it took getting to summer and not doing it anymore for me to realize how lucky I was to have had that experience as a first year student. Beyond that, we played some truly fantastic venues (see attached pictures).
What’s interesting though, is that when it came time to go home for summer and the band died down, I didn’t return to my music. Instead, I began feeding energy to other new and different projects.
The main one I spent my summer working on was a hand-crafted ping pong paddle I designed. I’m in the process of putting together a video-project on my whole journey with the sport and my rapidly evolving blade-craftsmanship and style of play, but I still don’t really know what compelled me to dive into it so hard.
It felt (and still feels) like a massive risk, going out on this limb and deciding to create something that has absolutely nothing to do with music… especially on the heels of having stressed myself out so much about my self-imposed deadlines.
I just have this feeling that continuing to do this will turn out to be a good decision. Already, it’s opened up doors to friendships, connections, and experiences I’ll carry with me forever. That in itself is enough for me to justify sticking with it, but I can’t help but feel that the skills I’ve learned will serve me in more ways than I know.
Addison, 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?
When I was younger, there were certain worlds of creation that gave me these overwhelming, intense feelings of longing. I’d wish with every fiber of my being that I could somehow occupy their lands- their music and magical intricacies populating my every waking thought and sleep dream. I realized that the only way to truly achieve the assimilation I craved was to create worlds of my own; for other wide-eyed kids to climb into and be inspired by.
With every act of creation I aspire to make manifest, I aim to build upon the pillars of these worlds- to create things that future generations can climb into and feel safe inside, just like how the brain-children of people like Kaitaro Ujiie (Ujico*), Tyler Okonma, Yoshiaki Koizumi and Hayao Miyazaki did for my little brother and me as we were growing up. I’m angling at the infinity and perpetuity of creation, which requires precision. I want to leave behind a trail of stardust and memories that will long outlast this mortal body… surviving in the minds and subsequent creations of those who will one day inherit the spotlight.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The feeling that your vibrations are out there, making others feel the way they make you feel. The magic of creation is that you get to contribute your unique experience to the collective consciousness of humankind- which can in turn kindle other’s flames and even inspire them to contribute pieces of their own souls. That notion alone brings me peace.
There’s this feeling that I get when I’m creating: this feeling that for the next however long I’m sitting at a keyboard, performing onstage, making a sweater, etc., I am safe. I feel untouchable in that space. Maybe it’s due to the fact that sometimes I feel guided by some force that is beyond me- as though I’m recalling images and feelings from dreams or some past recollection. Sometimes, it feels like there was no other choice that could’ve ever been made- as though what choice I decided to make in ultimacy was meant to be from the very start.
Regardless of its basis in reality, it’s a very comforting feeling and I’m kind of addicted to it.
Also, whatever that force is helps me make good creative choices.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
To be totally honest, I just want to feel like flying. That’s it. I just want to fly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.launchstar.store
- Instagram: addiethatsmath
Image Credits
529’s performance photos: Finn Martin (@telegramstothemoon). Backyard listening party photos: Mudit Mahajan (@ARCHIVE1.4)