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

Ali, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

I remember years ago when I was living in New York, my boyfriend at the time and I had just broken up. He didn’t live there and was just in town for a couple nights or so for something work-related. He was my first serious boyfriend and it wasn’t a breakup with anger or anything like that. We adored each other deeply, but the long distance was too much and we were very young. So afterwards, I went home on the subway at night, and just completely broke down on the train and in the station. Tears were pouring down my cheeks. But when I got on the train I sat next to this woman who turned to me and asked “It’s about a boy, isn’t it?” I nodded my head and she said. “It’ll be ok, I promise,” with a smile and a pat on the back. I was (and still am) so grateful for that moment when she, without even knowing me, knew me right then and there and gave me warmth and empathy. She really helped me that night.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hello! I’m Ali. I make music, have always sang since I was a little girl, adore animals (even mice I have found in my house), am very focused on healing myself and others in my life and have the hope that my music can serve others in that way. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, am the youngest in my family (I have 3 older brothers) and the only girl. I basically wanted to always be like Jane Goodall and still do, but decided that I didn’t quite see myself going to college and taking a heavy load of science classes, even if it had to do with animals and opted to really lean into pursuing music more seriously. I’ve bounced around a bit and lived in a handful of places, one of them being NYC. I finished college there and went to the big apple to start really exploring music in a way other than how I was used to interacting with it. It has always been a part of me–a part of my body, my soul, my heart. In New York I was giving my songwriting and singing a different kind of attention, Years later, when I eventually moved to LA, I took it to a whole new level and really dove into my song making and performing. It felt exhilarating and I had unlocked so much of me that was sort of in the shadows for a long time. LA is the longest place I’ve lived in so far (8 years) except my childhood home. I remember as a kid I used to daydream about living in California and before LA I also lived in Oakland. But I feel more connected to the spirit of LA and it has been a very special place for me to grow, be a mess, explore and uncover myself in all the ways. It has really nurtured my creativity and I find that it’s given me space to evolve and return to myself simultaneously. I think the music I write all has to do that–the human condition of evolving, grieving, enjoying simple pleasures of life, love in different forms, injustice, being in questioning. I guess I find that there are endless experiences to write about. Ultimately I feel that music truly can heal and is deeply powerful and unique in how it can communicate our feelings and thoughts. I love being able to connect to people through music, whether it’s my friend or complete stranger and how in that connection there is a great healing that occurs. That’s what gives me fulfillment. The process of that healing is everything–dancing to a song in the kitchen and crying in your car cause a melody knows the pain you’re in. What sets me apart from others isn’t really for me to say because it’s so subjective. And everyone is unique. People experiences art in their own way, so it’s for them to decide what they think sets something apart from another thing. All I can say is that what I make is always authentically me.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This is a complex question because I think there are a lot of facets to what can done to support artists and creatives better. In general, I think art and creativity needs to be acknowledged as a completely valid existence and livelihood not just for the people making art, but how it also benefits society at large. It would be great to have more communal spaces for there to be singing, dancing, etc. in neighborhoods and communities. I’ve always observed and experienced people doing things together as bringing great joy, connection and giving room for people to understand each other more. I dream of that being a central part of our society, instead of it being mainly specific to only pockets of our society. I think artists would actually be compensated more equally as well, if there was a deeper acknowledgement and collective experience of creativity.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The process of creativity (which is really all the time) and the connection it fosters with those around us, to ourselves and to the world/nature at large is for me the greatest reward. Just the state of being and how its ripple effects changes us and the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aliblake.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliblakemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ablakemusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMgqPrP73BsVMpBUGJwoyuQ