We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anina Dimatteo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Risks aren’t always linear. Often times a decision that an artist makes have results that aren’t seen for months or years after the initial decision was made. I feel myself being in the middle of quite a few risks, but also on the other side of unexpected power moves. 7 years ago I started my performance art journey, being that I was only 16 you could consider that to be a risk in itself , I’m young and impressionable, really just having fun and experimenting with music, but I’d rather highlight the past 2 years in my artist journey.
2 years ago I gave birth to my daughter and the decisions I have made since then were questioned by many. Family, friends, coworkers, they didn’t understand my love for music and the drive I had to continue performing after my pregnancy. I drove to Philadelphia, Maryland, and Florida just to fulfill some of my dreams all while caring for my daughter and working on new projects. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of people, and reassured myself that anything is possible but more specifically when you love something you give it your all no matter how crazy it seems. I come from generations of women that chose motherhood over their artistic dreams. Personally I feel it’s possible to manage both and lead by example and encourage children to follow their own path. I’m currently in the middle of a life changing manifestation just by writing this. I’m ready to keep going and to inspire others in the process, specifically mothers to make that BIG decision that could change the trajectory of their linage.
Anina, 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?
I consider myself to be a multidimensional artist. I don’t claim to be an expert in just one medium. Although most people know me for producing, singing/songwriting, drawings, and video editing, I’ve always tried to make each interaction through my platform unique. Some people know me for my views on peace, while others may see me for being resourceful and channeling my values through sharing my speech’s/journal entries. The moon and the color of the sky depends on what hat I wear.
I stand for peace , change, and for the oneness of humanity. Music and art is that. Music is universal, especially now with technology it’s possible to reach most of the world and I’ve never been one to settle on one way of thinking so why settle on one way of coping with current events and personal life experiences.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Homelessness. Specifically homeless youth and creators. It sounds cliché sometimes but I really am inspired by my struggles as an independent artist and the struggles I saw my peers face as well. I experienced foster care as a 17 year old and homelessness as an 18 year old and creating music and art was my outlet to cope with confusion since then I was homeless 3 more times and my hopes is to invest in a property big enough to house a community of 100-200 youth in every state to help them use their creativity to create self sufficiency whether through finding their spiritual calling or simply by creating art. It’s not going to be the easiest thing to do but I’m willing to take on the challenge.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I think if artists had an encouraging space to create without unnecessary pressure to be “the best” or to just survive , we’d have a lot more innovative ideas to build around. Most people are stuck. They’re scared to do or say something that could create a domino effect within society. Recognizing that the artistic mind is the core of society dating back centuries would break boundaries and create the change we desire.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://doyouknowserenity.univer.se/
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/iknowserenity555
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/FkmkirTyMhVK7Zjc/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@iknowserenity555?feature=shared
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/wtn6AMygzbZE9BL68
- Other: Instagram.com/iloveserenity555
Instagram.com/planettwentytwo
Image Credits
@VISUALSBYTDK
@1521MEDIAGROUP
@CHAI.MILLER_PHOTOS
@DMNDSNIPER
MYSELF
@GREENRUN.RUSS