We recently connected with Gillian DeVaal and have shared our conversation below.

Gillian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up I never saw myself as someone who could be confined to one space or one dream. Although I admire the happiness that many other people are able to find in non-artistic pursuits, I can confidently say I don’t think that would ever fit me. Everything I do, I hope to do authentically and passionately from a place of truth. If you feel a fire burn within you, life is way too short to snuff it out for anyone or anything else’s comfort. I have felt drawn towards Art for as long as my memories go back in time! I still know that for me, to try any other pursuit would be a lie.

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

I’ll be 22 years old in December, and started taking song writing seriously at about 13 when I learned the Ukulele. I am currently a full time student studying Art and Film, trying to absorb as much as I can to support my personal artistic pursuits. I have an unfortunate tendency towards going on hiatus from being consistent about publicly sharing my work, but that never means I have stopped creating! Art does not have to be shared or validated by others to be beautiful. I think it’s important for artists to create for themselves first and foremost, to avoid burnout, since working on your craft can be such a sacred and personal process. Even when I do not show the world what have been working on, I would want people to know that when I do finally release projects, that I will always put the entirety of my love into it, so it is worthy of creating an inspiring impact in my community no matter how small.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To create for the sake of healing my inner child and letting myself explore all the fun, fantastical, colorful sides of myself. To feel fulfilled in my personal life by having something tangible to show for all the bitter sweetness I have experienced in life thus far. I want others to listen to my music, my words and feel less alone in their own moments of pain. I want to comfort people but also to intrigue and interest them through work that is exciting to me.

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

Unless you have great respect and admiration for the work of whoever is giving you constructive criticism, do not listen to them! Everyone will always have an opinion about how you live your life, how you speak or write your lyrics, but that does not mean the opinion matters. Art can be a very collaborative effort or a lonely one, it just depends on the specific journey we are on at the time. If you truly believe in what you are creating, unsolicited advice can just roll of your shoulders, so let it be!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @gilliandevaal
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/9YNpB7OUZOI

Image Credits
Jack Starks Ainsley McClain