We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keris Lové a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Keris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I’m hoping that my most meaningful project will be the one I’m currently working on. An art experience that is sure to capture you melodically and visually. I’m aiming to capture our social justice issues and progress through song and visual art. We’ll have to have an update to this conversation to discuss the outcome lol.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Keris Lové, a multi-talented artist, writer, producer, and Activist. I came into songwriting at the age of 12 and as a teen/ college student would come to ghostwrite for inspiring singers and rappers. I now create music that tells stories that create awareness and bridge issues into solutions through melodic harmonies. As an art curator and producer, I create exhibits that empathize with communities and provide holistic productions that connect people and issues. In every aspect of my art I aim to craft narratives from the perspective of a Black woman and convene communities to not lose our history and impact we’ve had in this country. My introduction to activism was through my Nana, she was a freedom fighter and always showed me that we are responsible for the world we create. As a policy analyst and Activist, I have been asked to advise state and local politicians on policy and how it will impact the community once implemented; researching root causes and providing actionable tools for sustainable change. Some of the biggest pieces of legislation I have been asked to advise on were the housing laws, campaign finance reform, and the justice and policing reform policies in NY. Most recently working with politicians at the state on what reparations should look like for Black New Yorkers and those descendant from enslaved Africans in the U.S. As a motivational speaker, I aim to educate and inspire, providing processes and implementing impact to build movements and influence narratives through my experiences. “Artists are the gatekeepers of truth”, I don’t believe that my art or brand is separate from societal systemic issues, if anything it is imperative that we address the structural inequities using all of the platforms and resources accessible to us. What I am most proud of as an Artist and Activist is my growing ability to do both at the same time. My mentor is always encouraging me to not compartmentalize my gifts, and because of this my activism is connected to policy change in my state. As for my music… Well folks should go stream “ I believe” feat. Carmen Perez, Mysonne, Jackie Cruz, Feefa and the late Harry Belafonte. That song was one of my gifts to the movement.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The saying goes ‘life throws you curveballs” in my experience those curveballs came consistently, never slowing down but to people on the outside I appeared to be dodging those curveballs with ease, or to most spectators probably never experiencing them. probably never experiencing them. My perceived success and good milestone events happening for me presented an illusion that I wasn’t in fact drowning and that I still had capacity to center other’s needs, build projects for the collective while abandoning my own personal dreams. The universe then forced me to pivot in life, my career and my art simultaneously. In one year I lost my youngest sister, my father and both of my in-laws. In that same year I lost my dream job as a creative at a company I had high hopes for and would soon find out that I’d been doxxed. My personal information was “leaked” out of spite by a person(s) I knew and it led to a whirlwind of financial loss and safety issues for myself, my home and my family. These series of events forced me to reevaluate my life choices around friends, people I choose to help, risks I choose to take and whom I choose to share intimate parts of my life with. My family and Mentor became the biggest supporters during this time of isolation and grieving. They gave me space, validated my feelings and encouraged me to get back up. It is a scary experience when you’re afraid to leave your house, drive your car or even answer your phone. The most crushing part of this experience was deciding who to trust and who not to trust. I’ve watched my mentors be attacked for taking a stand against injustice, it is a part of being an activist. I couldn’t fathom that I could be experiencing the same and to find that I’d been exposed due to the actions of people close to me was devastating. This article is the first time I am speaking out on these series of events. Part of my pivot is not allowing anyone to tell my story for me.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I actually don’t believe in “non creatives”, instead I believe everyone is creative in their own way, however we live in an individualistic society that forces us into survival mode due to inequalities and the greed of capitalism. This stiffles people’s creativity because we spend most of our time just trying to survive. Finding the balance between what we need to do and what fuels us I believe is where people struggle. Ultimately we have to do what pays the bills whether we like it or not. Adding the uncertainty of being able to afford the basics of life, having to work multiple jobs/ gigs just to make ends meet; where would one have time to be creative and dare to dream. I’ve come to realize that what people may get wrong about my journey is that it hasn’t been met with struggle or that the success I’ve had has happened by osmosis. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. To those who may not see themselves as creatives, just know that you are! Everyday you’re creating and adding to the universe. Set your own metrics for what being a creative means to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kerislove.com/
- Instagram: @kerislove- https://www.instagram.com/kerislove/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerislove02/
- Twitter: @kerislovemusic- https://twitter.com/kerislovemusic
- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Kerislove?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=686d267a-ca20-4234-8a1b-4dbe8c1d858d
Image Credits
@soulsofamovement @jayanalafotos