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

Lu’kas, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

After a heartbreaking divorce I realized I was at a crossroads. I could let the betrayal I felt rot me, or I could use it to thrive. And I decided to thrive. Then suddenly we all had to quarantine, and I used the chance for me to work on myself. I call it my “radical journey of self love”. I became my biggest fan. And what do you do when you’re someone’s biggest fan? You buy their merch. So, I splurged on a ton of items that have my face on it; clothes, jewelry, games, novelty items, my comforter, even a toaster that burns my face on toast!

Now, it’s not just my face. But also my best friends and closest allies, my cat, and my absolute favorite musician, Pam Tillis. I had custom figurine commissioned of her! With the lockdown in full effect and boredom aplenty, it became excessive. My roommate and best friend encouraged it though. She had lived with me and my ex, and tells people I won her in the divorce. On her own healing journey, she helped make sure mine stayed on track.

I’ve always been reflective, and as a survivor of trauma, decided to begin to write my memoirs. I wanted to share my own story in my own unique way. Each essay it inspired by a custom made item. I didn’t want to try to earn money from my writing, but I wanted to get it into the world. I knew my story could help at least one person out there feel a little bit more seen.

I decided the most unique way to get my story told was to be bold and ask artists I love to narrate my essays. I wanted to make a film series over publishing. Something a bit out of the box. Being brave, the first person I asked was my Diva, the legend above all legends in my heart, Pam Tillis. And to my surprise, she said yes. The cavalcade of artists who have participated in that project since continues to leave me awe struck.

Getting validation from Pam, and listening to her narrate an essay about WHY she was my favorite celebrity of all time:.. I mean, that’s the moment I knew I was doing something right. It may not be big… but it was special.

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 grew up in the Fresno area, which is a very Country Music fueled part of California. My family is extremely diverse, but the one thing everyone loved was Country. I was obsessed with Pam Tillis. She fascinated me. She didn’t feel like the other people on CMT. She had this individuality I was drawn to. I was also obsessed with pop culture, not just Nickelodeon, but shows that should have been out of my understanding.

So, when Pam volunteered to narrate a personal essay I wrote about why I loved her so much, I knew I could tell my unique story through my own weird energy. I collected videos of landscapes from my life with help of friends and family, and overlayed her narration over one of them. With the help of The Submarine’s John Dragonetti, who gifted me music to use, I created my first video.

I didn’t stop there. I reached out to scores of celebrities and artists I adore to ask for their participation as well. As I will never monetize this project, and instead create each video in support of a different charity, many said yes. I decided to forego posting the Pam one first. I wanted to start the video with a more personal essay. And Broadway actress Carly Jibson delivered! Her narration is so perfect, it had to be my first posted video.

I call this project ‘My Calico Quilt’, because it feels like the colorful tapestry of my life is being stitched together by a community of creatives who respect my vision. I’m GOBSMACKED by the support. While not every artists is famous to the world, they are to me. Steve Nguyen, who is a producer who has worked with legends, has not only narrated TWO essays, but he’s also gifted me use of his catalog.

The Distillers Ryan Sinn, Country legend Rissi Palmer, ‘Sordid Lives’ Creator and Film Director Del Shores, Drag Legend Sherry Vine, Folk Diva Lilli Lewis, LEFTI from Cobra Starship, Voice Actor Avi Roque, & America’s Next Top Model alum Shandi Sullivan are just a few of the other artists who have gifted me their talents. Ryan even provided his own background music.

The writing project is multi-layered, as I also post a daily blurb celebrating the kindness of an artist who has been kind to me. Even the ones who said no, because taking the time to even acknowledge a weird fans request is an exceptional act of kindness. They don’t owe me anything, but still took the time to say thanks, but no thanks. That’s incredible.

NOW, that’s just my first project. My second project, and by far the most popular one, is dedicated to diversity in country music. It’s called “Queer/BIPOC Honky Tonk”. As I say at the beginning of each video, “Where I introduce you to amazing Country, Bluegrass, & Americana artists who are Queer, BIPOC, or both. Celebrating the diverse storytellers who make our boots break and our heart ache.”

My fsmiky is so diverse; White, Black, Queer, Latinx, Jewish, Asian, Indigenous, Disabled… that’s not even going past aunts, uncles, and cousins! And all of them grew up on Country Music. It was a constant no matter what household I was in. Yet, at a young age, it became apparent that what I saw on CMT wasn’t reflecting the people who were watching it. It’s 2025 and it’s still a struggle to see mainstream representation in the Country realm.

Each artist I’ve featured has been kind to me personally. I’m not even a year into the series yet and I’ve networked with over a thousand Queer or BIPOC Country artists! How can there be so many of them out there with such little representation. As a gay kid with many shades of melanin in my life, I could have used an Orville Peck or Miko Marks in my life. But they’re two of SO MANY! They all need to be represented.

Unlike “My Calico Quilt”, which is posted sporadically, “Queer/BIPOC Honky Tonk” is posted daily. And it’s only a minute, where “My Calico Quilt” is between 5-10 minutes on average. The only thing they have in common is how many of these Queer and BIPOC Country artists have narrated essays for “My Calico Quilt”. The intersection of these two projects is where my heart lives.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Sometimes I even struggle to define my art. I’m a writer, but I’m not a good one, just an honest one. I’m a content creator, but I don’t try to make every single aspect of my content perfect. I thrive on the imperfect and unpolished. Because that’s who I am. And, honestly, that’s fine with me. Many people point out the things I could do better, but I can tell when it’s a troll or when it comes from a place of love. What I do, I do for me. With the hope that it can create conversation and inspire a culture that aspires to be inclusive. My roommate once told me that I created art through kindness, I’m not sure what that means, but it’s accurate.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

“My Calico Quilt” delves into some hard truths about me and my journey on this planet. It can be triggering and emotional. My very first video, narrated by Carly Jibson, delves deep into my mom’s pill addiction, and my trauma around it. It’s DEEP. So, freely putting that out into the world for all to either judge or be inspired by was humbling. The feedback was intense. From both people in my social circle, and people who found it online. I knew then that I have to make sure all my skeletons are out in the world. I was stronger than I ever thought possible, all while presenting the world the most vulnerable part of myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/lu.kas_porter
• Instagram: @lu.kas_porter
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mycalicoquilt?si=oIotPWixY26BwvI_
• Other: TikTok: @queerbipochonkytonk

  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uxCtsWs0WqIh4m40R1PAG?si=dbh2IJqdSKyirzmByKKZTQ&pi=u-46uI1xldQhqT

Image Credits

Annabelle Reidy
Maryn Gray
Junky Brewster
Hildy Schumacher