Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shyla Macaluso. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shyla , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
By the time I was 13, I knew I wanted to wanted to pursue a creative and artistic career path. I started getting live performance experience by playing on some local band’s 15-25 minute breaks during their sets. I noticed quickly that the crowds were more engaged with my solo act than the band that was booked that night. I had my first professional gig when I was 14 and fell in love with live performing and seeing how happy I made people with my music. From there I started posting singing videos and went on to sing the national anthem for professional events and soccer games with crowds over 20,000+.
From a young age, my parents exposed me to many art forms, hobbies, sports, and creative outlets. Both my parents are creatives and business owners so I grew up in a different family dynamic than most kids do. My dad was lead singer in a rock band called Feudal Soul and some of my first childhood memories were going to his concerts and hearing him practice. I grew up with drums, guitars, and a piano in my house so there was no shortage of creativity or loud noises. When I was in theatre and chorus, I never got the main lead or solo because I sang with soul and not theatrically. Even my chorus teacher pulled me aside in front of the whole class and tried to change the way I sang. I quit in middle school because I wanted to sing different genres and didn’t want to change myself.
Shyla , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Shyla Macaluso and I am the business owner of Island Soul Designs and local singer/guitarist. I spent my first 18 years living in a small town called Otisville in upstate New York. I moved to Saint Augustine, FL in the summer of 2017 for college and fell in love with this creative coastal town. I have a strong passion for nature and sustainability so I studied marketing and coastal environmental science. Some of my hobbies are roller skating, yoga, kayaking, and shark tooth hunting/beach combing.
In October 2018, I started my jewelry company Island Soul Designs. I was inspired by all the amazing local artisans to start my own jewelry business and began to make pendants with crystals, shark teeth, sea glass and more. Everything is sustainably crafted and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to over 8 hours of work. My favorite part is being able to create jewelry that will last generations. Most of my work is creating custom wire wraps out of people’s personal collection like a seashell they found on the day they got proposed to, a crystal they bought abroad, or anything that can be made into jewelry to always carry around.
Besides being a business owner, I also sing and perform full time around Saint Augustine and Jacksonville. I’ve been around music my whole life and have been singing professionally for almost 10 years. I wouldn’t have got such an early start if it wasn’t for my inspiration, my dad. Having a dad who was a lead singer in a rock band that played his guitar almost every night definitely inspired me to become a musician myself. I was always surrounded by music whether I was playing it or listening to it. Moving to Saint Augustine introduced me to so many talented artists like Ian jones who eventually became my bandmate.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a musician and a creative is being able to make someone’s day a little bit better. I’ve seen couples that were sitting silently, get up and start dancing because I sang a song that was played at their wedding. Or seeing all kinds of people come together and loudly sing a song that they can relate to. I feed off of the crowds energy so it’s moments like these that make me so happy and grateful to be a part of.
For my business, I know there are a ton of jewelry businesses to support. So when someone buys a piece from me with their hard earned money I am so happy to know they see the value in my art. Many artists like myself experience imposter syndrome and are their own worst critic. When customers share my artwork, leave a good review, and tell me how much they love my work, it gives me inspiration to continue making art
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I’m so grateful to be a part of Saint Augustine’s amazing art community. There are so many music venues and artisan markets all over town. In order for artists to thrive today, we need to share their work, pay them their worth, and create an inclusive platform. Most artists undersell themselves and are undervalued because some non creatives don’t know how much time and energy is put into their craft. When I perform a 3 hour gig, the venue is paying for 3 hours of my time but also the 13+ years of experience and unpaid practice that lead me to this point. For my jewelry business, designs that used to take me 60 minutes 4 years ago now take me 20 minutes because of the skills I acquired. Just because I can make it faster, doesn’t mean i’ll charge less for it.
If you don’t have money to support an artist, it’s absolutely free to share their content on social media, engage with their page and show them support in other ways. I love when friends, family, and strangers support my work whether they shared a post to their story, left a comment, or referred me to a friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.islandsouldesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shyla_macaluso/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IslandSoulDesigns
- Other: https://linktr.ee/ShylaMacaluso https://linktr.ee/islandsouldesigns
Image Credits
Nick Johnson, Vaishnavi Gundakaram, Hannah Guenther