We recently connected with Skye Cabrera and have shared our conversation below.

Skye , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

Probably my most challenging yet exciting moment was getting an internship with Jimi Hendrix’ Electric Lady Studios in NYC. It was the moment I felt I was actually living a dream. I had studied music production and it seemed like the next step came so seamless like I was manifesting quickly. I was shocked that I even got it. People from
Across the globe would apply and I just was myself on the interview, and didn’t have many qualifications but it happened for me.

It’s a classic monument in nyc where all these 70s artists and some of my musical heroes recorded music. Patti Smith, David Bowie. It was surreal.

The actual internship, was hell as music as it was heaven. It’s like getting your dream and it actually being a nightmare. I worked my 9-5 job hopped on the train downtown – then at 6 pm I was there doing coffee runs , fixing rooms for our guests, cleaning bathrooms, connecting wires, combing Manhattan for glass Voss water for Bono from U2, dusting records. We wouldn’t leave til maybe 5am or whenever the Artist was over recording. I would cry from
Exhaustion. Talk myself through the pain in my body. Still, felt this euphoria of being in such a sacred space of creation. I even became a plumber making sure the water pipes in the basement weren’t leaking. I learned every possible aspect to keep a studio running and on point. It’s like I had children and was the mother of the place. It depended on us interns to keep the place steady. The skills I learned, are lifelong. I spent 3 months running from on maybe 3 hours of sleep a day just getting home to feed my cat, change and shower and go to work.

It was worth it. I definitely try to juice that letter of recommendation whenever I can. Haha

Skye , 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?

I’ve always been a writer. It’s hard when people ask me “what do you do.” Because to be honest I’ve been doing multiple things naturally since I can remember. I started writing poetry and songs when I was 8. I spent 15 years doing spoken word poetry at venues and universities in New York. Now in Los Angeles, I’m writing songs for several musicians. As well as creatively directing their sound. I’ll sit in the studio with an artist and we will talk about their feelings and how to express them and I’ll write a verse and then drop Melodie’s they use. I help shape their sound and lyrical content.

But on the other hand – I’m the woman with the camera at every party. Friends will use my portraits for their work or content.

I’m the PA assistant on a commercial for EmergenC and directing the artist on when they should be ready to shoot and wardrobe change.

I wear a lot of hats and I think that’s just about survival here in Los Angeles.

My roots are writing, but I dip my hand in as many creative opportunities I can. It’s where I’m learning about myself.

My brand is me. I don’t maintain an aesthetic or marketing strategy. I’m a creative and embrace all the skills I come with in the workplace.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

To be honest, I have never had any funding for anything. My funding is building relationships with people who have the resources I need to learn. I like to call it social currency. I’ve tried to apply for grants but usually don’t get them unfortunately so a lot of the things i need, are from Self induced means.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

To be honest, I am the least person who may be marketable. Maybe this is why my story feels magical to me. Every opportunity I have gotten has been organic and through engaging socially. I don’t have a massive social media presence but I will walk into a party and know everyone in the room. I work a lot of background. People will know me by an experience or energy or special conversation we shared. I think I’m Sort of still living in the 90s in some way and I kind of appreciate it. I dabble with modern social media but alot of my work has come from word of mouth

Contact Info:

• Website: https://skye-cabrera-fjh2.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: @skye.Cabrera