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

The Lights Witch , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

As a liquid light artist, I can attribute my humble beginnings to the pioneers who paved the way in the 60’s and 70’s. The music of that era has always had a grip on my heart, and I remember being mesmerized the first time I saw a recording of a live show with a liquid light backdrop behind the band. The visual artists of that time period truly enhanced the psychedelic experience of those shows. So, inspired by those trailblazing artists, I bought my first overhead projector and used plates I had laying around the house to try and create my own liquid light show.
The entire journey has been, and continues to be a learning curve. Trial and error, adding new techniques, building my own gear, experimenting with light and color, evolving my setup, and upgrading equipment as I am able to. This art form is fairly niche, so it can be difficult to find information and answers to questions as you go along. Luckily, there were a few key mentors who graciously shared their knowledge to help me level up along the way; such as Liquid Light Lab, Analog Mannequin and Purdy Lites. Their patience and wisdom has helped me progress in a variety of ways.
Although the process to get where I am today has taken years, I truly don’t believe there are any shortcuts I could’ve taken, nor would I have wanted to if there were. I started with the very basics; simple liquid and light. In doing so, I learned the fundamentals and nuances of this art form. It takes a practiced set of hands to finesse the liquids in the rhythm and time of a live band at a show. It is something I pride myself on, that I took the time to learn how to do this before moving on and adding more technology or alterations to my live projections.
So, as everything else continues to evolve with technology and new equipment, one thing that will remain the same is my incorporation of liquid light.

The Lights Witch , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Liquid Light Visual Artist & Projectionist. To many people, that may be misconstrued or misunderstood completely and that’s perfectly fair because it’s a niche art form. It is growing exponentially (which is encouraging) but I must say, I kind of enjoy being people’s first exposure to the craft.

Essentially what I do is create psychedelic, colorful visuals to accompany music. Think, the old mp3 music visualizers from back in the day, amped up and created live. As one of the bands I work with (Emby Alexander) once said at a show; “This ain’t your grandmas screensaver, this is all being curated in real time!”.

I manipulate liquids and light to do this, moving them with the rhythm of the music. I also incorporate old CRT TVs and VHS tapes, as well as camcorders and mixers. No two sets are ever the same, I couldn’t recreate it the same way even if I tried. This means every show you see is a one-of-a-kind experience.

My main jam is doing visuals for live local and touring bands. These experiences are what I’m most passionate about. We have such an eclectic variety of talent in our local Phoenix music scene. I love being able to support these musicians and cheer them on as their careers take off. There are so many incredible bands here that deserve our attention and support! So projecting at live shows is what I’m most proud of, and where I feel the most in my element.

However, I have recently started to expand my horizons beyond shows into more event spaces and have found them to be unique, tangible experiences that allow me to interact with the viewers more. I have done pop-ups at night markets, projected into beautiful spaces at local bars, and been a part of theme nights in various venues.

So for those who are curious; the services I offer include projections for live music/shows, trippy aesthetic projections in spaces and events, music video visuals, interactive walls for photos/selfies, but is not limited to just those. I am open-minded and up for challenges, so if you have an idea for how we could work together, I would love to chat and figure something out!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Honestly the biggest thing you can do to help your local art and music scene thrive is just to show up. Come out to art installations, go attend live music shows, and participate in events. Showing up means SO much, and encourages us to continue pursuing our passion. Not to mention, you never know what it might stir up in you! Art and music can touch our souls, you may just find something that reignites your own spark. Beyond that, I would say buying merch, art, music.. all of those things help struggling artists continue their journey.
And lastly, but often overlooked, is supporting local artists on social media. The algorithms do not often work in the artists favor, so a simple follow, like, share can truly make a difference.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest goal and purpose is in helping the local music scene here in Phoenix. Many of the musicians in these bands have become like a second family to me, and every accomplishment I see them reach feels like a huge triumph. As someone who has been at and participated in a great number of shows with local bands and DJs, I can say with absolute confidence that we have something worth a listen here in the Phoenix music scene. I feel that many artists don’t get the attention and exposure they deserve, but if more people came out to shows and heard the noise they’re making, they would agree and we could change that.
There is something here for everyone, in every genre, but even moreso there are bands that transcend genres and could give you an entirely new experience you never knew you needed.
Don’t get me wrong, going to see big artists that you love is an incredible thing. But there is something to be said about finding music that moves you right here in your hometown, something you can be proud of and have a hand in helping their success.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the.lights.witch
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553353898757&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@the.lights.witch.visuals

Image Credits
Chel Hicks