We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zoë Lustri. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zoë below.

Hi Zoë, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Even before I fully understood the concept of “career”, I wanted to be in music. As a little kid I would sit in my room with crayons writing songs—most of which were nonsense. Singing and playing instruments brought me joy, and peace. I loved the solitude of writing and the puzzle it provided. While I explored a lot of creative outlets growing up, from theatre to visual arts, I always knew music was the career meant for me.

Zoë, 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 cover a lot of musical ground professionally–mainly composing for film/tv, songwriting, session vocals, producing songs for other artists, as well as producing songs for myself. I love so much about what I do, but the most rewarding part of my work is collaborating with directors and artists. I really enjoy the process of working with someone to make their vision come to life.

Musically, I love when I get to make my own sounds and push the normal boundaries of what we think of when we think of a film score or a song. I especially love the opportunity to use vocals in strange and intriguing ways. Creating new sound pallets is so fun and exciting it’s like being transported to a different planet.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are so many incredible groups out there dedicated to helping composers and songwriters get their footing. Joining a group in your area (I’m sure there is one!), is the best way to start meeting people and finding work. Some of my favorite groups are:

The Alliance For Women Film Composers
The Society of Composers & Lyricists
The Composer Diversity Collective

Among many others!

This isn’t necessarily a resource, but another thing I wish I had known earlier is that you do not need to be successful to start networking. Even if you don’t have a film in a festival, you can still go a meet people and make connections. There’s no right time where you are suddenly “established”, so make your impact right now.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I think I am constantly unlearning the idea that I have to give everything 110% and that if something isn’t going to get you where you want to go, it’s okay to say no or to quit. Especially as a woman, we are taught to take one for the team, and to sacrifice for the greater good. I think that mentality can get you into danger in an industry that errs on the side of toxicity.

If you are in an internship or a job where they aren’t paying you, or they’re paying you very little, if you’re working 12+ hours in a day, the likelihood of them hiring you and giving you your dream job is slim to none. So spending your precious energy and time in that situation isn’t helpful in the long run.

For example, I had an internship in an environment that I can now recognize as highly toxic; I didn’t do any musical tasks, the composer I was interning for didn’t want you to look at him, your only job was plating his food for him and then going back to being invisible. There was zero pay. That was the first job I ever quit.

This goes equally for jobs where maybe it’s a decent job, your boss is nice, but it’s not a ladder you want to climb. Don’t give all of yourself away for things that aren’t serving your ultimate goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.zoelustri.com
• Instagram: @zlust
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7ApGMouDhy33dvWri128HV?si=4ppswYcAT_SfPjj4MQ-h8Q

Image Credits
Anna Asarov