LCL • local • living a creative life

Nejoud Al-Yagout is a poet, writer, and founder of Coexist Kuwait, known for her calming presence and support in the Kuwait art scene. We sat down with her for this episode, in which she tells us about her experience self-publishing her 12 books of poetry and novels, as well as what she believes gets in artists' way when creating their best work: ourselves. She urges us to get out of our own way, listen to the voice guiding us through creating our masterpieces, and give ourselves the time and space needed to get it all out, even if it takes days upon days of creating. 

Rocker and singer-songwriter Abzy grew up trying to be Eminem, then figured out it wasn't for him. He kicked off his music career with a win at British School of Kuwait's Battle of the Bands in the early 2000s, and since then, he's been hooked, writing lyrics and music, switching up musical styles and exploring songwriting choices.  Music is his passion, and he believes that following your passion is the best way to live a life you're proud of. Tune in to hear more about Abzy's journey, and why staying real and true to who you are is the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Hashim AlNasser, known as BuKisha, is a guitarist, composer, and member of local recording studio The Juke Pro. He's collaborated with tons of artists and bands in every genre you can name, and he believes that's what given him the knowledge and knowhow he has: the practice of taking up every opportunity, no matter what kind of music. He shares his philosophy with us in this episode - it's better to be a jack of all trades, instead of a one-trick pony. Tune in to learn about how you can open doors to creative thinking in your own work by taking up studying a new skill.

Tarfa AlFarhan, co-creator of Souffle Beauty, a Singaporean-Kuwait skincare line, believes that you can't sell your work unless you trust in it. If you have no confidence in what you've made, you're going to have a hard time convincing others that it's good. Tune in to hear about Tarfa's journey in creating Souffle's skincare products, including where and how the idea first sparked, working with formulators, patience when it comes to paperwork, and sales. You'll take a peek behind the scenes of what it takes to grow an international brand, and how you can apply those strategies to your creative work.

In this episode, your faves (none other than co-hosts Salloul and Rawa) answer the questions you sent in. We chat about our motivation behind starting LCL, what a creative must do or needs to have in order to *be* a creative, and whether or not creativity means making something completely new. A special thank you to you guys, the lovely listeners who sent us questions for this episode. Check out Done with Grace with Haider Al-Mosawi: http://www.lclpronouncedlocal.com/dwg Show notes for this episode: http://lclpronouncedlocal.com/2019/08/13/q&a1/

Yasmeen Husseini is a 17-year-old self-taught musician, the singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, editor, and producer behind Flowerbxmb (@flowerbxmbmusic). We chat with her about her practice routine, experimenting, how to find your own voice. Yasmeen believes that when we're uninspired, it shows in our work, so it's important not to force it. Tune in to hear more about what to do when you're in a creative block, and how to create work from a genuine and inspired place. Read the show notes and more about this episode here: http://lclpronouncedlocal.com/2019/08/06/20-dont-force-it-with-yasmeen-husseini/

Engy Ibrahim, poet and artist, is a cliché and proud of it. After going through a bout of existentialism, she realized that we're all truly going through the same experiences, just in different ways. She leaned in to this concept, and now bases her daily creative work on it. Tune in to this episode to hear Engy's story, and how you can embrace being a cliché, too.

What does it mean to connect with an audience, the specific portion of people who see, understand, love, and celebrate your work? In this episode, we chat with Haider Al-Mosawi, co-founder of Sirdab Lab, user experience designer, educator, and father. Haider tells us about "personas", a User Experience (UX) technique, that helps to niche down who you're making a specific product, or piece of work, for. We chat about making mistakes and learning from them, "getting out of the building", and how to juggle all of your passions and potentials. Tune in!

No, don't actually murder editors... but put the little editor in your brain on a cruise or something. Aziz Al Mutawa, the reader and runner behind @thereadingrunner, shares the reason why he throws the constantly critical little voice inside his head away so that he can actually create without doubt. We talk to him about how he built his community on Instagram, the ways he refuses to limit himself when it comes to his creativity, and what it means to *start somewhere*. Tune in for an inspirational boost.

Ahmed Shahabi, co-host of ElMohim Reviews, didn't get his smarts from school. With only Grade 1 under his belt, and a ban from continuing on, he gave himself an education by reading everything he could get his hands on. We chat with him about all he's learned along the way, including what it means to be true to yourself and to your culture. Tune in to hear his story, and how he didn't let the plot of his life move forward without a say.