Enter Into The Conscious Mind of L.A. VanGogh
As cliche as it sounds, times are uneven right now. People have lost their lives, jobs, sanity, you name it. While days pass us up, we need to remember the importance of looking inwards for answers and understanding. Looking inward isn’t anything new for Edgar Lamont Anderson Jr., AKA L.A. VanGogh. Coming across ‘The Secret’ in college, L.A. quickly began to dive deeper than the surface level. Looking back on it, college helped develop L.A. to the artist he is now. From learning about spirituality to attending Open Mic nights to developing his craft and becoming a true performer, L.A. has now been a contributor to the creative scene for over 5+ years, with multiple hits. My favorites are Not To Be Forgotten, No Service, and H.O.T. (Heads or Tails). Tune in below and enter into the conscious mind of L.A. as he talks about how he’s handling quarantine, making music, sticking to a routine, and things he’s learned over the last couple of months.
Happy belated birthday. How did it feel bringing in a birthday during quarantine?
At midnight, I had one of my close friends bring in my birthday with me. She got me some things like a weighted blanket, red velvet cupcake, and a heartfelt card. I felt special with that energy being around, on top of other people reaching out wishing me happy birthday. But to be honest, it was a pretty stressful day managing my anxiety and crying a lot.
Later in the day, I went for a long drive past the water. As I look back and reflect, while it wasn’t the best birthday I’ve had, it was an eye-opening experience as far as being grateful for the good things that come our way.
With everything going on in the world, how are you feeling currently?
I’m drained - emotionally and physically. I’ve been combating those feelings by putting routines into place. Journaling is one of them. It’s a way to keep myself mindful of the things that I want to be grateful for. Meditation, working out, and stretching are other daily routines. When I feel up to it, I’ll make music.
Throughout all of this, I’m trying to keep myself productive and engaged in something other than obsessively scrolling. I’ve googled so many symptoms over the past month, if you looked at my search history you would think I’m studying to be a doctor.
Throughout these anxiety-driven times, how has meditation been able to help you get through the day?
It gives me something to do in a relaxing way. When I'm feeling anxious, meditation helps calms my heart rate down. I listen to a lot of guided meditations. The affirmations are good for my subconscious and even for my conscious brain. Affirmations help reinforce ideas that I want to put into my mind, that I eventually want to put into my lifestyle. The words that stick with me I’ll write down in my journal.
“IT’S ALRIGHT THAT YOU FEEL ALONE, ISOLATED, OR THAT YOU WANT TO GET BACK OUT”
What would you tell people who are feeling fear or isolation right now?
I would tell them that it's okay. Feeling like that is completely normal. I came across a few posts online that said being scared and anxious is an appropriate reaction to what's going on. It shows that you’re able to feel your emotions. This is traumatic. Honestly. This is nothing my generation and other generations have been through. I even think that’s considerable to say because our generation has been through so many traumatic things.
It’s alright that you feel alone, isolated, or that you want to get back out. I know for people that have mental health issues, being social was a coping mechanism for some. I’ve realized how much getting up and going to work or hanging out with my friends allowed me to manage my stress and anxiety. Because we are living in new times, I'd encourage you to find fresh ways to control your anxiety. Seek out something that makes you feel pleasant such as meditation, journaling, etc.
A few weeks back you released an EP titled Quarantina Turner. Were these all new songs that you recorded during quarantine?
The first song ‘Subtweets’ is the newest. I recorded that based on a feeling that I was having about a relationship. The other two songs I had - Introverted Lover and Lonely In Brooklyn, are kind of in that same vein, feeling moodiness and or frustrated with relationships (with a partner or done business with). These songs all sound cohesive and I thought about putting them out as one project because I haven’t put out that much music…outside of the mixtape I released in January. I feel like I’m more emotionally vulnerable as a person and this project reflects that and I wanted to see how my audience responded to that. So far the response to the project has been great.
“I’M WORKING ON LOVING MYSELF CONSISTENTLY AND KEEPING UP WITH GOOD HABITS THAT REINFORCE THAT”
Many people know you from the open mic nights that you host. Have you seen any positive impacts in the community from these open nights?
There aren’t a lot of accessible open mics in the southside. At the time I was working at Silver Room on 53rd - which is where we host the Open Mics. They were interested in throwing more events and that was the first thing I thought of. I had been wanting to do an Open Mic. Once I started to see high school and college kids coming in and feeling welcomed, discussing things that they haven’t talked about or even heard of…relevant topics around mental health. We have a lot of vulnerable topics around mental health.
I’ve seen the Open Mic help the people that constantly show up because it gives them something to look forward to. It makes them feel empowered as an artist. Ultimately the night helps push the culture forward and that’s what I want it to do. Open Mic inspired me to be the artist I am today. That’s all I used to do in college. I would go to at least 1-2x every week to showcase what I was working on. It pushed me to get better and to understand how to perform. Those nights were integral to me becoming the artist that I am and wanting to give these opportunities to artists now. It’s been the most fulfilling impact.
Yesterday I saw that they said live streaming grew 45% between March and April. Can we expect to see any live stream open mic nights in the future?
I haven’t given it that much thought. Right now I’m just processing my emotions and trying to keep myself healthy. With the remaining time in the day, I’m busy working on the projects that I’m trying to finish. Over the last few months, I’ve been trying to dial back on the things that I've been involved in because I’ve overextended myself and started to burn out. While live streams are something I can’t give full attention to at this moment, the idea of one sounds great.
As you look back on these last 8+ weeks, what’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself that you want to share with others
My co-dependency on many things was deeper than I thought it was. I kept myself distracted with weed and hanging out with people when I might’ve been better-suited to working towards the goals I had set out for. I'm working on loving myself consistently and keeping up with good habits that reinforce that.
Interview by: Nico Rud
Photos By: Anitra Isler