Navigating the tumultuous waters of a creative life, I've often found myself at the mercy of my own inner critic and the unintended barbs of loved ones. This episode is a raw exploration of my mid-season journey, where I lay bare the struggles and triumphs that have shaped the narrative of my life and work. You're invited to experience the vulnerability of an artist who wrestles with the distractions of a digital world and the pressure-cooker environment of art as a business. From the valleys of self-doubt to the peaks of proud accomplishments, join me as I dissect the complex dance of maintaining personal relationships while pursuing the relentless demands of creation.
As we peel back the layers of my artistic process, I reflect on the sheer determination it takes to bring a new album into existence. It's a balancing act of innovation and authenticity, promotion and genuine connection—a challenge I willingly embrace in the pursuit of musical storytelling. And in this space, we also shine a light on the importance of mental health, extending an arm of solidarity and gratitude to those like Derek Statten, who've walked with me from the very beginning. So tune in, as we foster a community that not only listens but truly hears, and together, we champion the conversations that draw us closer to understanding the emotional depth of the human experience.
Opening and Closing Theme song: Produced by Dom L'Amour
Transition Music from Mad Chops Vol. 1 and Mad Chops Vol. 2 by Mad Keys
and
from Piano Soul Vol.1(Loop Pack) by The Modern Producers Team
Cover art by Studio Mania: Custom Art @studiomania99
Please subscribe to the podcast, and give us a good rating. 5 stars please and thank you. Follow me on @doml_amour on Instagram. Or at
Navigating the tumultuous waters of a creative life, I've often found myself at the mercy of my own inner critic and the unintended barbs of loved ones. This episode is a raw exploration of my mid-season journey, where I lay bare the struggles and triumphs that have shaped the narrative of my life and work. You're invited to experience the vulnerability of an artist who wrestles with the distractions of a digital world and the pressure-cooker environment of art as a business. From the valleys of self-doubt to the peaks of proud accomplishments, join me as I dissect the complex dance of maintaining personal relationships while pursuing the relentless demands of creation.
As we peel back the layers of my artistic process, I reflect on the sheer determination it takes to bring a new album into existence. It's a balancing act of innovation and authenticity, promotion and genuine connection—a challenge I willingly embrace in the pursuit of musical storytelling. And in this space, we also shine a light on the importance of mental health, extending an arm of solidarity and gratitude to those like Derek Statten, who've walked with me from the very beginning. So tune in, as we foster a community that not only listens but truly hears, and together, we champion the conversations that draw us closer to understanding the emotional depth of the human experience.
Opening and Closing Theme song: Produced by Dom L'Amour
Transition Music from Mad Chops Vol. 1 and Mad Chops Vol. 2 by Mad Keys
and
from Piano Soul Vol.1(Loop Pack) by The Modern Producers Team
Cover art by Studio Mania: Custom Art @studiomania99
Please subscribe to the podcast, and give us a good rating. 5 stars please and thank you. Follow me on @doml_amour on Instagram. Or at
Ladies and gentlemen and anyone else who is here, my name is Dom Lamour and this is our mid-season check-in. I am very thankful to have so many people who listen to the show and support the show, and I can go through that spiel over and over. I do that all the time. But this year I wanted to make sure that I really spoke freely and honestly about where I am midway through the season, how I'm feeling. I am so proud of the work that I've done and the people I've spoken to and the conversations we've had, and I'm excited for the stuff that's coming next in the second half of the season, for the stuff that's coming next in the second half of the season. I started out the season very excited. I was so pumped to work and plan and schedule. But then the year starts, you know, and the beginning of the year can be one thing, but then sticking to the plan or creating those good habits always can flip at some point, and I'm not really sure when it flipped this year for me. But now I'm kind of clawing my way out of a valley. I know that I was down for a bit and some of it has to do with some family stuff that I'm going through now. But the other stuff it's more of the habits, it's more of the staying away from my phone, scrolling through the reels and I realize that I'm losing time. I feel like that's taking away from other stuff. You know, I was on this big writing experiment last year and then I stopped that this year and focused on kind of building this album and I want to get back to writing. I enjoy the making, the art part. I don't enjoy the other parts of the business. But that's kind of where things change when I got away from making art and prioritize and making art and collaborating and creating new things and getting excited about new projects, and I got away from that and it's like, okay, it's time to figure out how I'm going to pay for all this. It's time to figure out how I'm going to market all this. It's time for me to figure out who I'm going to get involved with. That I might not normally talk to or not like, but I need to because they have an upper foot in the hand in this game that I'm trying to be a part of and I feel like that kind of is that area the valley where I really beat myself up.
Speaker 1:
I talk down to myself. I tell myself that I am not the person that I think I am. I tell myself why do you feel like you should be able to do this? Why do you feel like people care about what you have to say? Why do you think you're good? And I understand? All this stuff is wrong, but you know, when you go through certain things and you hear certain things from people, it really it stays with you no matter what. Even if you're the type of person to let it brush off of you, you still remember. That's kind of where I'm at, where I'm struggling to find more payment opportunities doing what I'm doing, but I'm still loving the gigs that I have. I'm struggling to balance all the relationships with family and friends and people, but I'm still doing it and love that. I am trying.
Speaker 1:
But then again, you know the things you hear and I'm not gonna go into too many details, but I've told the pod and the people listen that, no matter what, I'm always honest when I speak on this microphone. So I will be honest. You know I, like I said, I have family stuff going on. I'm not gonna go into detail, but, um, at some point there was an argument and someone said that I was, I was selfish. I think I know everything and I only think about myself. And you know multiple people after was like dude, don't listen to that. You know that ain't true. You know that was someone just trying to trying to win an argument that they lost, or trying to make it sting after losing or not even losing, after not agreeing and not having the conversation go their way or whatever, and I understand that. But also I hear it and some part of that person believes that. So it makes me have to reflect. Am I, how do I approach things? Am I doing things for people or am I doing it for myself? And I feel like on this podcast I have conversations with people where you do have to be selfish to do this art, to perform music and get in front of people, and also this podcast, anything I'm talking to people, it's me selfishly taking my time to carve out time in my day to do this for me. In some ways that's bad, but then some ways it's good because I'm actually doing something I love.
Speaker 1:
And to hear that from someone I love just stings, different than anything. Somebody could say it online, that doesn't know me, I don't care. I don't know that person, but there's someone I know and this is someone that knows me, knows how I think and act, how sensitive I am and the things that I want to do and the things that I work towards. So for them to use that as ammunition, for them to use that as something that they feel is going to hurt me and or prove their point hurts it, it sucks. It's rough to hear him. I don't really know how I'm processing it. I don't know if I'm doing it the right ways. I don't know if I'm answering my own questions of if that's really me, because you know, I can see both sides of it. I can see why this person believes that I can also see in myself the selfish things that I do.
Speaker 1:
But you know, this was said to me after I traveled nine hours, knowing that I would have to take 14 hours to go back home. So I'm performing in a different part of the country this weekend and I'm like I didn't do that for me. I felt like I had to do it for my folks, for my people, for the people that look up to me, for the people who, you know, miss, miss me, people I miss, and in a way. Once again, this is how I process it. I say that, but then in my head I'm like maybe it was, maybe I did it for face. No, I didn't do it for face. But I'm trying my best to try to see it from both sides, instead of just saying how dare they and this is usually when I get to my place of Dominic, it's okay. Like you, you're literally trying to create a reason for them to say something that clearly has no base in anything other than they were angry and wanted to hurt. And so you get to a place where you're like okay, you gotta be at peace with it, you gotta calm down, but it's just rough. All I want is for my people that are in my corner to know that I love them and I would do anything for my folks I really would.
Speaker 1:
I find myself blaming myself so much when it comes to things that deals with my family, blaming myself so much when it comes to things that deals with my family, and I guess this kind of goes to being like an African-American in America who comes from a very close family. Black people are just so codependent on each other, and so I think about my family and it's the same thing. We very much lean on each other for a lot family, and it's the same thing. We very much lean on each other for a lot. We very much kind of collapse when things don't involve all of us, because we really want everyone there. When we do family trips, it's hard to say it's a family trip if everyone's not there. It's like yo, this isn't right, something's wrong. All of us aren't here. We depend on each other to be there for each other. We need that quality time.
Speaker 1:
My folks matter so much to me, I look to them for so much, I depend on them so much, I appreciate their thoughts and their words so much. And this is just another kind of part of that. I guess Hearing words and processing words and understanding what you can do better, not taking everything so hard, not depending on everyone and maybe letting go sometimes a little bit more than normal, and that's helpful for you and that space is helpful. You know, this is the first time and my wife actually came back home with me. We went to St Louis, we were there for a couple of days for this and this was the first time I came back to my house and truly melted into my house being like, oh, I'm home and that's that's big for me, because it takes me a while to really call somewhere that isn't St Louis home and I'm finding it here in Sharpsburg, georgia. You know, I'm starting to find that peace, that's it.
Speaker 1:
I'm in my office now. I'm recording this. Looking around, I see my Cardinals championship newspapers on the wall, the extra extras, my lightsaber I got from Star Wars land Posters, t-shirts from my old band, my favorite movie posters and a Paul McCartney music book, a complete Shakespeare book with all the plays. You know my Bucky's pillow. I'm at home, this is my comfort place, and getting back here and kind of having that space to think and clear my mind is what's truly helping me get to where I am, where I'm able to talk about this without being angry or calling this person out or calling that person out or making this about someone else or anything. It's not about any of that. I still got so much work to do on myself and I can see that I am doing the work and that's that's fantastic.
Speaker 1:
With all of that and with everything that's going on, it always circles back to the fact that I'm a performer, you know, and how difficult that can be, how difficult it is to know what tomorrow's going to be for me as an artist. To get online and see people succeeding, seeing people not succeed, seeing people just quit altogether. Hey, this is something I was passionate about for so long. I don't do it anymore. I love it still so much, but I don't do it anymore because something that had nothing to do with it or something that had something to do with it, but that wasn't it. Marketing, promo, social media, bad comments, hard for money, debt, anything it just ripped the heart out of the art for them. I guess that's the way that it's going to come out.
Speaker 1:
And when you're struggling to do something you love, you see people you love or people that you thought were just so good, quit. How do you keep going? How do you keep, you know, believing that it's right for you? And, of course, you don't compare yourself to others. You don't look to others for everything. You take things with a grain of salt. You examine what's going on, you make an educated guess or conscious decision on what you feel is best for you, and no one knows you better than you. So, once again, I see myself doing the work, I see myself asking the questions that I should ask, and I feel like they're the right questions, and I feel like I'm slowly meeting more people who believe in me.
Speaker 1:
But you know, my biggest struggle today, other than the family stuff, was how do I move forward and do something different? My model for this new album I'm working on has been doing everything differently but keeping certain aspects that helped me in the past. You know, learning from the past and using the stuff I can, but still not settling for the same things this time around. I don't want this to feel like anything I've ever done. I don't want this to be like anything I've ever done. I don't want this to be like anything I've ever done. I want to work with people I've never worked with. I want to look at this at the end of the journey and be like, wow, I did it so different. And of course, the album part part the writing part was different. But now the promo, they're putting it together, they're writing the sheet music, the rehearsal, the recording process, the marketing promotion. How do I do that differently? Who do I speak to? Who am I speaking to with my performance? Who do I speak to? Who am I speaking to With my performance?
Speaker 1:
I have a good grasp on people. I know I can hit up and say, hey, I'm doing this, get your support. No support, most of the time it's not because it's what they like. I feel like a lot of people see my shows and my music and they were like. You know, I don't normally listen to this kind of music, but when you do it, you know I hear that a lot and that makes me happy that they would support me, but also it opens my eyes to maybe these aren't people who I should be marketing to. Yes, let them know, keep them informed, but a lot of them are going to support me because they love me as a person. It's time for me to continue to branch out, meet new people. Time for me to continue to branch out, meet new people, create a new space where I can get an audience that doesn't know me personally but grows to know me, that believes in what I'm saying and or relate to it. They see it, they see the vision, they understand the work or they process it differently than the people I'm working with now. And that's the relationship. I'm working with the fan base. I'm working with people who support me, who buy my merch. I'm working with them. This is a working relationship. Who support me, who buy my merch, I'm working with them. This is a working relationship.
Speaker 1:
I just I struggle talking about what I love to people I love already. So it's always hard to talk about something you love, something you don't know, because that entitles me talking about myself in a positive light, which I can do, but also I can sure shit on myself. You know how do you pull someone aside and be like hey, listen, I'm. I'm a really talented musician. You know I'm better than you think and you should support me. You know some people hear that and they say just say that. Some people hear that and they say what do you mean? You're blessed, you have this gift. You have to share it. That's what you have it for. What do you mean? It's hard, just do it.
Speaker 1:
So many people make it seem like it's just black and white just do it or don't do it. And you know, jay-z said I'm not a businessman. I'm a businessman, meaning he is the product he's selling himself to everyone constantly. And some people were made to kind of do that. But whenever I think of business, whenever I think about the stuff that I was taught growing up about business, it's always shady. It's always some type of lie wrapped up into something, this elevator pitch that it could have honesty to it, but in some way a little exaggerated. Hey, you got this many fans. But when you talk to this venue, tell them it's this many fans. Granted, it's not exactly what you do have, but it'll make it look better for this venue to see you as a serious contender. Just say this instead of that.
Speaker 1:
That's the kind of stuff that I feel like I have to do on the regular with what I do, and it's just difficult, it's hard and I don't like it. But with this path that I made myself, this do differently, do something differently. I don't know, maybe I have to start defending myself a little bit more and believing in that when I talk about what I do and I show my confidence, I'm not being cocky, I'm not being out of line, I'm not pushing myself on anyone. It's just me doing what I need to do for my art. I feel like with the podcast, I've gotten to a place where I understand that this is a love project. I do this strictly for the love of doing it, and I feel like I kind of got to get back to that with my music and with my performance in general. And it's not that I don't love doing it, it's just, you know, like I feel like I have to put up a post or I have to put up this, or I have to put up that, and I have to smile and be so happy and show people how joyful I am when I'm doing it, and I'm just this artist sitting over here laying on my wife's shoulder for comfort. The podcast gives me more freedom to do what I'm doing now speak freely, question things, not overreacting, not compliment every small thing that someone does, even if I don't really care much.
Speaker 1:
I took social medias like Instagram and Facebook off my phone, but I kept Pinterest. For some reason. I feel like Pinterest helps me create things instead of think about nothing. Social media makes me think about nothing and I see my goddaughters and good friends with their babies, or I learn new things on social media, yes, but it's so detached from the world. I feel like I go outside and I see all this green and the blue sky and it's been raining here in Georgia, so I smell it. It's just so cool and I can touch it and I can feel it. It's right there and I'm like why, why am I, why, why don't I just go into that and be there? But then you know, I'm told that when you do that and you close yourself off from social media, you aren't really touching anyone, but it's like, but I feel like it's the opposite. It's just, it's something that I can't keep in my hand all day. My phone is with me all damn day and having those social media platforms on that it's just too much.
Speaker 1:
So taking the time to truly write more, think more, stretch more, get outside more, believe in myself more, take things with a grain of salt, I feel like that's where I'm at. So thank you so much if you made it through this. I appreciate you. So thank you so much if you made it through this. I appreciate you. This is always a cool time for me.
Speaker 1:
I wanted to do more like this where I can just talk, be open. It's very important to me to speak out and understand where I am mentally and I just appreciate people who support me and look out for me and reach out. And this podcast, like I said, is my baby and people really support as well. This is really cool. We have a couple of subscribers now, which thank you to that. I want to make sure that I put a special shout out to Derek Statton, if we go right way back, and he's one of my subscribers and he's the first one actually to subscribe to the Black man Talking Emotions podcast. So, thank you, we go back to high school and thank you, we go back to high school and that's just. It's an honor, it's.
Speaker 1:
It means the world to me that you take the time out to listen to these conversations and and to support me and if you didn't realize that we had a subscriber payment plan thing that you can do at the bottom of every episode description description, you can support the show, make sure to support the show and share the show, tell people about it and talk to people about the things you know.
Speaker 1:
The stuff that we're talking about is stuff that you could be at home talking about it's. I think it's important. We should be looking out for each other, we should be taking time for one another, we should be understanding that everyone isn't in the same headspace and you might think something is so openly known, but then you talk to someone and it's like wait, you don't. You don't feel this way, you don't know this, you don't get this. You don't feel this way, you don't know this, you don't get this, you don't believe this? Wow, why? And don't judge them, just hear them out. That's what we need to do. So, like I said, support the show, share the show. If you want to check out my music and all the things that I do, you can find me on all streaming platforms, get more information about my upcoming events and things that I'm working on at domlamorecom. You can get anything and everything domlamore there and I appreciate your time. Much love, thank you.