Latest / Story Scaling / Defy the Niche: Building a Multi-Creative Career with Katherine Mulinga

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Defy the Niche: Building a Multi-Creative Career with Katherine Mulinga · Story Scaling

• 0:00
  Welcome to Storyscaling by Podcastvideos.com, where creators share the truth behind the content, the grind, and the growth.
• 0:10
  Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends and family, I am Bang of Podcastvideos.com.
• 0:14
  You are watching Story Scaling, but you know that already.
• 0:18
  And I want to thank you for tapping in with us for liking, subscribing, sharing with your friends.
• 0:23
  You guys, we built a really cool community.
• 0:25
  And I'm gonna keep saying it because it's not even something that I thought about when we first started.
• 0:31
  It was just like, man, let's put some stuff out there and see what happens.
• 0:35
  And you guys have really gravitated towards uh what we're building, and I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing without you.
• 0:41
  So thank you.
• 0:42
  We got a special guest in the building today.
• 0:44
  I am here with Katherine Mulinga.
• 0:47
  Katherine Mulinga, thank you for joining us.
• 0:49
  Hello, thank you for having me.
• 0:50
  How are you feeling today?
• 0:51
  I feel great.
• 0:52
  Excited to be here.
• 0:53
  I like the talk.
• 0:54
  Okay, you got you got some good bios about yourself.
• 0:56
  Like I feel like you always smiley, like you always bring in some energy.
• 0:59
  So I appreciate you sharing that with us.
• 1:02
  Well, thank you.
• 1:02
  I got a bio here that I want to get into.
• 1:05
  This is what the streets are saying about Kat.
• 1:07
  Let me let me hear what the streets are saying.
• 1:09
  So you let me know if we if we spot on and we need to change some stuff, we're diving straight in.
• 1:14
  So it says today on Story Scaling, we're sitting down with a true multi-hyphenate who absolutely refuses to be put in a single box.
• 1:22
  Catherine Malinga is a model, DJ entrepreneur, and curator of her own online boutique.
• 1:28
  In a business world that constantly tells creatives to niche down and just pick one lane, Kat is proven that your professional brand is the niche, whether she's setting the exact frequency in a room behind a DJ booth, stepping in front of the camera as a model, curating pieces for a boutique.
• 1:44
  There is one constant thread.
• 1:46
  She is the master of creating an aesthetic and a vibe that makes people feel something real.
• 1:51
  Being a multi-creative isn't just about looking cool and doing cool things.
• 1:55
  It requires an insane level of intentionality.
• 1:58
  Today we're getting into the hard truths of what it actually takes to juggle multiple creative identities without burning out.
• 2:04
  We're talking about the ideas, the execution, and how she protects her energy while constantly pouring into different formats and people and what it really means to build a world of influence from the ground up.
• 2:14
  Ladies and gentlemen, Catherine Melinga.
• 2:17
  That was good.
• 2:18
  You missed two things.
• 2:19
  Okay.
• 2:19
  But that was perfect.
• 2:21
  Talk to me.
• 2:21
  What did we miss?
• 2:22
  In the two things you miss, they are easy to miss.
• 2:25
  Um I also am a climate advocate.
• 2:28
  So I work in that realm.
• 2:30
  And then I also am a writer too, as well.
• 2:33
  Yeah.
• 2:33
  But that was to the T.
• 2:35
  I like that.
• 2:36
  So when when you I love it.
• 2:38
  Thank thank you again for joining us.
• 2:40
  Let's dive straight in, Kat.
• 2:41
  You are a lot of things.
• 2:42
  Yeah, I am.
• 2:43
  When you when you think about the the bio and you know the things that you're involved in, what stands out most?
• 2:51
  Like what comes to the forefront the most that feels like it represents you the most right now out of everything?
• 3:00
  I think the most right now is probably my climate advocacy.
• 3:06
  I work with Re-Earth Initiative.
• 3:09
  Um, as a graphic designer, volunteer remotely, but I also jump into other things around that realm.
• 3:16
  I also work with Care About Climate as um operations.
• 3:20
  And so I'm helping with all of that too.
• 3:23
  So that's I'm I'm doing a lot with that right now.
• 3:26
  So that's the it's it all suits, but that's the one that's just Yeah.
• 3:30
  Man, I feel like that's a big one to jump into.
• 3:33
  We gonna get we gonna get to the climate.
• 3:35
  Before we get here, who who are you?
• 3:39
  Like, where did you come from?
• 3:41
  How did you get because what people when people know you and they meet you, like I say, you got this presence about yourself that makes everybody feel welcome.
• 3:48
  They feel like they're your friend, you know.
• 3:50
  But give us give us background.
• 3:52
  Where do you come from?
• 3:53
  What was your upbringing?
• 3:54
  My Lord, we got we got time.
• 3:56
  This is it, this is the cat show.
• 3:57
  So like the Lord.
• 3:59
  Yeah.
• 3:59
  Okay, so I was born actually in Saintsville um at the women's center.
• 4:06
  That's probably like 30 minutes away from here.
• 4:09
  Really?
• 4:10
  And then my grandma took me and moved to Chicago for a little bit, and that was before the frontal lobe developed.
• 4:17
  So all I got is the pictures to really remember.
• 4:20
  And then I grew up most of my life in Sherwood, Arkansas.
• 4:23
  For the people who aren't familiar, it's about 10 minutes away from Little Rock.
• 4:28
  So I was there my whole life until August of 2019.
• 4:33
  I moved to Fedville, Arkansas to go to the University of Arkansas.
• 4:37
  I came in as um trying to become a first grade teacher.
• 4:42
  Either wanted to do first grade or I wanted to be either like a high school facts teacher.
• 4:48
  And then down the line, that changed.
• 4:51
  And I wanted to do journalism, but then I had an advisor.
• 4:54
  She was kind of a hater.
• 4:56
  It was just kind of like not encouraging it.
• 4:58
  And so then I switched to psych because I love psychology.
• 5:02
  And then I switched to interdisciplinary studies, where you combine multiple subjects.
• 5:07
  So I ended up getting a degree last year in May and Interdisciplinary Studies, and I studied psychology, sustainability, and journalism all at the same time with that.
• 5:20
  And so Wow.
• 5:21
  Here I am.
• 5:22
  When you said, so what made you want to be a teacher at first?
• 5:28
  Like, what did you have a teacher that you really connected with?
• 5:31
  Did you just like, you know, helping others?
• 5:33
  Like what gave you that?
• 5:34
  Most of my teachers always loved me.
• 5:36
  There was always a there was a time where my grandma had to call my teachers to tell them, can we do we need to do a teacher conference?
• 5:43
  Because they never scheduled them because I was a really good kid.
• 5:45
  So she'd be like, is everything okay?
• 5:46
  And the teachers would be like, it's fine.
• 5:48
  So I really I loved school.
• 5:50
  I loved school.
• 5:51
  I wasn't even like academic, like love school type of.
• 5:55
  I just liked school.
• 5:56
  My friends are there.
• 5:57
  See, I'm I looked like that.
• 5:59
  Like I had I knew people that drew the school.
• 6:01
  I was like, bro, this is lit.
• 6:02
  You got the homies, like you got the little snack bar, like the vibes is cold.
• 6:08
  Yeah, I loved it.
• 6:09
  And then I got to high school and I had an amazing facts teacher, and she was like a mother.
• 6:15
  Like, we would go eat lunch in there, like all the girls loved her.
• 6:19
  And she would always tell me, I've had people in my life that tell me, like, I just can't see you working a regular job.
• 6:24
  No offense, but you like to chat, you like to be up, you like to move.
• 6:28
  And I always was encouraged, like, do what you want, but don't do that to yourself unless you're seeing something.
• 6:34
  And I always loved kids.
• 6:35
  And so there was a program at my high school where you could teach.
• 6:38
  So I had the opportunity to teach sixth grade science, eighth grade English.
• 6:43
  I taught a little bit of high school special needs students, and then I got to teach elementary school first graders.
• 6:50
  And I love them.
• 6:51
  They're so unfiltered.
• 6:53
  Yeah.
• 6:53
  Like they're just tiny little hyped up humans that say whatever they want.
• 6:58
  Yeah, they can build you up, but they can humble you real quickly.
• 7:01
  Like, why is you dressed like that today?
• 7:04
  Like, why is your hair like that?
• 7:05
  Yeah.
• 7:06
  I had one that was like, why aren't you married?
• 7:07
  And I'm like, I'm still in high school.
• 7:09
  A first grade asked?
• 7:10
  Yeah, I thought it was so fun.
• 7:12
  And I love kids.
• 7:13
  And a big thing that I don't think society realizes and actually thinks about is like, you know, you get older and you're like, why is this person that way?
• 7:22
  Why is this person acting this way?
• 7:24
  It starts with the child.
• 7:25
  If you take care of a child and push them up well enough, that is better for society in the long run.
• 7:33
  And so that child gets old and dies.
• 7:36
  Like, you know, adults, you know, sometimes are raised well, do well, and things happen that cause people's behavior to turn a certain way.
• 7:44
  Yeah.
• 7:44
  But it all starts with children.
• 7:46
  The world could get better if everybody was just more kinder and uplifted children and taught them to be nicer and kinder.
• 7:52
  And then you have it because they'll just grow into adults.
• 7:54
  That's right.
• 7:55
  I think so.
• 7:56
  Here's what's profound.
• 7:57
  I got a lot of nieces and nephews.
• 7:59
  And like these little dudes and girls be having like full cognitive thought processes at like three years old.
• 8:07
  Yeah.
• 8:07
  You know what I mean?
• 8:09
  You know, have you eaten today?
• 8:10
  Oh, I'm concerned about you.
• 8:12
  I'm like, bro, you you're three.
• 8:13
  You know what I mean?
• 8:14
  And so, yeah, I agree.
• 8:16
  I think sometimes we overlook the children, but it's like they grow up to be, you know, our teachers, our doctors, our so on and so forth.
• 8:25
  And sometimes I think we hear older people and generations look down on younger generations.
• 8:31
  And I'm like, bruh, it's y'all's responsibility to help.
• 8:34
  Like, you know, they're your peers.
• 8:36
  They're gonna be the next senators, doctors, like anything.
• 8:40
  So it's like if you teach them to be good people, then there's more good people going around the world in the future.
• 8:46
  Yeah, I don't think anybody's just sat and thought about that.
• 8:49
  How how important is music?
• 8:51
  Very, very, very, very important.
• 8:54
  I'm digging the hoodie.
• 8:56
  Yeah, could you?
• 8:56
  You know what I'm saying?
• 8:57
  You got the coach of the swag going on.
• 8:59
  Yeah, you're a DJ.
• 9:00
  Like, so so talk to me about the influence of music on your life.
• 9:05
  Where did that come from?
• 9:06
  Did you always kind of march to the beat of your own drum and always kind of have your own songs that you were playing?
• 9:12
  Like, where did where does the influence come from?
• 9:15
  I think I've just always been around music.
• 9:16
  I have a big family.
• 9:17
  Uh, a lot of them are older, have a lot of cousins my age, and my family, they love to dance, they love to throw on a song and dance.
• 9:27
  And so I was hearing things from the 60s, 70s, and then of course I have siblings and an aunt and cousin.
• 9:35
  So I'm into the 2000s.
• 9:37
  Like, we have I have a bunch of original records, like when people used record players, like I have a stack from my family.
• 9:45
  I remember I would always have my headphones in and my grandma would get so mad, she's like, take those out of your ear.
• 9:50
  Driving.
• 9:50
  Like, I just always have loved music.
• 9:54
  It's just, it's just always been with me.
• 9:55
  It's just something I just enjoyed.
• 9:57
  Yeah.
• 9:58
  What made you say?
• 10:00
  Talk to me about the DJ journey.
• 10:01
  What made you say, like, I'm gonna become a DJ?
• 10:03
  Like, I love this so much, I'm gonna set the vibes.
• 10:07
  Well, I had a friend who was like, You love music so much.
• 10:10
  You should try to get a radio show at the U of A at KXUA.
• 10:15
  I was like, okay.
• 10:16
  And so signed up, got a show, did that, and as a radio host, you go by DJ.
• 10:23
  Right.
• 10:24
  But sometimes you're not on the actual controller, you're like just hitting the buttons or whatever, or something like this on the radio.
• 10:31
  Right.
• 10:31
  So then I had somebody contact me and be like, hey, could you DJ for me?
• 10:36
  Yeah.
• 10:36
  And I'm like, oh, I'm not a DJ.
• 10:39
  I'm so sorry.
• 10:40
  But they were like, oh, well, well, well, how about like let's let's talk?
• 10:43
  Like, you know, can I make you a host?
• 10:45
  And then I ended up getting in a DJing through like that and just multiple people being like, Well, why don't you start?
• 10:53
  And so I got a controller, I ordered a controller right before a snowstorm about three years ago.
• 10:59
  Wow.
• 10:59
  Because I was on break for like Christmas, anyways.
• 11:02
  I was just sitting in my apartment and it was about to snow.
• 11:05
  And I was like, I'm gonna be locked in for like a week or two.
• 11:07
  And I was like, let me order this real quick.
• 11:09
  Let me lock in a different way.
• 11:11
  Yeah, it got delivered right before then.
• 11:13
  And before then, I was practicing on some of my friends' stuff.
• 11:16
  It wasn't the system I wanted, so I gave up for like a week.
• 11:19
  I was like, I don't want to do this.
• 11:20
  It's not how I learned, and I was like, okay, I can't do that.
• 11:23
  And then I always have been like, I want to control what I'm hearing.
• 11:28
  Like, I like what I'm hearing, but what if they did this?
• 11:30
  And what if they did that?
• 11:31
  So I did a little bit of that, and I've been teaching ever since.
• 11:34
  Ever since wow, you know, DJs are special people.
• 11:38
  I feel special.
• 11:40
  You know, so my my grandfather was a DJ, and I didn't know that like until later in my life.
• 11:45
  You know, obviously I do music.
• 11:47
  I'm like you, I come from a musical family.
• 11:49
  Um, but there's something very intentional about being able to create a space where people feel connected, the music is meshing.
• 11:57
  I remember I went to a DJ party in California one time, and I had never felt such like tranquility.
• 12:04
  I can't even explain it.
• 12:06
  Like everybody was dancing, nobody was looking at each other's like outfits, and like it was just one.
• 12:12
  I mean, hundreds of people was just all in there.
• 12:14
  So, you know me, I'm in there too.
• 12:18
  So I'm curious for you, what what goes into planning a DJ set when you like say, for example, I want to book you for an event at the university or whatever the case may be.
• 12:31
  Like, what are you thinking about?
• 12:33
  Are you thinking about your audience and kind of playing to your audience?
• 12:37
  Are you thinking about what journey you want to take people on?
• 12:39
  Like, what's what goes into that?
• 12:41
  The first thing I usually think about is what the event is.
• 12:44
  And I'll say the one thing I'm I'm a pro at is the vibes.
• 12:48
  Yeah.
• 12:48
  Some DJs, you know, they play what they want to play, but you got to play what the people want to hear.
• 12:54
  And I'll sit and think, okay, this is what's going on.
• 12:58
  So this is what's probably appropriate, and also what they want to hear.
• 13:02
  From there, I depending on how advanced it is, usually I'll know in like a month, a couple weeks.
• 13:10
  I just like listen to my own music.
• 13:12
  I'm like, oh, that'll be cool.
• 13:14
  And add it to playlists.
• 13:15
  Oh, that'll be cool.
• 13:16
  That'll be cool.
• 13:16
  And maybe the day before, I'm like, okay, let me add a couple things as well.
• 13:20
  I've had people be like, Can you play these certain songs, mix it however, or tell me the vibe.
• 13:26
  But I say the one thing people always like, how can I DJ?
• 13:29
  Do you think I'll be good?
• 13:30
  I think the best thing to think about if you want to become a DJ is not can I learn the controller?
• 13:37
  Is what do you listen to?
• 13:39
  Because you got to be able to know, even if you're not playing like just for all types of people, if you like different types of genres of music, you can be a DJ.
• 13:48
  Yeah, you've got it down already.
• 13:50
  Yeah.
• 13:51
  You got to have a diverse music palette.
• 13:53
  Like you can't just be like, I'm gonna be a DJ and hit this same exact style.
• 13:57
  Yeah.
• 13:58
  I'm I'm curious.
• 14:00
  Um, for you, give me some of your musical influences.
• 14:04
  Like, I want to hear people who've, whether it's DJ, whether it's you know, 60s, whatever, I want to hear people who've had a direct influence on you and how you kind of visualize music.
• 14:15
  And I want to hear some of the people that you like.
• 14:17
  This person has slept on.
• 14:18
  Like nobody really, you know what I mean?
• 14:20
  Who are some of those influences?
• 14:22
  Uh a lot of the artists out of the 2000s, big early Lil Wayne fan, like when he was like a teenager out in New Orleans rapping, like him, Beyonce from her earlier career.
• 14:37
  That's when people what I'd say would say like overrated, but if I could sit anyone down and explain, I've convinced people who've been like overrated.
• 14:44
  I'm like, no, she's a music.
• 14:46
  That's somebody I wish was an actual DJ.
• 14:48
  Yeah.
• 14:48
  Because if you hear her mix her songs during her tours, amazing.
• 14:53
  Um, you just really went up in my book.
• 14:56
  Like, I already rocked with you, but but little Wayne is like he's top five influence for me.
• 15:02
  Like, top five.
• 15:03
  I I literally wrote my first rap after watching one of the How Boys videos.
• 15:07
  Yeah, yeah.
• 15:08
  And watching Lil Wayne and Juvenile, you know what I mean?
• 15:10
  So, like, yeah, that's that's a big one for me.
• 15:12
  A lot of the 2000s Dirty South rappers, I think have influenced everybody's favorite rappers to this day.
• 15:19
  And that's a conversation that hasn't been had because they took over and they are still like samples being used.
• 15:27
  Last night I saw the Michael Jackson movie.
• 15:29
  The big Michael Jackson fan, his work ethic, his history.
• 15:34
  Like he had one of the first music, like Thriller was one of the first actual music videos.
• 15:40
  If you look at anything before that, there's never been stories.
• 15:42
  We wouldn't have a Super Bowl halftime show if it wasn't for Michael Jackson, and people don't know that.
• 15:47
  He was the first to do that.
• 15:48
  Wow.
• 15:48
  And just the technicality of all of his stuff and the arts and the visuals and his acting.
• 15:54
  I didn't know you was the first Super Bowl halftime.
• 15:56
  Yeah, they had performances before then, but he was the first one to put on an actual show, which made everybody else till this date put on an actual show.
• 16:05
  Wow.
• 16:05
  Yeah, yeah.
• 16:06
  Who's the who's the sleeper artist?
• 16:08
  Who's the artist that you like?
• 16:09
  Man, this person don't get enough love.
• 16:11
  Who is that for me?
• 16:14
  Hmm.
• 16:16
  I don't know because in my head, everybody's getting enough love.
• 16:20
  And I'm probably like, who doesn't?
• 16:23
  I gotta look at my Spotify real quick.
• 16:25
  I gotta, I gotta cheat.
• 16:26
  I gotta cheat.
• 16:27
  No, no, that's that's real.
• 16:28
  I I agree with you too.
• 16:29
  I think now things are changing to where people are so they're able to niche down so much that everybody got their own community.
• 16:36
  You know what I mean?
• 16:37
  Like everybody's able to get that recognition and celebration now because you can make music for this specific type of person and you're gonna find them out there.
• 16:46
  You know what I mean?
• 16:47
  Yeah, I think honestly, I'm gonna say Justin Bieber.
• 16:50
  And he gets a lot of love, especially recently with his Coachella performance.
• 16:55
  But if you really break him down as an artist, he is very talented when a lot of people don't write and produce their own songs and he does have help, but also just like he was a kid on YouTube, yeah, and he is the last of what that was.
• 17:11
  Yes.
• 17:12
  And I don't think he gets his flowers like he should.
• 17:14
  I think people are like, oh, it's Justin Bieber, but no, you have to realize as a musician, yeah, in his vocals, too.
• 17:20
  So my brother said that.
• 17:22
  No, no, I think that's a really important take.
• 17:25
  My brother was telling me this like years ago.
• 17:27
  He was like, nah, you don't understand.
• 17:29
  Justin Bieber has perfect pitch.
• 17:30
  Yes.
• 17:31
  Like he can sing every single note, like, yeah, he's popular, he's Justin Bieber, but like, and he was just kind of telling me what you just said.
• 17:38
  He was like, No, you don't understand from a musician standpoint, like Justin is elite.
• 17:43
  And I was like, oh dang, I didn't know that.
• 17:45
  Yeah.
• 17:45
  So yeah, I get I get what you're saying.
• 17:47
  I think another one is um Leon Thomas.
• 17:50
  He he's just recently kind of blown up, blown up, but also like he's been writing everything you've been hearing for the past years, and he's been writing his other stuff that hasn't gotten big as his recent novel, but like him, like he's he's amazing.
• 18:04
  He produces too, right?
• 18:06
  See, I didn't know that.
• 18:07
  That's that's another good example.
• 18:08
  He has a song of Wale that I like, but I didn't realize he was writing all of this stuff.
• 18:13
  I don't realize that he was playing the instruments on a lot of this stuff.
• 18:16
  Yeah, he's written a lot of music for a lot of people, like, and that's the big thing is that a lot of people's favorite songs, and no discs to the people performing, right?
• 18:24
  Aren't written by them or they have help, which is fine.
• 18:27
  But then some of these people get famous years later.
• 18:31
  You know, I'm like, y'all need to go back and also thank them for what they gave you before you knew them.
• 18:35
  Yeah, no, that's big.
• 18:37
  I wonder if we will ever get to a place where like people see the writer, like they see the one that's performing the music.
• 18:44
  Because you wouldn't have some of these songs without like a Leon Thomas, you would have some of these songs without, you know, yeah, all of these phenomenal writers.
• 18:52
  Yeah.
• 18:53
  Um where do you see like right now?
• 18:56
  What's what's your thoughts on the current state of like music in general?
• 19:02
  I feel like in some ways it's becoming, you know, super kind of guardrailed and people are trying to like create a genre for everything and segment it.
• 19:11
  And then I think there's times where you see like these lines being blurred and people are making hyperpunk rock jazz.
• 19:17
  You know what I mean?
• 19:18
  Is so like when you see the like the state of music from where you sit as a DJ, are you like, man, I'm encouraged, I'm excited, it's it feels fresh.
• 19:27
  Are you like, nah, TikTok has made everything sound the same?
• 19:31
  Like, where are you at with that?
• 19:33
  I think there are a lot of iris artists that are trying to go viral.
• 19:38
  Um and there's nothing wrong with that, but I also think there's some artists that we don't see as much, not trying to go viral, that are just as talented.
• 19:50
  Um, there are a couple new songs that come out that I like, but I see myself going back to the older stuff.
• 19:56
  Not like an old head, like, oh, y'all don't got no good music.
• 19:59
  Like, I'm not like that, but I think we we've lost the art.
• 20:04
  I was actually thinking about it.
• 20:06
  You asked Pro a couple weeks back, what was the best era of music?
• 20:11
  And when he named the era, he was like, that was the last time they had a live production in the studio.
• 20:17
  Yeah.
• 20:18
  And I've thought about that ever since.
• 20:19
  And I'm like, yeah, we don't we don't do that anymore.
• 20:21
  Like, there's no bands in the room with the people.
• 20:26
  Um, even like at Coachella, I saw that clips had Travis Barker drumming.
• 20:30
  And what a lot of people don't know is Travis Barker's been drumming for especially a lot of like rap artists for years.
• 20:36
  40, 30 years.
• 20:37
  It's a key element.
• 20:38
  It's like, yeah, it's Travis Barker, one of the best drummers, but the sound of him drumming is an experience to hear, and having that live while you have these rappers doing their thing is amazing.
• 20:48
  So the loss of instrumentals is a big one.
• 20:53
  Yeah.
• 20:54
  I think that's so I was watching this video the other day.
• 20:57
  A rapper was playing with a band behind him, and I'm like, oh, this is a heightened experience.
• 21:01
  Like, this is a phenomenal rapper.
• 21:03
  Like, even if if you made the beat on your laptop, the song is fired.
• 21:07
  You know what I mean?
• 21:08
  You can't take nothing away from that.
• 21:10
  But to have, like you were saying, the drummer back there, like the percussionist, and then the piano, and then the saxist, like, yeah, it just gives it a whole different experience.
• 21:18
  So I agree with that.
• 21:19
  I think something else that I've been really wrestling with, I seen a clip from an artist yesterday, and he was saying that we're falling away from telling stories.
• 21:31
  And we're making songs still, but the things that resonate with people are stories.
• 21:37
  Like, you know, this experience happened and it made me sad.
• 21:40
  Beyoncé said that.
• 21:41
  She said, No one makes albums anymore.
• 21:44
  And they don't.
• 21:45
  And I believe it was Adele who one of her albums, she had Spotify like remove the shuffle for a bit so you listen to it in order because it's a story.
• 21:54
  Singles are great, yeah, but albums that are story, like Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid Matter.
• 22:00
  You have to at least listen to that in order.
• 22:03
  That's a story.
• 22:04
  Yeah.
• 22:06
  How how do we because sometimes I can be very like um I can see worst case scenario pretty vividly.
• 22:17
  You know what I mean?
• 22:18
  So it's like if we don't continue to use instruments and we don't continue to tell stories, then what ends up happening with our music is disposable.
• 22:27
  Like it won't stand the test of time.
• 22:29
  So from in your perspective, from your opinion, like how do we make sure that we still, you know, continue to tell these stories and continue to, you know, play actual instruments instead of just take like chasing that quick fame.
• 22:42
  What do you think?
• 22:42
  What would you say?
• 22:43
  I'd say if you want to do it, do it, or it'll come in terribly.
• 22:47
  If you're just like, I want to make a quick like mix or a song or whatever, just to get your it's not even gonna like sound good because you're not gonna be able to catch yourself messing up.
• 22:58
  You're gonna be like, I guess this is good.
• 22:59
  Basically, like, you know, if I wanted to actually make something that I loved, I'm you're gonna be like, oh, that's that's not what I envisioned.
• 23:06
  That's not perfect, that's not what I want.
• 23:08
  And then boom, you're gonna have a hit.
• 23:10
  Yeah.
• 23:11
  Talk to me about social media and the role of social media, like, or your relationship with social media.
• 23:18
  Like, how do you feel about?
• 23:19
  Do you like it?
• 23:20
  Are you are you anti-social?
• 23:21
  I love it.
• 23:22
  Anyone that follows me will be like, yeah, she does.
• 23:24
  We see her on that timeline.
• 23:26
  I love social media.
• 23:28
  And I think we're getting to a place to where I know there was a time where people are like, I need to just decompress, which I totally understand.
• 23:35
  My big thing I tell people though is like, make your social media yours.
• 23:40
  I love following like outlets that I'd like to read and things like it.
• 23:44
  Doesn't just have to be friends and family and stalking people.
• 23:48
  Like, make sure when you follow accounts, you want to see that.
• 23:52
  You know, they'll make you stop and read those captions and get information.
• 23:56
  You can make it fun again.
• 23:57
  Yeah.
• 23:58
  Yeah.
• 23:58
  I think you do a good job of making it your own.
• 24:02
  I will say that much.
• 24:03
  And I think that's the thing that a lot of people have lost, you know, along the way is like, man, yeah, I gotta outdo this person, or like, you know, I can't post this because they just posted their car.
• 24:16
  Mine ain't that quick.
• 24:17
  And so it it but without even realizing it, it becomes this space that's like it doesn't feel safe, it doesn't feel curated, and you are building your world.
• 24:27
  But I feel like you, Chad, have done a really good job of like building your social world.
• 24:32
  People know what they're gonna get, they're gonna get some fashion, they're gonna get some music, yeah, they're gonna get some vibes.
• 24:38
  Like for those people that are trying to find that voice and that outlet, what would you say?
• 24:43
  How do you go about it?
• 24:44
  How's how should someone else go about making it fun and building that that world for themselves?
• 24:50
  I think of like just look at what you're into.
• 24:52
  You're into cars, cooking, you know, if you have a favorite race car driver, favorite chef, favorite artist, you know, follow them.
• 25:01
  You know, if you're into like anything, just see like, oh, you're into plants.
• 25:07
  Well, there's so many things on Instagram that show you and teach you about plants.
• 25:10
  You can read about plants if you're into climate change.
• 25:13
  There's so many places that you can follow for breaking news or easier news.
• 25:18
  Think of your hobbies.
• 25:19
  Yeah.
• 25:19
  Look online and follow people that also either post about your hobbies that are into your hobbies.
• 25:24
  So that way when you're on your timeline, it's more joyful.
• 25:27
  It's something that you actually would invest in.
• 25:31
  Yeah.
• 25:32
  Do you do you find yourself, let's talk self-promotion?
• 25:36
  You're a DJ, you got a ton of things going on.
• 25:39
  How do you feel about like putting yourself out there?
• 25:41
  Is that something that you are good at and you do?
• 25:44
  Is it something that you don't do?
• 25:45
  Like I'm kind of too good at it.
• 25:46
  There's not a shy bone in my body.
• 25:48
  I'm like, I should develop one.
• 25:49
  Like I will put myself out there.
• 25:52
  Like if I have a show, I'm reposting it.
• 25:54
  Uh my friends and just peers in general are very, very nice.
• 26:00
  And if I post something, they're gonna repost it.
• 26:02
  Yeah, they're gonna tag people.
• 26:04
  Yeah.
• 26:04
  Um, I put anything and everything out there because that's also just the way to do it now.
• 26:09
  Have you always been like that, or did you have to learn how to get to that point?
• 26:12
  I think I've always been like that.
• 26:14
  They have a feature on Instagram now where you can go back and look at your first posts till now and all of that.
• 26:20
  Really?
• 26:20
  And looking at it, I'm like, yeah, I've just always been online just posting whatever.
• 26:25
  I got a friend of mine, and they like you.
• 26:27
  They don't have a shot bond in their body.
• 26:29
  And and now they built a following and they're doing great stuff.
• 26:33
  And they was like, Yeah, I always thought I was gonna be famous.
• 26:36
  Like, I always felt like people needed to know who I was.
• 26:38
  And I was like, oh, snap, that's a good way to look at it.
• 26:41
  I've always felt like that.
• 26:42
  Yeah.
• 26:42
  I have a childhood friend, and she's always like, Yeah, I've always felt like that, like since we were little.
• 26:47
  And I was like, Yeah, I feel it too.
• 26:49
  Yeah.
• 26:50
  What what are some things that you would say from a social media standpoint?
• 26:55
  Like, this is the number one thing that you shouldn't do.
• 26:58
  Like, keep keep this in mind, steer clear of this thing.
• 27:01
  Do you have any don'ts?
• 27:02
  I think the number one thing you shouldn't do is put anything you feel super sensitive about online.
• 27:08
  So, of course, you're gonna critique your art, your music, maybe your fashion, like, oh, I should have worn that hat, or the beat could have, but like that, that's okay.
• 27:17
  Those are gonna be forever critiques.
• 27:19
  But anything you're just like super insecure about and you're just posting to compete about, don't even try to one-up anybody because you're gonna look back and regret it.
• 27:29
  Yeah.
• 27:30
  Are you in the comment section?
• 27:32
  I am mostly on TikTok.
• 27:35
  Is that your favorite platform?
• 27:37
  It is.
• 27:37
  I it's so bad I use it like Google.
• 27:39
  Yeah.
• 27:39
  Like if I'm like, oh, what do I want to cook?
• 27:41
  How do I cook this?
• 27:42
  I don't go Google the recipe.
• 27:43
  I look it up on TikTok.
• 27:44
  Well, most people do now.
• 27:45
  Like, I I've seen the stat that's like TikTok has officially surpassed Google and YouTube where people are just going directly there.
• 27:52
  Yeah, it's a new search engine.
• 27:54
  So I'm getting, I'm trying to get more tapped in with TikTok.
• 27:57
  I use it here and there, and you know, I I be consistent, then I fall off.
• 28:00
  What is the the thing that separates TikTok from the other platforms to you?
• 28:05
  I think TikTok is way more authentic.
• 28:08
  People are more willing to post something that's not as like edited or curated.
• 28:15
  You you see people's real characters on TikTok.
• 28:18
  Because even I feel like if you look at people's TikTok, who they follow on Instagram is not who they follow on TikTok.
• 28:23
  It's not the same.
• 28:24
  Yeah.
• 28:24
  I've even had people I follow on Instagram, maybe pop up on my TikTok, and I'm like, I don't really want to sell you on TikTok.
• 28:30
  Yeah, yeah.
• 28:31
  No hard feelings.
• 28:32
  It's just like it's it's real over there.
• 28:34
  Yeah, yeah.
• 28:36
  When you think about like the next, I don't know, year, two years, like what does success look like for you?
• 28:45
  What do you and go it go to five if you got five?
• 28:48
  Like, yeah.
• 28:49
  I don't like that question when people ask me, but I feel like you might have an essay today.
• 28:53
  Definitely starting to do shows out of state, maybe like, you know, not headlining yet.
• 29:00
  That's probably like in another five years, yeah.
• 29:03
  But definitely the smaller stages at the big festival.
• 29:06
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 29:07
  Heavy on climate advocacy, traveling, talking to people in other countries about it.
• 29:13
  Yeah.
• 29:13
  Um, published writings in bigger platforms as well.
• 29:18
  Yep.
• 29:19
  So yeah, those are my, and then definitely my online store.
• 29:22
  I want a physical store, at least here in Arkansas and then probably somewhere else.
• 29:27
  That's so how can we, as like the regular everyday person, be mindful of of what's happening with climate change?
• 29:35
  Like, what can we be doing on a day-to-day?
• 29:38
  Like, can we turn the lights off more?
• 29:39
  You know what I mean?
• 29:40
  Like, give give us some tips on what to keep in mind.
• 29:42
  I definitely say do what you can.
• 29:45
  Um, a big thing I try to tell people is you can't just go out and buy everything sustainable.
• 29:50
  Like me, my friends will tell you, I have not bought a real paper towel for my apartment in two years.
• 29:55
  We use reusable ones.
• 29:57
  They already know when they come over, here's the place to place them, and I wash them.
• 30:01
  I could afford to do that, you know, and it saves me money over time.
• 30:06
  I can buy these sustainable things, but you know, if you have a huge family and you're just like ziplocks instead of reusable ones work better for me, that's fine.
• 30:16
  Just find out what you can do because not everybody can do the same things.
• 30:21
  And not everything's your fault, you know, when it comes to the earth and decline.
• 30:25
  Yeah, that's real.
• 30:27
  Where what what's coming up for you?
• 30:29
  And then where can people follow you, keep up with you, all of those good things?
• 30:33
  What do you plug everything you need to promote everything?
• 30:35
  That was the time.
• 30:37
  What's coming up for me?
• 30:38
  Um, a lot of things.
• 30:39
  You'll see more climate advocacy.
• 30:42
  I am redoing my website, um, catsgyms.shop, where not only can you buy clothes that are sustainable, I also encourage you to buy them and take them apart and use it as beading or more thread.
• 30:56
  There's also education on there as well.
• 30:59
  So when you shop, you can know, oh, how do I reduce, reuse, recycle this as well.
• 31:06
  Um, so you'll see a lot of that being rebranded in the next month.
• 31:10
  I'm working with a couple of people to come out with some collabs.
• 31:14
  Um, what else?
• 31:15
  I said more sets, definitely more modeling for me as well.
• 31:20
  And yeah, also more writing.
• 31:22
  I am now writing for Gut Instinct.
• 31:24
  So I just dropped my first article.
• 31:26
  It is live.
• 31:27
  Congratulations.
• 31:28
  Biebercella.
• 31:30
  So definitely a lot of more articles on a lot of topics we talked about today and some more.
• 31:36
  And yeah, you can follow me on Instagram, Katherine K-T-A-K-R-I-N-E.
• 31:43
  Everything I'm involved in is in my bio.
• 31:46
  And yeah.
• 31:47
  Can we follow you on TikTok?
• 31:49
  Or not yet?
• 31:50
  Not yet.
• 31:50
  Not yet.
• 31:50
  Not yet.
• 31:51
  I'm curating it.
• 31:52
  I'm curating it.
• 31:53
  Yeah, my TikTok's silly, it's just goofy.
• 31:56
  So I'm serious yet.
• 31:58
  Well, Kat, I appreciate you joining us.
• 32:00
  Thank you for having me.
• 32:01
  Can we do a part two later on?
• 32:03
  I'd love to do a part two.
• 32:04
  We'll check back in with you.
• 32:06
  Yes, thank you.
• 32:07
  Thanks, Kat.