Today we’d like to introduce you to Spencer Lee.
Hi Spencer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been a creative and artistic person. I started dancing when I was seven years old and continued dancing throughout high school. After I graduated, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue dance professionally and was part of a professional dance company, ‘Varsity Dance’, for a few years.
Meanwhile, in typical LA fashion, I started to pursue “side hustles” like videography, photography, and graphic design. I shot headshots for my dancer friends, dance concept videos for choreographers, and worked as a social media manager for a couple of nonprofits. I also dabbled in doing hair and makeup, and body painting. I’m pretty sure most creatives in LA end up working in 2-10 mediums of art. It’s the LA way. Gotta survive somehow!
In between all of that dabbling, I also picked up a guitar and began to teach myself basic chords and with that came singing. I’ve always loved singing and was put in music classes at two years old. I was in my middle school choir and joined the worship team at a church in 2015. Shortly after, I realized my gift and love for writing music. I wrote and released my first single, ‘It Ain’t Easy’, in 2018 and went on to write and release my first EP, ‘Resilience’, in 2019.
Then, as we all remember, the great COVID panini press, pon de replay, panda express (all the names that start with P) pandemic happened in 2020, slowing my music journey WAY down. I the music I write comes from life experience and during a year-plus lockdown, not much “living” is happening. I started to doubt myself, my writing skills, my voice, and my passion started to dwindle along with my hope that life would ever get back to “normal”.
Here we are three years later and I’ve rediscovered my love for music, I’ve found my voice again and I’m writing music as well as performing again. FINALLY! The story isn’t over.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
“Smooth road” is not how I would describe my artistic journey. It’s taken me a while to settle into being a multi-passionate, multi-disciplinary artist. The advice most people give you as you’re deciding on the path you want to take in your career is “choose one thing and focus on it” but for someone who enjoys and is gifted at many different mediums of art, that isn’t so easy to do.
I don’t feel quite myself if I only focus on one genre of art. But I’ve learned along the way that I am capable of doing it all. It just might not be all at the same time. I’ve learned and am still learning to go with the flow of where my creative journey takes me. Every season is different and I’m learning to embrace that. My journey is no one else’s, except my own.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As I’ve said, I’m a multi-passionate artist. A.K.A. – I do A LOT. I’m a writer of poetry and music, I’m a singer, actor, creative/art director, producer, photographer, videographer, editor, content creator, and graphic designer. Like I said… I do A LOT.
I’m known for my vulnerability in all my forms of art. I believe vulnerability births connection and what do people desire more than connection? Art is connection. Art is revealing our innermost vulnerabilities and sharing it with the world in hopes someone else out there feels exactly how we do. But no matter what medium of art or what role I’m walking in, my goal is always for people who come across my art/work with me to walk away feeling seen, loved, and with their passion for life restored and rejuvenated.
What’s next?
My future plans are to continue writing and releasing music, performing at open mics and any venue/event that’ll have me.
I’m also producing and planning a couple of live shows with my best friend/co-producer that involve other artists telling their vulnerable life stories through dance, music, poetry and more. It’s a way to build connection amongst the artist and the viewer as well as pour financially back into the artists that participate.
Other than that, I’m looking forward to just continuing my journey as an artist and riding the wave, wherever that may take me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.itsspencerlee.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsspencerlee
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/itsspencerlee
- Other: www.instagram.com/spencerlee.etc
