Today we’d like to introduce you to Cess.
Hi Cess, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started making my own clothes and singing my own songs at a young age which is why I extremely enjoy what I do today!
I was forced to hustle for most of my life. I didn’t graduate college or have money to. I found that my best bet was selling my art. I started to vend my handmade clothing and accessories at events and shows as well as perform my rap songs at shows. I used to rap under the name Arab Honey but she’s gone and dead. I now make my experimental dark pop! Rap was fun but didn’t have a place in my heart to continue it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Financial stress has always been a big one for me and I’m sure the many other independent artists around LA. Being an artist, some days you get $300 and some days you get nothing at all, not even an order. Of course, I’ve run through the typical jobs but right now it’s just not working for me. I depend on my merch sales to survive. My boyfriend also makes my life easier all the time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in punk-inspired handmade clothing and accessories. You’ll recognize my “fuck you racist fuck” shirts featuring puffy print lettering. I also love using cute things in my work like pinks and cute lil characters. I sell all my stuff online currently on Depop.com/cesspooool while my original website is under construction! (Also, depop has great traffic!).
If I’m not vending my merch, I love to perform my homemade songs either to my online audience or IRL. Im grateful that my boyfriend convinced me to invest in my own home studio so I can create whenever I want without weird studio rules, weird men at the studios lurking, or any annoying outside influences. I think my music is a weird mix. I started out just playing acoustic guitar… maybe adding some drum kits.. then I started making my own beats and rapping which was super fun but not too serious. Right now, I’m still kind of struggling to find the name of my genre. I feel like it’s a mix between Experimental, Lofi, Darkwave, Dark pop, emo, and folk haha. Look out for my EP, I Dont Want to Think About it coming later this year!
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I wasn’t too bad of a kid growing up, I just cried a lot. Everything would make me cry. That’s probably why I’m so emo for life. I used to sleep in my room that was a closet and would write songs about rainbows and dreams. Now I make songs about dying and practicing good magic.
I was always interested in ripping up clothes and making my own, just tying things together until it made a dress. So my inner child is SUUUPER happy now for the most part. I think if my younger self saw me now, they would think I was a rockstar.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.depop.com/cesspooool/
- Instagram: @Cesspooool
- Twitter: @Cesspooool
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu871bGY17NxUTgzBrpa4HQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/cesspoolmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/19eEmlPdBf0H2B2IrnRK2Y
https://linktr.ee/cesspooool
Image Credits
Product photos taken by Cess All portraits of Cess taken by Anonymous
