Story & Lesson Highlights with Orlando Dixon of South Park – DTLA

Orlando Dixon shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Orlando, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Create an ecosystem of sustainability for myself that does not rely on anything other than my own vision. For a long time, I believed that any success or longevity I had in my industry had to be tied to the old systems that were already in place. But many of those frameworks are collapsing, some even imploding in real time. Stepping back helped me realize how dynamic my career has been and how mastering the art of pivoting has always supported me. Now I understand that the thing you are searching for often does not exist yet because you are the one who is meant to build it. That is the call I am answering now.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Orlando Dixon, and I am a creative artist in my radical era, using my music as art and activism to explore joy, resistance, liberation, love and honesty. I am a singer, songwriter, producer and arranger who has spent the last twenty years moving from student to master of my craft. I graduated from Berklee College of Music in my twenties, wrote Billboard charting songs, toured with artists ranging from Zac Brown Band to Doja Cat, and built a career as a recording artist both commercially and independently.

Over time, I discovered how to pivot into entrepreneurship with the creation of my clothing line BlackBoyJoy Apparel, and that move opened my capacity to build new pathways of abundance. One of the latest is my curriculum development that pairs with my self written and self produced album titled What Will I Create While The World Is On Fire.

What makes my work unique is that I am no longer waiting to be chosen. I choose myself. Every piece of art, education and creativity I put into the world is a reflection of that decision.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I would say the relationship I have with myself has shaped how I see me. I used to care a lot about what people thought, and at times it became paralyzing in certain areas of my life. When I started to lean into stillness, to discover tools that helped me unlearn and deconstruct my own beliefs, to go to therapy, and to practice real honesty, everything shifted. My self-talk changed. I became clear on what was true and rooted in my own experience and what was simply a story I had inherited or been told to believe. It has completely changed the way I move in life.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, yesterday. (Lol) No, but seriously, being a creative professional is a risk. You sacrifice a lot and invest even more in betting on yourself and hoping for a return on that investment. What I know to be true is that consistency and discipline are the driving factors that make sure you eventually get back what you put in. I stay motivated by the wins I have, both professionally and personally, because I know what it feels like to move from one extreme to the next. Those reminders keep me going.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am committed to the work I am building through my album “What Will I Create While The World Is On Fire?” and the larger ecosystem forming around it. This project is more than music to me. It is a merging of art, activism and education that reflects my life, my values and the times we are living in. I believe deeply in the role of the artist as historian, as someone who holds memory, documents truth and leaves a record for the next generation to learn from.

That kind of work takes time, intention and resilience. It requires staying grounded even when progress feels slow and choosing perseverance over perfection. I am committed to creating bodies of work that challenge people to think, help communities heal and remind us that our stories deserve to be told with honesty. No matter how long it takes, this is the work I will continue to build.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I was free! I hope that in this life people experienced me living in my own liberation, that my mind belonged to me and that I was in control of my thoughts, my words and the way I chose to live them out. I pray that through my legacy people understand how important it is to be fearless, so they never place limits on the life they can create for themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.orlandodixonuniverse.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orlandodixon
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoDixonFan/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrlandoDixon
• Other: My Album: https://orlandodixon.bandcamp.com/album/what-will-i-create-while-the-world-is-on-fire

Image Credits
Photos by Katie Kauss & Sam Gross