Monday Motivator
DJ Cristina Lazic talks going all in, and the story of Hulda Crooks, this week's Icon of Inspiration.
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This Monday motivator is designed to pull you out of the post-weekend slump, and share inspiration and encouragement from women making their dreams a practical reality. This week presenting Cristina Lazic - a DJ & producer who released her latest EP on Rebellion, sub-label to Crosstown Rebels. The music is brilliant and I’m so happy to see Cristina having this success. She’s a brilliant artist, who manages motherhood alongside this career which demands so much of you.
Lex: If you could be an intern to anyone (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
Cristina: That would definitely be Ennio Morricone - one of the most respected music composers of soundtracks. He actually spent most of his life feeling judged or under pressure for composing a genre that was less established and formally respected than classical music, but his genius was clear and his compositions speak for themselves. I wish I had witnessed in person his creative process and chatted with him about freeing your emotions via musical production.
Lex: Is there a piece of art (including design, music, film) which has had a significant impact on you?
Cristina: I generally love surrealism and in particular the work of Salvator Dalì. I studied his work during my high school years, and before starting university I lived for a brief period in Barcelona. I once visited the Dalì museum in Figueres and his village Cadaques. Out of all his works, the one that mainly influenced me is “The Persistence of Memory”, a painting whose message is that time is relative and can be perceived in different ways by people. I am quite close to the concept of time, I have always lived with the feeling that “a life is not enough” to pursue all things I want to achieve, and to visit all places that are of interest to me. In fact, in my track “You and me”, recently released on Crosstown Rebels’ Rebellion, I explored the topic of time, and the lyrics included in the track clearly say that “we are running out of time”. In general, I am a big fan of the topic of time (as well as space) and being in touch with Dalì’s work since an early age, has definitely shaped this interest for me.
I am quite close to the concept of time, I have always lived with the feeling that “a life is not enough” to pursue all things I want to achieve, and to visit all places that are of interest to me.
Lex: What are some words, or a phrase which have helped you through a tricky time?
Cristina: “The journey is its own reward” is the sentence that drives me in everything I do. I learnt this while climbing Kilimanjaro back in 2014, from a Greek friend. I am a big fan of everything around Greece, its culture, its history, people and music. And not surprisingly, this sentence was firstly said by Homer, the writer of the Odyssey and the Iliad. I think that most of us nowadays are so projected into their ambitions and the future, that they miss the present. And I admit that I have also been a victim of this feeling! However, when you turn back to your past, you realize that some great things may have happened but you didn’t enjoy them as you wished during the time. That’s why, since when learning this sentence, I have been trying to apply it to everything I do. I am trying to focus on the fact that, even if sometimes things don’t go as planned, this is all part of a journey - and I am thankful for any experiences that I am going through, and that are part of it.
Lex: What would you like to say to 16 year old you?
Cristina: Well that would be already 20 years ago :P At that time I used to write pop songs.. I still have a CD with three songs I composed and wrote between the ages of 14 and 17. There was no X Factor back then, so I eventually dropped music as I didn’t have contacts in music labels, and I thought it would be better to pursue the typical business / office job. So now, I’d suggest to the 16 year old me to continue pursuing music, to go all in for it, to care less about pleasing society, to go for the dream and believe in myself.
I’d suggest to the 16 year old me to continue pursuing music, to go all in for it, to care less about pleasing society, to go for the dream and believe in myself.
Lex: When things don’t go your way, what self-talk helps you move forward?
Cristina: I always try to believe that if something didn’t happen, there is a reason for it and probably it was meant to be. I once completed a wonderful trip, the Camino de Santiago in the North of Spain, and to me this was a life changing experience as I consider it a metaphor of life: you go ahead in your walk of life, you may meet some people that you re-encounter later in the journey, you may achieve some of your goals, or you may have to postpone some of them - but eventually you realize that if something didn’t happen, it’s just how it was meant to be. So I normally apply this approach in life; I start with acknowledging that sometimes things don’t go your way, but that is normal. And then, I never give up; I still work towards the goal, even if that may take longer than expected. But I won’t give up until when I have achieved it.
Listen to the Music:
Secrets EP - LINK
Cristina’s Remix for TMPLE’s Eyes on me - LINK
Upcoming gigs: On 25th March I play at Get Lost Miami, on 15th April at Bolgia in Bergamo, Italy.
Icon of Inspiration: Hulda Crooks
Two women celebrate their 70th Birthday. They both feel very different about this milestone. One ‘knows’ that her best days are behind her and that life is drawing to a close. After being alive for seven decades, her body is starting to break down and she needs to prepare for her final few, restful, years.
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