On Angry Art with Chaquis Maliq

Photo by http://www.domiv.com

Chaquis Maliq is an independent singer/songwriter and San Francisco native. She was recently featured on the Women for One art and culture blog sharing some insightful strategies for independent female artists. She mentioned that she is conscious to inspire her listeners by refraining from writing with anger. In the comments below the article, I posted the following question:

"As someone who has used art to release anger, I can appreciate this article. I don’t know where happiness is hiding at times, but I still don’t want to spread the anger around. I’m interested in how you’re able to continue creating even while experiencing the depths of despair. Any thoughts or insights?

Sincerely yours,
Blue"

to which Chaquis responded,

"I have found that art without a mission is often the same as "A Rebel without a cause.” I too suffer from a lot of things that should depress me and keep me unhappy. But I hate the feeling of sadness and anger. I often write down the things that make me feel this way or vent them, instead of creating angry music that will create even more angry people. The key is to share your story once you have already released the outrage. Feeding angry music to angry listeners is fighting fire with fire. Instead I may have a story that reflects an everyday situation, but I provide a solution by the end of the song.


A lot of listeners tune into music to get away from things tearing them down. So, I make sure I provide healing and uplifting in some sort of way via my music. This is what’s in my heart. Indeed my heart could be as cold as ice, with what I’ve gone through in life, but I found purpose through my trials and tribulations.

Yes, I believe in God/Higher Power/The Creator. But I do not force any religion on my listeners. Instead I promote having Faith, while encouraging all at once. With this being said, you have the power to control your destiny. I say this because, “you get what you give”. If you practice positivism, you will produce positive products. If you seek to bitter and miserable, instead of searching for a cure, you will stay the same and bring others down with you.

I did not have a great childhood and experienced things that a lot of children are still going through today, and for some it’s far worse. I was always told to smile and was sort of a “mute”. But no one knew my pain. Some even say that as a teenager in high school, no one could tell all of what I went through. Not to say that I wore a mask, I just found ways to deal with it, so that I could live my life. So, having goals and ambition and using life’s hurdles as motivation to reach the end of this race, kept me going. Yes, we miss hurdles, we fall, get weak, get tired; etc. But does not mean that we have to quit. Even the tortoise finished the race at his/her pace and beat/defeated the hare.

I hope this helped you. Thank you for reading and supporting.

With appreciation,

Chaquis Maliq"

Thanks Chaquis!

Click to listen to Veracity by Chaquis Maliq

Find Chaquis Maliq's latest album Harmonies of Me everywhere on the internet.