Individuals who are depressed or facing a hard time find creativity a burden. Expressing art is very difficult when you carry the baggage of emotions. Everybody needs to understand that it is not a requirement that what you create has to be creative enough to be validated by others. Art can help you relish the bumps on the road.
Lewis Clarke is one of those artists who convey the same viewpoint. He is also known as Xidontlie. Xidontlie is an energetic singer, producer, and artist. He is not ashamed of his scars. Xidontlie talks about his hardships, where he was depressed and lost. He wants to inspire those who are fighting their battles.
Xidontlie’s Creative Journey
Xidontlie has been writing music since the age of 12. His love for music sparked at Murry Side Youth Club when a social worker used to bring in his decks and run a set full of grime beats to keep us out of trouble. Xidontlie has been volunteering in recording studios for years, developing his skills as a producer and an engineer. Whether it was grime sets with his childhood friends and first music group, KDS, or his friend Lewis White teaching him in his home studio, he has always been surrounded by creative people.
He studied Art & Design at Suffolk College to discover his potential as an artist. His passion for art, in general, and music, in particular, was intensified. His eyes sparkle when they brainstorm ideas consequently things started to fall into place while working on a project.
Overcoming Hardship through Music & Art
Xidontlie had felt lost and depressed for a long time. He struggled to find his way back to himself however, what kept him going was his love for music and art. Xidontlie strongly believes that it is easy to put up walls during hard times and not let anything in or out while it reaches the peak and blasts out. It is better to channel that pain into creating something beautiful. The least anyone can do is be expressive about how they are feeling, help others understand you and help yourself build deeper connections with those around you.
This charismatic man has come a long way in his career and faced his equal share of hardships but that didn’t stop him from being himself. He wants to record as much music as possible whilst growing his global outreach to touch every person’s heart and inspire them to live healthy lives. His song “Searching” has reached over 100k streamers across all the platforms, and is being named BBC Introducing Track of the Week.
Xidontlie’s Philosophy
Xidontlie’s philosophy can be summed up to the quote
“Be yourself because everyone else is taken”.
He advises people to not take things so seriously. Have some fun, experiment, take risks and make some mistakes because some of the most important lessons are learned by stumbling in the dark and some of the most beautiful things happen by accident. To the people who are exploring the world of music, Xidontlie advises them to experiment as much as possible and not be afraid to let themselves make “bad music”. You don’t have to release everything you record. So the more you create and go outside of your comfort zone, the more you will see your potential and it will also help you find a sound you can stay consistent with. Xidontlie’s next major project would be a collaboration with the anime currently in production.
