Damon Garcia: Author & Artist

Lonely Artist Club
7 days ago
8 min read

Lonely Artist Club had the pleasure of connecting with Damon Garcia to discuss writing, creativity, and the deeper realities that exist behind his work as a writer… let’s jump in!

Let's talk art! What medium do you work with and how did you come to find it?

I've been a writer my whole life. For my main work I write articles, videos, and books about spirituality and society. I grew up writing short stories, songs... oh, and screenplays! I still write these for fun.I've always loved making things that inspire people, whether it's through making them laugh, dance, or think deeper about themselves and the world. I see one long stream through my life of writing to inspire people from writing short stories as a little kid to writing songs as a teenager to writing my new book, You Don't Need a Calling. The purpose of my book is to help people see their lives in the same way, and find purpose in the small, simple callings of every moment.

"I've always loved making things that inspire people, whether it's through making them laugh, dance, or think deeper about themselves and the world."

We want to hear more about your work, but first can you tell us a bit more about who you are outside of your creative practice? I know, I know... I hate to have to drop the "tell us about yourself" bomb, but the people want to know!

Outside of writing I try to enjoy life with my friends. Most of my friends are artists who are also trying to enjoy life and find inspiration in everything. You can spot me at the Santa Maria Regal Movie Theater taking advantage of my Regal Unlimited subscription. Or you can find me at a local show in San Luis Obispo, such as the Legions of Groove show where I met you (Anna), the creator of Lonely Artist Club! Or you can meet me at the best Mexican restaurant in the central coast, La Picosita in Santa Maria, to get an asada burrito. Or you can see me at my spiritual community, Way Collective in Santa Barbara, where I guest speak sometimes. And if I'm not there then I'm at my house playing as Mario in Mario Party with my friends and local musicians ABG, 5hp, Seanathan, and Vuvu Le, or I'm by myself doomscrolling social media, pretending it's research so I don't feel bad.

"Outside of writing I try to enjoy life with my friends. Most of my friends are artists who are also trying to enjoy life and find inspiration in everything."

Almost every artist, at one point or another, experiences a creative block, right? Would you mind sharing your personal experience with managing and overcoming creative blocks or ruts?

Yes! The more success I’ve gotten from writing the harder writing has become. My writing isn’t just for me anymore. As more people read my work my audience becomes more diverse with some individuals who praise and others who criticize. Now there’s more voices in my head when I write, trying to make me write better. Some of those voices want me to write better so my work can be more helpful, which is mostly good. And other voices just want me to write better to try to protect myself from criticism, which never actually works. All those voices slow creativity down.

What helps me get unstuck is remembering that the writer that people see me as isn't really me. There's a "me" underneath all my thoughts, roles, and behaviors that remains unaffected by the changing world. And that version of me will be good and safe whether I write or not, or whether people like my writing or not. People liking or disliking my writing has more to do with them and the way they connect their personal experiences to my writing. I can't control any of that.

I'll just write about what I find helpful and let it speak to whoever can receive it. I believe a lot of my fellow artists would be able to create a lot more when they can detach their identity and worth from their work. That's what's helped me.

"The writer that people see me as isn’t really me. There's a 'me' underneath all my thoughts, roles, and behaviors that remains unaffected by the changing world."

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and congratulate you on your book You Don't Need a Calling - that’s an incredible accomplishment. Were there any parts of the writing process, or even experiences that came with it, that people might overlook when they’re reading the final version?

The hardest part about writing a book is that there's an unexpectedly overwhelming level of introspection that is required of you to create something as big and complex as a book. It will inevitably bring up all kinds of emotions you’ve tried to suppress your whole life. While I wrote You Don't Need a Calling all kinds of old emotional wounds that I thought were healed felt like they were cut back open. So I had to confront everything I’d always stuffed down.

Writing about identity, insecurity, and purpose forced me to analyze all the feelings I've had all my life about how those things have affected me. And I'm grateful for all of it because that process allowed me to write more authentically as a person who is deeply connected to what I'm writing about. And I know people appreciate that about my work.

"While I wrote You Don't Need a Calling all kinds of old emotional wounds that I thought were healed felt like they were cut back open. So I had to confront everything I’d always stuffed down."

Fans and haters are everywhere, especially when you’re putting something so personal into the world… do you carry any fears when it comes to creating and sharing your work?

I don't think I have any fears or anxiety around my art. My fears and anxiety are more around the audience. We don't really ever see each other how we truly are. We see each other through a projection of ourselves. It's the only way we know how to relate to each other. So I've learned that many of the comments I get on my work are projections, both the positive and the negative… I shouldn't take them too personally. If someone really enjoys my work then that really means they were able to see themselves in my work. And that makes me happy because I want to build connections for people. And if someone hates my work it just means that they couldn't relate. Or my work reminds them of something they hate, even if my work isn't really about what they think it is.

For example, if I make a video about God loving all people, including our LGBTQ+ friends, then strangers will pop up in the comments to call me demonic. Comments like that really don't have anything to do with me. Absorbing people's projections is exhausting and makes me want to quit writing and the process of writing sometimes. But I try to keep my focus on those who connect with my work. They always inspire me to keep going.

"We don't really ever see each other how we truly are. We see each other through a projection of ourselves. It's the only way we know how to relate to each other."

Speaking of audiences and community... What are your thoughts on social media and its effects on art and artists?

The algorithms have turned social media into interest media, where our feeds are filled with posts that the algorithm decides we’d be interested in based on other posts we engage with. We don’t see the people we follow as much.

This new algorithm keeps us on the apps longer, so we see more ads and make the platforms and companies more money. The upside for creators is that an interest-based algorithm allows anyone’s posts to go viral even if they only have a few followers. The downside is that the algorithm will suppress your posts, and even hide them from your followers, if it determines your post wouldn’t gain interest from a wide audience of non-followers.

So people who enjoy making easily accessible art for wide audiences have adapted more easily than the artists who make more complex art for more specific audiences. So it's sad to see that disparity and how much it discourages good artists who can't adapt as easily. For me, I’ve had to find a balance between deep writing that isn't as algorithm friendly and simple writing that is easily accessible to non-followers so that I keep showing up in people's feeds. It's hard to find that balance, but I think it's worth it to keep trying because I believe in what I'm doing and I want to connect with the people who can resonate with my work.

As long as the profit motive exists for companies in this capitalist driven system these algorithms will only get harder for artists. We can't actually change social media for the better. It will only continue in the direction it's already going… But what we can do is build communities, real life networks, and practices that incentivize people to create and share art without a profit motive. And that's going to require extra creativity because it subverts absolutely everything in our current culture.

"We can't actually change social media for the better. It will only continue in the direction it's already going… But what we can do is build communities, real life networks, and practices that incentivize people to create and share art without a profit motive. And that's going to require extra creativity because it subverts absolutely everything in our current culture. "

If someone wanted to get more into writing, who are some writers or works you think are worth paying attention to?

Just read stuff you like and write what you like. It doesn't matter if it's popular stuff or smart sounding stuff. Pay attention to the art that ignites a spark in you and make art that ignites the same kind of spark.

Sadly, we have come to the final, but arguably the most important, question... What advice would you give to other artists and creatives out there?

Success isn’t a substitute for healing. A lot of artists think they want to be successful and famous, but don’t realize that what they’re really searching for is the emotional transformation they believe they’ll find when they become successful. What they really want underneath their aspirations for success is the love, attention, validation, acceptance, and community they think comes with it… but success won’t give you that.

We’ve all seen people become successful and then become self-destructive because their success didn’t fix them like they thought it would. The real solution to those insecure feelings is healing. And you can experience that healing right now as you are. The healing journey is a separate project you have to go through apart from your work and your success.

That was a big lesson I learned while writing my book. I chose the title You Don’t Need a Calling, because I’m rejecting the ideas of “calling” and “purpose” that insinuate individuals must become a better version of themselves in order to be lovable, valuable, and worthy of community. I learned some of the biggest lessons of the book by writing the book. I had to go through my own healing journey apart from writing, and give up hoping that writing a successful book would give me what I was searching for.

We already are lovable and valuable as we are. And we can create a lot better art when we live and lead from that place.

"Pay attention to the art that ignites a spark in you and make art that ignites the same kind of spark."

Thank you again, Damon, for taking the time to speak with us so openly about writing, vulnerability, community, and the realities that exist behind the work people often only experience at the surface level. We’re wishing you and your work nothing but the best moving forward.

If you want to learn more about Damon Garcia and his work, check out his socials: