Kemi “Moon” Balogun of The Greater Phoenix Area on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Kemi “Moon” Balogun shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Kemi “Moon” , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: When was the last time you felt true joy?
When reading this question, a few different responses came to mind. All of them, while quick-witted and funny, all shared the same sentiment; what a luxury it is to assume that every person has experienced *true joy*. Joy is defined as, “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness”, true joy is defined as, “a deep abiding sense of contentment and well being that is not dependent on external circumstances; contrasting with the fleeting nature of happiness”. Since the purpose of an icebreaker is to get to know someone, you just learned one of the first important things to know about me: I’m quick to pull definitions and references to get to my point lol.

Back to answering the question, “when was the last time I felt true joy”, based on the above definition of true joy, I can’t honestly say that I have ever felt that; its my aspiration and motivation but not something I can say I feel nostalgic for.

I can genuinely say I have experienced moments of intense joy. Those are some of the best moments of my life, and they play like a highlight reel in my subconscious often, but they are like a firework show. The build-up to the moment is exciting, almost nauseating. The moment itself never lasts long enough, and when the last firework fades so does that feeling of happiness…and reality sets back in.

Sorry if that was a bit morbid haha, its my truth though. I’m currently cultivating true joy, and my yellow brick road are the moments of intense joy that let me know true joy exists.

Also…my bad for not giving y’all a conventional answer to the question…I’m not really conventional in general *shrugs*.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I have grown to love introducing myself now, because the introduction you receive can vary based on which direction you’re coming from when we cross paths, BUT there are some fundamental truths that are constant no matter what way you’re coming from or which way you’re going on your own journey. So let’s start there. I’m Moon The… [your FAVORITE floet, poet and whatever I decide to be in the moment]. I’m an Arizona native, born and raised in the far west valley, and cultivating my craft and community in the greater Phoenix area.

If you read the earlier articles Voyage has shared on me, I’ve previously described myself as a “Jane of all trades”, but recently, I have re-framed that perspective. I am a healer through the process of creation, I am a mirror serving introspection whether you were looking for it or not. I am a spirit lead, soul filled artist, a creatrix if you will. I’m a writer, poet, singer, rapper/spoken word artist, MC/host, entrepreneur, and self-published author currently. Who knows what else I’ll add to this list before my time is up.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Whew, let the shadow work commence! I am fortunate to have parents who documented most of my childhood through pictures, videos, and a very thick file folders that has, report cards, awards, drawings, projects, essays etc. from my young life. Sometimes when I am at their house, I start digging into these memories and try to piece myself together again.

[Un]fortunately due to trauma in my adolescence and early adulthood, I feel disconnected from the vibrant little girl I would see on the screen. I wrestle with the vague feeling of familiarity with her smile, her laugh, her energy.

The simplest way to put it, I was free and full before the world told me what I had to be. My younger self was bold and unafraid. She thought for herself and spoke what was on her mind, however it was on her mind.

Somewhere along the line, I was trained that that is not acceptable behavior for a girl like me to exude. I learned that I did not have the luxury to be free and full in this society; that my freedom and fullness would cause me more grief than growth…

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
The transmutation of pain to power is like a Fibonacci spiral (one of my favorite concepts). I have experienced pain that has cut deep to my soul throughout my life. When I started writing as a kid, I was doing it because I had big big feelings and no outlet that felt right for me. I was always considered a cry baby or being overly emotional. Writing allowed me to get everything out of my heart, mind, and soul, and gave me the space to assess and understand what it was that I was feeling, why I was feeling it, and how I can move forward.

As I got older, writing started to turn into a “customer-facing” thing, instead of a healing tool for my mental and emotional state. Then 2013 happened, I turned 18, went to college, and one of my closest friends was killed in a car accident the same day we made plans to get together since I had a break from classes. I’ve spoken on this story numerous times, even published everything I wrote during that extremely painful time, in my self-published anthology Enter the Mooniverse. That friend saw the free and full little girl I was even though I had buried her deep down by the time we met and became friends. Either way, he saw her, loved her, and pulled her up and out of the darkness. As you can imagine, the loss of someone like that in your life is ground-shaking, but it brought me to home base, writing to clear my heart, mind and soul, so I can assess.

So where does the Fibonacci spiral come in? The Fibonacci spiral never hits the exact same point twice. Yes, you might circle around similar situations but never the exact same, because growth took place, and you are further along. It took my most recent go-round the spiral to realize that I’ve been turning my pain into power while hiding the pain. This next go-round will be me showing all of my scars so that all can see how far I’ve really come.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
The short answer is yes, but with an Asterisk. During a conversation with my therapist once a couple of years ago, I told her that I did not feel like a main character in the movie of my life. She made me dig into that feeling, I then came to the conclusion that I’m not a main character because I have always been a producer, setting the scene, removing obstacles, and supporting the stars of the scene so that we can capture the perfect moment…but the moment is never mine. Once I said that, she challenged me to pulling myself into the main character role in my life. She told me to produce my own moments and memories. As a result I dubbed 2024 my Main Character Year. Everything I would casually say I wanted to start doing, I started putting my actions where my mouth was and making those things happen. I solidified “Moon The…[whatever I decide to be in the moment]”, because I really was being whatever felt right in the moment. It was almost like having a [reasonable] yes year.

I learned so much about my capacity to perform, organize and lead. I also learned how the public perceives me even when I don’t realize I have eyes on me. So many people would see me and tell me how me and my #MainCharacterSeason inspired them to put their actions where their mouths were too. People I looked up to were telling me how my public healing journey was sparking theirs.

However, I also learned that Moon The…Main Character is not who I am 100% of the time. I’m also Moon the Hermit Crab who likes to be in the house crafting and vibing out.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Both, because what I was born to do, is not something that can be measured on the scale of capitalistic success. Due to the capitalistic root of our society, doing what feels right to my soul will not sustain me, so I do what I was told to do as a means to an end; and I find ways to do what I was born to do, within what I have to/was told to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://moonsworks.square.site/enter-the-mooniverse
• Instagram: moon.the___
• Facebook: Moon The’Artist