Meet Emani aka Lotus Spencer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emani aka Lotus Spencer. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
For as long as I have been able to speak and create thought on my own, I have identified as a creative. My earliest memory of wanting to be forever involved with the arts was when I was seven years old in Georgia. I was asked to envision myself doing what made me happy, and immediately, I saw myself on stage entertaining the masses. As I grew, I found a multitude of ways in which I could express myself, including song, dance, acting, writing, painting, modeling, and so many other activities that allow me to speak my truth. I had always been a misfit to those around me; never truly understood and often regarded as strange. As a little Black girl, being different was considered social suicide, and meant you’d be alone more often than not. This had quite an impact on my self-esteem and my ability to confidently communicate with those around me. To escape from the teasings of my peers and everlasting feeling of being alone, I would sing…and write…and dance in the mirror. The vision I saw of myself at seven is the vision that allowed me to continue creating, no matter how isolated or misunderstood I felt. I moved to Arizona some years later and had the opportunity to expand my being and my thinking outside the confines of my hometown. Here is where I finally came to understand that being a misfit was a gift and not a curse. In fact, it would be the very characteristic that allowed me to be the creative I have become. As I am today, I carry the teachings of Georgia and Arizona with me always. Along with those teachings, I have learned self-love, boundaries, self-care, and a myriad of other lessons that have allowed me to blossom in the Lotus here before you. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve never equated my journey to where I am today as a ‘smooth road’. However, I can never speak negatively upon the journey I have taken up to this point, as it has made me who I am and I regret not one thing about it. I have a background similar to many Black Americans everywhere. The concept of poverty, learning what love is and how it acts, healing from trauma, building self-esteem and confidence in spite of being told I was unworthy of it… all of these things and many more were key themes in my origin story. Each of them held a power over me that I allowed to persist for many years in my life, not knowing that me holding on to them was the reason I experienced so much internal turmoil. The day I learned to release what doesn’t serve me and only focus on my highest good was when freedom, love, and prosperity made a welcomed appearance in my world. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Although my first loves are music and performance, I cannot at all pigeonhole myself into a single title or vocation as an artist. In terms of music, I am a vocalist, a rapper, and writer. I have been blessed to perform covers and original pieces in local shows throughout my career, as well as publish content of my work. I will always have a love for the stage and partaking in energetic exchange with an audience. This year in particular, I have begun modeling on a regular basis for different brands, photographers, and collectives local to Phoenix and Tucson, and found that I am extremely passionate about creating visual art through my own form. I have also published poetry, sold prints of personal paintings of mine, and aided in the promotion and coordination of events throughout AZ. I have found that the greatest blessings is to bring joy and knowledge to those around me by speaking and living in my truth through my art. If there’s one thing I’m going to do, it’s make stuff and be who I am. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I am forever grateful for my mother and father, and brother in particular for the separate lessons they each gave me on myself and my art. To my high band teacher, Russel Granillo, for believing I was a star before I could ever believe the same thing. To the Young Americans collective for showing me my love of performance when I was in middle school. To the family, I have created here in Arizona that has supported me at every show, every appearance, and every creation. This list continues on for eons, but all in all, I am grateful for every individual who has been an inspiration to me in anyway. 

Pricing:

• Modeling : $150/concept (Negotiable)
• Live Performances (Dance & Song) : $75/3 songs (Negotiable)
• Art Prints: $5-$15 (Based on Size)
• Creative Amanuensis (Poetry, Lyrics): $50/piece
• Commission Paintings: Negotiated based on size and design

Contact Info:

• Email: royaltyonly99@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quing_lotus/?igshid=1kfp2xnagdxgt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emani.spencer.31/photos_by
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSy24XidcBNrkeu4N4SRxZw

Image Credits
Tamard
DFBTL Magazine