Meet Myster Craigory: Songwriter & Traveler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Myster Craigory and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Myster, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
For efficiency, I believe our heart and intuition are constantly sending us weather updates, “This feels weird”, “Stop doing that”, “This is exciting!!” “I’m nervous but I like it”. English isn’t my intuition’s first language so there are often times where my intuition and mind’s interpretations are at strife. Because of this, it may also be tough deciding on whether something is for you or it isn’t. Our mind begins to interpret these messages and rationalize why we should keep going (“winners never quit!”) and, just as easily, rationalize why we should stop (“maybe this isn’t for you”). Like a water bottle filled with sediment, our truths seem intertwined with other realities. Sometimes, in an attempt to better understand our truths, our rational minds inadvertently shake up the bottle. It is when we allow the bottle to be still that our truths effortlessly rise to the surface. By being patient and sitting with the uncomfy sediment, I am very often able to realize, rather than rationalize, whether I should proceed down a certain path and keep going or adjust the course. An important thing to consider is how you feel when arriving at a certain answer; are you afraid or are you excited? Are you afraid to give up because you think you will be a “loser” or are you excited to give up because you can now direct your energy towards something else? Follow what feels good, even if there are a few road bumps along the way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
How did I get to where I am today professionally? I showed up. I felt lost a lot of the time but felt compelled to keep going. I remember sitting in a pilot technology course and seeing this student reading his FAA textbook. There was no assignment due pertaining to the book. This person was genuinely reading up laws and regulations on flying planes for fun. That was the day I realized I didn’t belong there. It sobered me up like a heartbreak. I was attached to these ideals of success and realized that that mentality is a plague that sucks the life force from authentic creativity. I realized I would play guitar in my bathroom at 2 am because it made me feel safe. I felt at home. It wasn’t for a grade or money or popularity. Those were perks, not the end goal. Letting go of expectations like that was really healing to my relationship with music and, more importantly, myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
oh HEC yeah bby!!! We got a lot to do in a week so get ready!! Day One We would wake up bright and early around 12 pm and check out Coconut Grove’s farmers market that’s open on Saturdays. We would ride bike around Coconut Grove and take out-of-the-world pics (aka quincenera photos) at Viscaya. Day Two The next day, we’re going to Wynwood baby!! We would have a large iced matcha latte with oat milk from Panther Coffee and stroll around to peep the walls. If we get hungry, we would check out Love Life Cafe and Charly’s Tacos for the hands down best vegan food in the area. We’d get our drink on at one of the super dope local craft breweries, my fave being Concrete Beach Brewery (Havana Lager all day baby). We’d do a bar crawl and end up at Gramps for Drag Bingo and their alt DJs. Day Three The next day we would do a little *cleanse* and check out Fairchild Tropical Garden, especially during one of their chocolate festivals, and then have a nice lil picnic in Matheson Hammocks. Day Four The following day, we would bike through Brickell and Downtown and check out the Olympia Theatre for a Moth Talk. Afterwards, we could stroll around and get a drink at Lost Boy, a bar with old saloon energy. Day Five The next day we would pack up a lunch and bike to Virginia Key Beach which is my favorite beach. We would mountain bike on the trails they have there until we get our fill and post up by the World’s Largest Sandcastle that they have constructed. Day Six On one of our next days, we would ride mopeds to the beach in full Vice City fashion and check out Ocean Drive. We could post up at South Beach for a full Miami experiences, or South Pointe for a South Beach lite. Drinks are expensive on the beach so we would obviously come stashed with a couple Claw Boys or red whine and MAKE SURE TO RECYCLE AND THROW AWAY ALL OF OUR TRASH. Day Seven We would attend “El Perreo” which is a femme led, all inclusive Reggaeton Party where they will be blasting Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, and Ivy Queen all night. Each party is themed by something that is trademark Miami (think The Fair, Pollo Tropical, and quinces energy). Get ready to drop that booty in an environment of consent, wacky named cock tails (and mock tails), and know that part of the proceeds often go to local causes and initiatives.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out my nuclear family. I honestly don’t know if they understand what I’m trying to do most of the time but I feel them hype me up nonetheless. My dad used to work with someone involved with Guns n’ Roses and he unashamedly presented him my first four song highschool EP/Demo. I’m not sure if the guy was being polite or was generally curious but one day, while working at this gentleman’s house, I heard him play it from his car while leaving the driveway. I don’t think I had realized it at the time but it was a profoundly stabilizing moment in my life. It was like hearing your friends talk well about you when you aren’t there. My music professors since elementary school to college were very supportive and pushed me to succeed. I remember I had one professor who thought I was a bum because I was acting like a bum (I was realistically going through some *s p i r i t u a l * changes). After barely passing his classes, he praised the other students while calling me out in front of my peers. I thought he was a jerk because he was acting like one. I took a sabbatical, retook all of the courses I had done poorly in, sat in the front, got A’s, and tutored classmates after class. I moved on and about a year later, when I was applying to higher level music institutions, I ran into him in the bathroom (lol). He looked me in the eye and said he was really proud of me. He said I had come a long way and proved him wrong. He told me if I ever need a letter of recommendation, he would gladly put in a good word. To hear these words come from someone that had previously viewed me less than favorably opened up my heart a lot. I would also like to shout out my friends. I have a lot of support and there are a handful of people that I feel genuinely seen by. It’s easy to support somebody when they’re blowing up on TikTok or have a bazillion plays on their YouTube or Spotify streams because they’re already being held up by so many others. It is much less glamorous to support something still gaining momentum. There are a select few individuals who make me feel like I’m already and have always been a rockstar. Who really believe in me and ask questions. They involve themselves in the process and it is so entirely empowering to know that others believe in us. That unconditional love is sacred. To anyone reading this who is having a hard time tapping into that love, let this serve as a reminder: You are loved and supported by so many in ways that you cannot even imagine.

Website: https://www.mystercraig.com/
Instagram: @mystercraig
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=7r8vvQy_7o4&feature=emb_logo
Other: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/567toFWePX6HV6hcEVrGyY

Image Credits
(I own all of these images)