Tea for Creatives: Sandra St. Victor
Meet Sandra St. Victor. She is a vocalist, songwriter and one of the definitive voices of our time. Sandra made her splash on the music scene as part of the seminal group The Family Stand, which also featured V. Jeffery Smith and Peter Lord. From 1988-1993 they blazed a trail through the industry gracing us with such hits as “Ghetto Heaven” from their album Chain and their smash offering, Moon in Scorpio. In 1996 Sandra ventured out on her own with her solo debut Mack Diva Saves the World. Since then, she has released two more solo projects Gemini Both Sides and AtMySpheres. Sandra has also written songs for artists we love including Prince, Chaka Khan and Paula Abdul. The Family Stand reunited in 2007 releasing Super Sol Nova and later In a Thousand Years. Sandra is still recording on her own and performing all over the globe. While she now resides in Amsterdam, this native New Yorker frequently finds herself back home singing for the people that showed her first love.
For more information on Sandra and her various projects please check her website www.sandrastvictor.com.
What does creativity mean to you and how has it defined your career?
Creativity to me is the gift of hearing the inner voice and being able to give it substance via your openness and talent. I see it as a blessing to be in touch with the source this way. There are many ways to connect, for me; my vital way is via singing and songwriting. I’ve always felt myself as a channel for information, inspiration, truth, love…. It ain’t about me.
How do you navigate the creative process?
It depends. Sometimes a message, song, will wake me up in the middle of a good sleep because it needs to be realized right then and there. So I sing into my iPhone, sometimes tap out the beat, sing the bass line, sing each harmony. Other times, a particularly great instrumental will hit me in that spot that makes me feel something that has to come out. What is key for me is having the perfect producer to bring it all to through the board the way I’m hearing it in my head. I’ve had some incredibly talented producer friends in my career. Still do thankfully.
Describe one of the biggest creative obstacles you have faced and how your hurdled it.
Probably making the decision to do my own album after Family Stand. I was so comfortable with the two towers of talent, V. Jeffery Smith and Peter Lord, on my right and left, that I was intimidated by the mere thought of being without them. It was because of them that I could go through with it. They said I had to. They were right.
I believe with any obstacle or setback, it helps to have the support of people you trust encouraging you. But at the end of the day, you have to have the goods within to really take the leap of faith into the next, the unknown.
Who is one of your favorite creative figures and how have they inspired you and your creativity?
So many people and things come to mind, Bob Marley, Tina Turner, Josephine Baker, The Civil Rights Movement as a creative force, The Suffragette Movement, wow… Hattie McDaniel, Leymah Gbowee, my blind grandmother. I could really go on and on. I’m inspired by triumph over adversity, in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Basically it takes major cojones and perseverance to achieve greatness. The odds in this business are not in your favor. You must have the talent, yes, but you also must have incredibly strong belief in your creativity. It has to actually not be a choice. It has to not be what you do too as a living; it’s what you do to live, to survive, to stay sane. True artists all possess this… possession by art.
If you could choose one quote as your life mantra, what would it be?
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as are.” – Anais Nin.
~ Interviewed by Shelley Nicole
The Tea for Creatives series celebrates the creative minds that Possibiliteas seeks to serve with its brews. We aim to bring the creative community insightful and eye-opening profiles of the best and brightest creative professionals across various industries. Join us on Facebook and Twitter for more conversations on creativity.
Tags: Chaka Khan, Creativitea, creativity, funk, music, Possibiliteas, Prince, rock, Sandra St. Victor, soul, The Family Stand, vocalist
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