Meet Lis Anna-Langston | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lis Anna-Langston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lis, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is not something immediately applied to art. Extreme sports and corporate takeovers are usually the go to when it comes to mentioning risk. Yet there is no greater risk than creating art in my opinion. The ultimate risk. Real art means looking something in the eye and knowing it for what it is without pretense and expectation. Humans are hard wired to control. Art requires trust and trust requires risk. The most difficult, fulfilling projects I’ve taken on end up oftentimes bringing the greatest rewards. No risk, no reward. I think people can’t get started because they can’t get past their inherent phobia of risk. They don’t know where to start so they don’t. Uncertainty involves a lot of risk and art is uncertainty in its highest form. We don’t know where words, images, symbols, sentences will lead. That’s the point. Delving into the mystery. Create into the heart of what you know to be true. I probably have a higher tolerance for risk than most. Still, it is an essential part of creation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work is about things that don’t fit in carefully marked boxes. I am drawn to misfits and outlaws, people who blaze their own trail. Some of what sets me apart is my dedication to art, to craft, and to the literary world. When I working, I am fully immersed, when I am not working I am supporting the artistic world. My brand is not a cleverly crafted illusion. My brand is years of experience in writing and speaking. My brand is the path I have forged.

The lessons I have learned are:

Be careful who you love. You will love them forever.
Do not worry. It makes you old.
Don’t listen to the advice of everyone. Find three great friends and confide in them often.
Love often and with great intensity.
Be the kind of person you wish to find in the world.
Whatever you try to talk yourself out of is the one thing you need most at that moment.
Do not explain yourself to anyone. Ever. Explaining yourself is nothing more than an energy drain manipulation tactic.
Take the journey of your own choosing, your own path.
Let everything you do be an expression of who you are.
How you do anything is how you do everything.
The F word has its place. Use it wisely and appropriately.
Enter into all new adventures boldly and with passion.
Do not conform to other people’s standards. It is a form of control. Be yourself. Real freedom is centered in the soul, not in society.
Finish what you start.
To be trusted is more valuable than being loved.
Do not try and make people like you. It is a trap. For if you accept their praise, then you must also accept their scorn.
The point of art is to create an experience, to crack you open, to reveal, to make you feel. If you come upon art that does none of this, it doesn’t mean it isn’t art, it means that this artist isn’t speaking to you. Find the art that speaks to you.
Communicate. Always. Life is not one long guessing game.
At any given point in your life, the biggest asset you will ever possess is your ability to leave the past behind and do something new right now.
At every moment ask, “Is this thing I’m doing right now serving my higher self?”
Always keep a lint brush in your car.
Everything has a story. Every tree, every animal, every blade of grass. Listen to that story and they will change your life.
If you want to know who you really are then pay attention to how you act and what you choose when no one is watching.
Love big.
Remember that hate ruins your soul.
Remember that mean people saying mean things about you is never about you. It’s always about them.
Small things matter.
People may not remember what you said, and they might not remember what you did but they will remember that kick ass font you chose, so choose wisely.
Life unfolds in its own time, strive to meet it with grace.
Lead with your experience and principles and your strengths.
Remember you are loved, back and forth through time, in ways you may never fully understand in the moment.
Part of the mystery of life is that you are the mystery.
Treat yourself with the utmost respect.
Always help turtles cross the road. Even the big scary looking ones.
Seek your own counsel in matters that truly deserve attention.
Look at something and know it for what it is.
Be solution oriented. Don’t dwell on what doesn’t work. It doesn’t work.
Can’t never could.
There is a quote by Jeanine Bonner that says: “It is not about what I saw or did but about the woman I became while I was there.” It is true. It’s not what you saw or did. It’s about who you become during the journey.
Be generous and kind but not at the expense of your own needs.
Like my granny said, sometimes you’ll have to let them down easy and sometimes you’ll have to drop them hard. Act accordingly.
In the end everything is okay. If it isn’t okay, it’s not the end.
Don’t take advice from people who can’t take their own advice.
Confidence, a strong clear work ethic and a list of personal goals wins every time.
You won’t always know what or how to do something. Do it anyway.
Ask questions.
Project your concepts and wants into the future. See yourself there. It’s like a map. Once you see it, you know how to get there.
Learn to inhale deeply and rise.
Consistency has its place. So does immediate and spontaneous change.
Great work thrives on excitement.
Start small. End big.
Make closure and completion a part of your practice.
Always be creating.
When the world wears you down to a dull edge, learn how to lean back in and let sharpen your blade.

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.
I think Columbia has the best of all worlds. I would go to eat Braza Do Sul and then grab an espresso from Drip. From there we’d go to my favorite theater to see a live performance from the Chapin Theatre Company. We’d catch a concert at the Newberry Opera House and pop into the Columbia Museum of Art. We’d take an art class at One Columbia and shop at Camden Art Shoppes for amazing art from local artists.

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?
My family is Cherokee so I have a real sense of tribe. My greatest successes come from my family’s support. My daughter is an amazing artist and one of my biggest supporters. I value her artistic vision, intuition, intelligence and skill and consult with her often. My husband supports my artistic endeavors completely. From reading drafts to brainstorming with me to helping me work through scenes, his intuition and intelligence are keen. Lori Beck, a fellow artist, has really helped me grow this year and the photo shoots I did with her daughter, Gabby, were inspirational. This year in particular has been one where Biagio helped me articulate a lot of what I normally keep in my head. His presence in everyday life has shined light on how life is a journey and art is an exploration. His love of cooking has elevated my culinary art.

Another shout out goes to my work. The projects I’ve taken on have really helped me grow as an artist. Each book I write, short story I craft, poem I create all combine together to form a body of work that highlights the risks and rewards.

Website: https://www.lisannalangston.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lis.anna.langston/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551069611336

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1662678/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8333600.Lis_Anna_Langston