janel rae

i am so excited that my first “pal” being highlighted is none other than my best friend / roommate / soul “sizzler” (and the gal who inspired the concept for this site in the first place)… janel rae!

if you know janel, you know that light radiates out of her everything she is, and everything she touches. i can genuinely tell you that her artistry has inspired me since the day i first met her, and the more that i get to know her, the more i become amazed at her ever-evolving creativity and integrity.

janel is an i n c r e d i b l e singer, songwriter, musician, poet, actor, mover… seriously, the list goes on. there is such a beautiful quality in all of the work that she puts out, i find i can best define it with the word “exquisite”. probably what i most admire about her work is how you can see exactly who she is and what she was feeling when she made it. it is real, and honest, and specific, yet still always remains so so lovely.

because i am her roommate (as we know), i have the absolute pleasure of witnessing her artistic process and seeing the small seeds of her ideas blossom into full works. in this, i can vouch to tell you that she cares so deeply about her art… it is always intentional, and always made with nothing but her entire heart on the line. i love seeing the ways in which she takes risks to experiment with new things, and how, through the years, these have developed and stretched her as an artist… it is utterly marvellous.

honestly, it is probably one of my greatest joys when she asks me to help out or contribute my own artistry to her projects in some way or another. not for my own recognition, but because i really do believe in her voice… it deeply matters and i want to do whatever i can to amplify it, whenever i can.

so, now… i give you janel rae. i hope you enjoy falling in love with her just as much as the rest of us have!

her latest music video release, PICTURESHOW

a piece inspired by the upcoming release of her poetry book

how would you define your art. your voice as an artist?

mm a tricky question. I feel that my art is forever in movement, constantly surprising myself as it’s medium. The art and voice that flows through me is like a string of liquid fabrics, cobwebbed and picking up memories, traits, quirks that my shell contains out of it’s own growth and then formats into something as it exits in me. is that crazy? does that make sense!?

what inspired you to start creating in the way that you do?

It feels right. Once you find a way to emote or share stories, you realize how that connection between the audience and you feels absolutely thrilling. Making others feel a relation to your art or a specific emotional journey is one of the most enchanting feelings. I got addicted to this and kept exploring the different outlets/mediums that would allow me to connect with others.

can you remember the moment you decided to pursue this art form? ultimately, why did you choose this?

I started singing lessons when I was five.. I had been singing long before that, however my mum new that I loved performing and creating so she encouraged me to be involved in as many classes as I could. This gave me a really solid platform for performing and allowed me to truly find what I loved best. In grade 11 I fell out of love for performing and creating art, and found myself more focused on volleyball and academics. I thought I was going to go to university and play varsity while studying to become a physiotherapist and thank goodness for that summer, because I was asked to play Sandy in Grease the Musical and fell right back in love with my art and making people smile in that way! I then made my way to Toronto and met my girl Skye, studied, performed, met even more amazing creators and now there is no turning back. Endless possibilities when you're an artist and that excites me the most; it is the opportunity to create the world of your dreams and make this life a better place.

what is the biggest message you want to communicate to the people who encounter your art?

Biggest message is more so that I want people to be inspired to look inside themselves and create and share their worlds with us. I always love watching incredible performers or brilliant plays and movies because they always unleash this sense of artistic motivation that launches me into pursuing incredible projects. I want my art to encourage others to do so as well!

what is your biggest struggle as an artist?

The moments of silence. I recently read the introduction of Al Purdy’s Collection of Poems and I believe he says it the best, there are tiny elves who sit in your mind, dressed in odd clothing and going about their habits and routines in relation to their own sun and moon. They are simply guests in your minds home and as we try to familiarize ourselves with these poets of sorts lingering on top, we begin to realize that we could never fully predict what they will do or when they will burst with radiant, sorrowful, dramatic expression. I find so often, moments of silence, when the elves have gone on vacation, slept in a little too long or are simply not interested, this becomes almost antagonizing. As artists we know that invisible creation that has not been realized is clawing our surfaces, even then our own impatience to create worlds can be the difference to discovering the creators flow, translation and freedom. It is to enjoy the moments of space, breath and healing away from our art in order to prime our true artist for when the elves begin to sing again unannounced and unafraid. This idea can not always be the easiest to accept.

how you define your personal acquisition of success? what must you obtain to feel successful ? do you feel it now?

This is more of a daily experience. I feel all levels of success and try not to get bogged down by a lesser feeling of success. Although I understand that there are big and little wins, I value each of them equally. The biggest way and most important personal acquisition I have with feeling successful is when I am uniquely myself, unapologetically releasing my art and more specifically, every day striving to spread my joy while feeling as much happiness as I can. It used to be quite effortless waking up happy, as I grow and learn more about this world and it’s pains and about myself, I find my moods changing all over the place. So one, being able to be forgiving of these moods, and when I can, use them to create or release the negative energies lingering inside; and two, allowing the positivity and self love that I have nurtured to spread into others. I love sharing this base level success with others because as I said before, it offers a sort of permission or encouragement to the audience to subconsciously take care of themselves as well in whatever way they know feels best. When I establish this daily habit of feeling successful, this allows me to explore freely, without insecurity, simply love and curiosity. Within that level of exploration, I then come upon surprising creations or conquer bad habits that were hidden. Success is simply an idea that offers diverse interpretation. I believe that if you are able to give it the appropriate power, you can use it to it’s pure potential and let it drive you in a way that is positive and healthy. Like anything, the power of what you give something will define the outcome of your relationship with it. Success is a tool and a great goal, and I have chosen for it to be my motivating friend and it has become a word that I am very proud of.

if you'd like, describe your creative process.

still figuring this one out. It is always changing. the most consistent has been my impromptu song writing. If I am feeling heavy about a specific moment or even a moment hidden, then I will sit at the piano and play. Usually, I will put my recorder on just in case and surprisingly, I always find a song lingering. When it comes to the other ways I express/create, the one consistency is I manifest the feeling of unapologetic porousness as best as possible. This allows me to be fully open and vulnerable in a way that is comforting… well most of the time.

feel free to add anything else you'd like to say abut yourself or your art.

I hope my creations make you feel full and encourages you to find your art.

… and that’s my girl for ya :) if you want to see more of her, you can find her on instagram @janel_rae_filipiak

(stay tuned for the release of her g o r g e o u s poetry book coming soon)