Laura Escudé | Raw and Radical Women in the Arts

Musician, educator, and mentor Laura Escudé shares her tips for success and self-confidence, and the importance of prioritizing joy in your career Many of us are multi-passionate, but are told that we must focus on one thing to become successful. Laura Escudé, a multifaceted artist and entrepreneur, is here with us today to share how she has found success in her career. Laura is a violinist, songwriter, live performance specialist and sound engineer, and has worked and played with artists such as Kanye West, Ariana Grande, Bon Iver, and the Pentatonix. She also educates and mentors other artists and musicians through her Transmute Accelerator and Transmute Academy coaching and training programs. Finding success through letting go Laura says one of the keys to her success is hiring specialists and learning to trust other people to handle the work she hires them to do. “I’ve been able to get a lot of help in the areas that I’m not the best at,” Laura says. “I think that’s one of the secrets to my success, especially in recent years, is hiring people that are better than me at certain things or their jam is something that I don’t really want to do or am not the best at, and that has really freed me up to do the things that I love to do.” She also understands how challenging it can be to let go of control and feel okay with spending money. “It was scary at first … because you don’t know if you’re going to make the money to pay them every month. As an entrepreneur it’s always a challenge ... but I always trust that it’s going to work out, and it always does,” she says. Staying aligned with your passions After she landed in the hospital during a tour, Laura realized she needed to focus more on her health and well-being. As a result she has become more thoughtful about where she spends her time and energy. “I’ve learned that the most important thing is me being in my highest joy. The grinding that I did for so many years, constantly saying yes to everything... I can’t do that anymore,” she says. “So I do have to be particular about the things that I say yes to because once I say yes to certain things I have to say no to other things.” Making time for her own creative projects has also been critical to maintaining her health and healing. Her 2018 EP release, “Transmute,” was especially restorative. “It was a way for me to express how I was transforming. I didn’t know how at that time but I wanted to capture it in a musical format,” she says. “I just really delved into the creation of this music as a way to heal myself.” Her latest EP release 'ENOUGHNESS' (May 2021) she produced during deep introspective moments in last year’s pandemic journey where she was forced to confront her inner darkness. She realized she needed to put the focus on her mental health after years of obsessing over her physical appearance and not loving herself. Escudé decided to focus on becoming more content with who she is and how she is being—and to help others on their path through her music and creations. ENOUGHNESS is intended to be a journey and space to cultivate knowing, healing and for transformation. "I use my compositions to practice embodied liberation and allow the creative space to be my teacher—to let the process be the process and let go of what it should be. I hope ENOUGHNESS becomes this for you too because you are ENOUGH." Music: Embrace Your Shadow (released May 5, 2021) For more information on this episode and our guest, visit our website www.rawradical.com This podcast is supported by the Swiss arts council pro helvetia, the canton of Geneva and the city of Lancy, Switzerland