On the surface wanting in, the lifetime of Olu, also referred to as Johnny Venus—one half of the Atlanta-based hip-hop group Earthgang— looks as if a unending occasion. There’s the euphoria of making artwork that influences and resonates inside a technology. There’s attending to see the world and collaborating with different artists.
However, there may be additionally the stress to Basquiat when pen will get put to pad. Or the stress that comes with feeding a hungry fanbase, and the burden of fulfilling self-aspirations whereas attaining a degree of success that attracts you additional away from what guided you towards attaining it within the first place.
Throughout a chaotic 2023, Olu says that whereas bodily he felt nice, he was simply making it from at some point to the subsequent each mentally and spiritually. After a four-week lengthy retreat to Bali, Indonesia, on the high of this 12 months, the Atlanta native returned feeling lighter and extra conscious of what serves him. By no means one to hoard perception, Olu launched his wellness model COMPXSS.
By means of this platform, Olu desires to create a group surroundings that gives entry to the practices that helped him recenter and refocus. He spoke with M&F about what led him to launch the well being and wellness model, why he felt it very important to share his insights with the world, and the significance of constructing well being and wellness extra of a precedence in our lives.
A Reset For Thoughts, Physique, and Soul
Earlier than he made his approach to Bali, Olu went by a 30-day yoga problem. Bodily, he seemed nice however emotionally and spiritually, he felt in any other case. “I was just making it and that’s so common for so many people,” he says. “It’s like, you look good, excel in work, you’re making sure the kids get to school and they got all the things they need, but you’re just making it.”
As soon as arriving in Bali, Olu was surrounded by nature and a stillness that was overseas to him. He was away from the issues that had been weighing on him. With no distractions or obligations, he might focus purely on himself, see the place he was, and begin the journey of who he needed to develop into. Not for the reason that pandemic had life slowed all the way down to the diploma it had. He accomplished a 200-hour yoga trainer coaching to get his certificates, however he additionally gained precious insights and instruments to assist him keep away from attending to the very stage that had introduced him to Indonesia.
When Olu returned residence in late January, he took about two months to start the method of slowly integrating himself again into his social circle. Whereas he bodily returned the identical, he did really feel a noticeable distinction.
“I felt a lot a lot freer, a lot more sober-minded and just more aware,” Olu stated. “I think sometimes we lose awareness in life just because there’s so much going on, especially with social media and being constantly inundated with other people’s lives. You’re constantly bombarded with what other people have going on. It’s just so much information and so many things going on that you don’t get a chance to have supreme awareness of yourself outside of everything else that’s going on.”
Equipping Others With Their COMPXSS
Since that retreat in Bali, Olu has established the frequency at which he desires to proceed to maneuver. If he’s drained, he’ll relaxation. If he doesn’t really feel like going to the membership, it’s going to take one thing monumental to deviate him from his first thought. Most significantly, he has established time for himself in the course of the day that’s free from e-mails and social media. He additionally prioritizes connecting along with his family members.
These insights had been direct outcomes from his time of reflecting in Bali. Returning again residence with a wealth of data and never sharing it will be going towards how Olu was introduced up. In order that’s why the artist based COMPXSS.
“It’s such valuable information and I think our fans, the communities that follow us, the partners that we partner with—our goal is always to deliver value because that’s why people rock with us in the first place,” Olu says.
“In order to have a real journey or to find your way to continue to progress where you are going, you have to know where you are. That was the experience over in Bali. What am I carrying that is keeping me from getting to this next space? I’ve never done overnight camping, but I’m sure it’s like that. It’s like if you don’t stop, rest, and figure out where you are, then you will end up walking right off a cliff.”
Being Disciplined To Keep away from Burning Out
Because of the approach music is consumed and streamed as of late, many artists can really feel stress to constantly feed their followers new materials fearing that they might lose curiosity or transfer onto one thing else. This additionally extends over to social media as engagement is part of staying on the radar when new music isn’t dropping. Olu is aware of this firsthand and has seen it trigger a few of his friends to burn out. He says that it takes self-discipline to navigate this terrain and believes that point away from the limelight must be used to reset and plant seeds in different avenues.
“Everything in the world and life has its season,” Olu says. “There are offseason in sports. The NBA is in its offseason, so some players are either with their families, practicing their skills or they’re working on other aspects of their business, so come November, December, and January — you’ll be able to see the fruits of that labor.”
Apart from ensuring you’re getting correct relaxation, Olu says that there must be time in every of our days that’s devoted to your self. It may be the primary hour you get up to meditate or to take a stroll. Keep away from the stimulation that comes with choosing up your cellphone and deal with the way you’re feeling, the way you wish to really feel, and aligning issues inside your self to assist attain that vacation spot.
Serving to Others Stay a More healthy Life
By means of COMPXASS, Olu goals to offer others with the instruments, sources and even the steerage to dwell an total more healthy life in a approach that’s welcoming. He desires present others with the information to have the ability to take heed to their our bodies and thoughts to higher perceive the issues that aren’t optimistic for them and find out how to higher align their focus to issues that carry sustainable happiness.
“I think it’s just really important that we shift from doing into being,” Olu stated. “I really feel like our lives are predicated by how a lot we do and never solely can we worth ourselves by that, however a whole lot of instances we expect that the extra we do, the extra we get and generally, you waste vitality by doing that. You waste a lot vitality by at all times answering each cellphone name, and textual content, and studying each tweet. Have you learnt how a lot psychological capability it takes to learn each tweet in your timeline?
Olu’s Present Wellness Routine
A part of the explanation for the retreat was on account of final 12 months being full of partying, going out, and doing so on just a few hours of sleep a day. He had simply returned from performing with British digital music duo Snakehips in San Francisco and wasn’t set to go on stage till about 1:30 within the morning. So, from seven to midnight, Olu was quick asleep. Whether or not he’s on the fitness center, doing yoga, or simply strolling round his neighborhood, there’s a precedence positioned on train and motion. Together with maintaining a healthy diet and ingesting plenty of water, Olu additionally prioritizes what he’s consuming by way of content material as effectively.
“I’ve been working on energetically cleansing my space,” he stated. “I consume a lot as an artist. As somebody who has to have a public profile to continue to update and communicate with the community and the fans — you have to be mindful of what you’re consuming. Some days, it’s OK to just say, I’m not going to be available today. And when I do make myself available, I’ll have value.”
Clearing His Head to Re-establish Extra Creativity
With regards to his creativity, Olu feels that a whole lot of the smoke has been cleared since he’s centered and conscious. There have been instances previously when he would put one thing all the way down to really feel achieved and to maintain up with a routine. Now, there may be readability the place he can go to the studio and inform the story he desires to with none of the pointless fluff filtering by his thoughts.
Olu says he’s envious of artists comparable to Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, who made their debuts towards the beginning of when social media was starting to take off and never the place it’s at the moment. They are often a part of the social chatter round hip-hop with out partaking in or round these conversations. And once they do drop something, it’s like they by no means went wherever. Olu says he’s teetering on discovering that steadiness. In a whole lot of methods, he’s nonetheless the identical tree he was earlier than he went to Bali. Solely now, a number of new branches are bearing new fruit.
Observe Olu a.ok.a Johnny Venus on Instagram @johnnyvenus
Observe COMPXSS @compxss_
