Authenticity and Anne-Lien
The Aesthetic Issue
I’m happy to see you all
I’m grateful, as I write from my desk - sipping loose leaves for the bottom of a glass.
They are an artifact of beginning to finish something; chalky and rough.
The day is pale, the leaves remain.
Unease and Authenticity
I’ve made a playlist now, to listen to as you read along
Anne-Lien
An interview on Authenticity.
Anne-Lien (She/Her) is a Musician and Writer from Kortrijk, BE studying jazz vocals at Conservatorium Maastricht. Since she’s come out with her first single, “i miss u tho”, in 2021, she has released two EPs and two singles. She is also active as a writer, frequently sharing poetry on instagram @annelien.goeminne.
In our talk, Anne-Lien shares who she is as an artist, how she can best represent herself authentically, and her personal creative process.
Disclaimer: All quotes are from Anne-Lien herself. Anything not in quotes is my writing.
The Abstract
Who are you as an artist? is a very large question in the scope of a very small thing.
Authenticity, it’s cliché but not. A lot of artists aren’t authentic when they claim to be.
A lot of people keep their person and their life separate. And - fair enough - in certain times you need to keep boundaries. For Anne-Lien though, those two lives are the same. She tries to be most authentic she can be by simply sharing herself it with the world, though both poetry and music - having a wider output gives more context to her authenticity.
I think a lot about how I want people to perceive me. And I want people to perceive as I am.
There’s an ingredient here. Inner child. She shares with the world when she does something stupid, or people would deem childish. That’s exactly what she wants to share, to be authentic.
Your childhood, is one of the most valuable things, and you should cherish your inner child. I thinks it’s important, and sometimes I think it’s my job, to show the world that that is okay and it keeps you alive.
It keeps people juvenile, and it shows them that the world is not that serious*, and you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously either. People think the world is revolving around them. But as a child, you’re not that busy with it, you’re just living your life
This is her authenticity
*This conversation is only possible because of certain privileges. There are many people in the world who’s lives are serious because they are not trying to live, they are trying to survive. It is worth your time to educate yourself, and take action against systematic oppression and genocide.
The Aesthetic Issue
Anne-Lien has been authentic in our conversation, therefore I must capture her authenticity best.
The Creative Process
Authenticity, isn’t a default state, you have to work on the ability to present yourself authentically. All of it starts with the creative process. Let’s look at some of Anne-Lien’s approaches to creating.
For Anne-Lien to write honest songs, she writes lyrics in the heat of an intense moment. Later on she will take it to the piano to improvise until she has a song.
Then again, some things are a simultaneous process. She described her first two singles as this process.
Currently, Anne-Lien is in the process of writing a heartfelt song for her gran. She has been collecting ideas for a few months to try to authentically capture her spirit.
There is no one way of doing anything, remember that. If there is any essence of a remote truth, that it is.
Writer refers to poetry, prose, writing letters to people, and writing your own story story in life. Being a writer is writing your own narrative into the world, even if you don’t write about you. If you are honest, then your narrative will be true.
Practical Tips from Anne-Lien on presenting yourself authentically
Put out work that is not finished that, in a smaller community, or just a temporary thing like a 24hr story. Because you can get some feedback, and that’s interesting for both parties
You can post pictures of whatever is happening during your day, to be authentic in your brand - “I posted a picture of me on a rocking horse the other day. It’s mostly just to show “hey, I’m having a good time” And that lines up with my brand”
Let people know when you have been through intense emotions, but with a message of hope. Spread a message of your own.
Bridging the gap
Language is so so important. Me and Anne-Lien could agree on this.
Why? Because of how we use it. It’s not that the language itself is useful. But the way we decided to use it, to capture and to connect with and to make a mysterious artifact of ourselves.
Different ways of using language, create very different art moments. And the different languages we use
I love languages. I started writing in English originally, because I was in a dark place and relating a lot to sad, English videos on TikTok. That my was my frame of reference. Now, I’ve started to write more in dutch. It’s my native language so It’s more in tune with my heart, and my vocabulary is richer, which makes it easier to express myself.
“Here she chokes on her drink”
No but that makes sense. Anne-Lien’s first two EPs come across with a raw simplicity in the lyrics. Simplicity also has its thing.
- Beyond the language we use, there is the way we use it.
To capture her gran in a song. Anne-Lien has been collecting quotes from her.
She is such a strong woman, and wise, I look up to her and how she deals with things emotionally. I want to capture her language . She’s poetic like my soul is, so it’s a sort of communication between us to use language in this way.
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At the same time. I want to keep love at the centre. That’s how I feel when I think about her and I want to capture that. So I try to get to the core of it by being simple and straightforward in what I want to say.
- A really nice idea she had, that I liked, was a painting that she is working on to go with the music. To lay foundation for the music and as a physical element of the music in her house, when it is finished.
Simplicity and Eloquence
Sometimes, when I would write poems more eloquently, I would be hiding behind something. And then again, usually, when I was simple, and honest, and open, it would be authentic.
Another Dichotomy, they keep on appearing.
Anne-Lien uses both simplicity and eloquence in her authenticity.
Not everything has to be so eloquent because in it’s simplicity it can be beautiful
And even more powerful, many times.
But there is time for both
Eloquence is important for a certain neutrality. It is important to be taken seriously in some positions. That’s not to say that it isn’t authentic. Being Authentic is using these tools to represent what you value.
Eloquence has people perceive you as someone who is really thinking about this thing throughly. And by this eloquence you can really achieve that implicitly.
But for messages to loved ones, it’s nice to just tell them the way it is. Simplicity often pierces deeper.
I try to be expressive on stage, with a combination of music and theatre. In my daily life I love to integrate lots of expression and ‘dramatic’ tones.
Notice how it is “Simplicity” and “Eloquence” . Not or, not vs. These are two sides of the same coin, and they both have their value. Hopefully now you have a bit of a broader context on how to be authentic.
Sometimes the touch of the air makes me bleed
Makes my skin run into my body
My mind like glass horses my body like a drop in a cave
The things that hold you back
Being authentic requires expression, expression requires creativity. Here’s what holds you back,
Anne-Lien too struggles with perfectionism
Being a creator and sharing things, the perfectionism is just a little less present, for music platforms, for bigger projects: it is really stopping me from doing more.
In a way, it has got me to where I am now, so it has had some sort of positive effect on me and my journey. But, I’m postponing so much because I’m afraid of failing. I want to be good instantly and I get to work with other people, which means I may not be sharing the perfect thing by the time they or I come along with the process. Then I might start feeling guilty or demotivated.
At the moment the perfectionism is again high, up in the air, because of a new project with a new producer, which is supposed to be for the summer.
- Teaser?!?
It’s fucking scary. And perfectionism isn’t a demon. It gets a lot of creatives sort of stumbling into getting their first things out there but, it’s a burden, and you have to learn how to deal with it. You have know when to strive more or less.
“All advice is auto-biographical”
It gets worse when you’re in music school because the more you know the less you realize you know. When you’re in music school you’re completely immersed in music everywhere and your taste is sky-rocketed but, your craft is still on the floor, and you are painfully aware of that gap. And the gap only gets bigger, but you won’t be able to close the gap so don’t make that your goal. Just like we talked about last time, you will never make it to the wall.
I have very high expectations for myself, and I notice that. It’s a very conscious decision to tell myself, at the end of the day, I did do something. Like that I write my gratitudes every night. Just seeing how many things I’ve written in the past, is very powerful.
Btw, if you are not consciously aware of the things - being tired, overstimulated, beating yourself up - the first step is to be aware of it. Then you can start to do something about it.
Yeah, be kind to yourself essentially. 90% of the time you beat yourself up, it’s about something you can’t control. Something may be wrong with your system, but then change the system, you are worth something.
And it’s a lot of weight to carry on your shoulders, making art. A profound experience, makes a profound idea of the art you want to make and makes a profound weight of the art on your shoulders. So you become very tired, you have to learn how to use this.
It’s about how you contextualize these things. Ambition isn’t good, but its not bad either. It is dangerous and you almost have to learn how to have ambition. You have to contextualize it as you go further.
So, be kind to yourself. And enjoy the journey more than anything. There is more authenticity in that than in anything.
And in the words of Anne-Lien
"Spread love and hope"
Thank you for reading this issue of The Aesthetic Issue, your continued support means a lot :) Be sure to stream Anne-Lien’s music on your platforms, and leave behind any questions and comments you have for her.
-Ethan Mileski, your dearest reader