Meet Laurelann Porter | Shamanic Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laurelann Porter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laurelann, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I made the decision to leave my position as a university professor, I had no idea how opening a new business would work. There were several support mechanisms in place for businesses that had to shift (or “pivot”) as a result of the pandemic. But I still needed to find out how to be a small business owner from scratch. Fortunately for me, I had a few systems in place that were support for me. If I had known how hard it was going to be I might not have done it. But I’m sort of glad I didn’t know because I do not regret it for one minute. I’m in my third year of opening this business and the money is finally starting to flow.

When I was in my own existential crisis (as I imagined everyone was in the middle of 2020) I knew that something deep had to change. I felt strongly that the world needs music and healing now more than ever. So I just trusted that somehow I would find my way and be able to offer my talents and skills to a purpose that was larger than me – something I could feel proud to do, even when the times were difficult.

The thing I find sort of funny about the whole process is that initially, I thought I was going into this business to provide healing for folks. But what I’ve come to learn is that I’m not necessarily supposed to be a healer, per se, but I’m supposed to teach others how to heal themselves and their communities through creativity and shamanic energy medicine. Whether a person wants to learn how to grieve creatively or wants to tap their own innate potential in shamanic artistry, I am finally getting to use all the 20+ years of experience teaching in a new business that fuels my spirit

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It’s funny how my creative life has been. I don’t think I even walked one direct line to success. Part of it is that I have always been a singer, even before I trained professionally. It’s sort of a cliche at this point, but I grew up singing with my family and in church every Sunday. So I never really had to learn how to sing. What my training did for me, both as an actor at Boston University and as a singer with the various private singing coaches I’ve had over the years, was to cultivate habits for relaxing the body (our instrument) so the voice can express itself most purely.

The aspect of my music that I am most proud of is the way I’ve been able to combine skills in singing with skills in shamanic energy medicine. I’ve developed this practice that I call “Shamanic Artistry” where we use shamanic healing practices to channel through works of art that are healing for our communities. Now I’m training others to reclaim their creative voice and heal themselves from the inside out.

My creative practice is not just singing, however. My training and background is in theatre and performance. I trained as a professional actor. Completed my MFA in playwriting. And I’ve also been a director and producer as well. What I know now, is that all of those skills from my various creative practices are now incredibly valuable in my shamanic healing practices. The ability to craft a ritual, the skills in imagination and intention, are core elements of shamanic energy medicine. So it has been a real delight to me to realize that any artist, but especially theatremakers, already have skills we’ve developed in intention and imagination that can be easily adapted to the healing arts. Creativity is what really saved me when I was at my worst existential crisis. I believe creativity is an essential skill to develop a new social reality for ourselves.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite places to attend and participate in a variety of interesting cultural events is the Phoenix Hostel and community center. It’s right downtown and just a little bit off the beaten path. You can also find the Alwun House nearby and it’s very close to so much of downtown Phoenix that has so much to offer. both of those venues don’t have regular activities so it would be best to do some research in advance to see when they are having events. In particular, Halloween and Valentine’s Day are excellent time periods to be on the radar of the Alwun House.

Sadly, one of my most favorite restaurants in the Phoenix area was The House of Tricks in Tempe, which recently closed. In general, I’m a big fan of small, locally owned venues. In downtown Mesa for example, there are several fun, cute little breweries and tap houses that have really livened up the Mesa scene.

In downtown Phoenix I recommend checking out the Crescent Ballroom, and the VanBuren. My absolute favorite band is The Phoenix AfroBeat Orchestra. So I would say wherever they are playing is a great place to go.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In general, I absolutely value and appreciate my community of shamans, the ones who trained with me at the Four Winds Society. In particular, my dear soul sister, Shaman Ada. She has been by my side through all of our mysterious musings about the nature of the universe. She has provided me with opportunities to learn far beyond what they taught us in our training. Even now, she has such a deep dedication to community and friends, I don’t know where I would be without her friendship.

I would also be remiss if I did not credit my partner, Mike Anderson, for supporting my decisions, even when those decisions required us to uproot ourselves and pave the way for a new way of being that doesn’t require the workaday grind to make it go. He was also instrumental in helping us develop a way of collaborating from across thousands of miles. Last year when I was in Brazil writing music, I was able to send him files of songs in progress and he was able to work on them from a distance, adding his own beautiful talents on bass, guitar, and programming drums.

Website: laurelannporter.com

Instagram: @laurelannporter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurelann.porter

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28HboNmBjtg25c0ToN-gNg

Other: Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/1cSMFGeH2a6pQyLz73SboK Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/soul-journeying/1670920366?ls=1 iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/soul-journeying/1670920366?ls=1&app=itunes Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/405857497