Meet Leon Woods | WoodyTheBassist – Musician / Clothing Brand

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

Hi Leon, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
My favorite quote is “What comes easy wont last, and what last doesn’t come easily.” That quote can be used in every single aspect of my life. From family, to relationships, to my personal goals. and I have learned to accept that. Especially within my music and my clothing brand. I do not expect to blow up over night nor do I want to. I was never the popular kid growing up so I never had a large social group. And the one that I did have just grew smaller and smaller over time as I got older. We all have our own struggles. I do not think anybody is better than me, but I also don’t see myself being better than the next person. So I live my life one day at a time. Accepting any challenges and obstacles thrown my way. I just got out contract with the United States Army, I’ve been all over the world multiple times. So I know how to handle things during stressful times. I enlisted out of Tucson, Arizona. And now I’m back, but I came back with more wisdom. So I have a message and a story to tell. I’ve seen people struggle because that’s the lifestyle of where they came from. But I also seen some that struggled by choice. And that kind of changed my perspective of things, I do not want to struggle, but I also have to pay my flowers and show respect to the ones that helped me during my darkest times. now that I am making a name for myself. I want to use what I have to help others. break the stigma, let others know that if I can change things around for the better then so can you. Life is about taking risk, but not every risk is worth taking. Because “What comes easy, wont last, And what last doesn’t come easily”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Something that separates my art from others is emotion. I use my art to creatively say or show how I honestly feel inside. With me being a minority, I do not have much wiggle room to breakdown or take time away. I am constantly working to progress myself and show everyone that I am worthy enough of the same treatment. A quote we all heard growing up was “Fake It, Till You Make It”. Well, I’m faking it. And now I’m just patiently waiting for it to be my turn. Then when it is my turn, I can not see myself taking a break. I learned to love my flaws. This is who I am, I have no control over the past but I do have control over my future. I am not perfect nor, will I ever be. but one thing I can do is stay true to myself. And I want to encourage others to do the same. We all have our own flaws. We all have both good and bad days. Something I personally hate, is watching someone do something to impress someone else, instead of doing something to impress themselves. I just know there is someone out there working hard, just to fit in where they don’t truly belong. And I believe that my art is for them. I am a misfit and I own it. I got tired of hearing people say “I’m here for you” and not be there when I truly needed them. And the ones that said they would listen to me vent, just used my words for gossip and used them back against me. Now instead of venting to someone who doesn’t care. I put those words into a song and let things go from there. I do not make music for everyone, but I truly believe that my songs will find who they need to. Same thing also applies for my clothes too. Everything that I do has a meaning behind it. This started from those who do not want to listen to my songs or even listen to me speak. If you want to judge a book by its cover then allow me to give you a synopsis. I have shirts that explain what Anxiety and Depression are to me. And on my website, each design has its own segment where I explain the meaning behind every design. I am not doing any of this just for myself. I do this to bring awareness to mental stigmas. I want to lead others in the right direction and let others know that its okay to not be okay. I’ve had my own trials and tribulations but at the end of the day, I’m still here. I never want anyone to feel like they are beneath me. I’m just a regular guy. but I will always hold myself to the highest standard possible because when someone says “I want to be like you.” My first response is “don’t be like me, Be better than me.” and I mean that.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite place to hang out at, is the Park Place Mall. Why? Because I work there. I am currently an Assistant Manager for Zumiez. I love the job, and the amount of networking I can do while working in retail is amazing. The odds end up in my favor and I am thankful for the job. As far as where to go for the food here, Any Food Truck. I personally do not have a favorite, but when I see a Food Truck, I do like to stop and support when I can. And I strongly advise others to do the same. You will not be disappointed. As for the nightlife, I personally do not go out to clubs, but from what I hear. You can never go wrong in Downtown, Tucson. But for the others like me, Who don’t enjoy the nightlife. Sight seeing is a must here. The same mountain I see everyday, never fails to amaze me. I have been all over the world due to me being in the Army. And, I think it is safe to say that Tucson has one of the best nature scenes.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I would like to give a huge shout out and a thanks to the ones that stood next to me though my hardest times. The ones that would just pick up the phone and listen deserve the most from me. Without them I don’t think I would be here today. But I want to give a shout out to my Daughter (Ulani Woods) For being the 1st reason to keep fighting and wanting to better myself. My Mother (Linda Horn), My family friend (Laura Cook), My Best friend since we were in marching band here at Desert View High School (Julio Norzagaray), My Army family (SPC Korbin Shill, SPC Joseph Dargon, and Katie Vanmaanen) and most importantly The ones that I work with today. I am choosing to also start up my own production company that will be titled “11:34 Productions” Where we make Music Videos, Short Films, Cinematic Promotional Videos, and Audio Recordings. Such as music, or recording audio for our films and videos and a podcast. And as of now, 1134 Productions consist of myself, GreyTopPhotography, R.S.N Savvy, N8, and my new favorite Producer who is also a local from Tucson, Arizona Neffy.

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