BMP (Buffalo Music Players) Podcast

BMP (Buffalo Music Players) BREAKING EPISODE: Krista

Benjamin

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0:00 | 21:45

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Krista has a lot under her belt, creatively speaking. Poet, journal writer, tarot reader and, finally, singer. Max interviewed her at the BMP studio, and found out what makes her tick. It's pretty cosmic.

Check out this breaking episode as Krista is offering classes in tarot in September, every Tuesday from 6-8 at Cantera, 451 Elmwood Ave. Listen in and see if you like what you hear, and let the sauce be with you.

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Want to get in touch? email BMPpodandblog@outlook.com

SPEAKER_01

It's a B parkhead. If you are just no manager player will help you well. We're leaving Gatekeep and we all gotta E and this is our way of helping us here. Why you gotta podcast? Everybody got to be quite honest. I'm gonna jump in there, prospect. I can't go around. I'm not designed I'm too pretty for the talking of the dome. I'm phenomenal. If the rogue can do it, I sure can. I've never fought the stall, so I've got the upper hand. If the rogue can do it, I sure can. I've never fought the stool, so I've got the upper hand.

unknown

It's the BMP pocket. It's the BMP pocket. It's the BMP pocket.

SPEAKER_01

After a long day, it's hard to turn off. That's why I go to Mammoth Cannabis on 212 Ohio Street. Their stuff will have you laid out flatter than a mammoth foot. From flour to pre-roll, vaporizers to concentrate. You can rest assured that something big is waiting for you at Mammoth Dispensary. Just keep in mind, if you smell cereal from the General Mills factory nearby, they can't help you. You have to go home and get a bowl yourself. It's a dispensary, not an eatery after all. Hello guys, this is Max from the BMP Podcast, and today I am with Krista. Please introduce yourself.

SPEAKER_00

Hi everyone.

SPEAKER_01

She's a multidisciplinary creative, I would say. Um, so let's kick her right off. What got you into tarot reading? Because that's kind of like how I first found out about you.

SPEAKER_00

Um, tarot reading, I've been really practicing astrology and tarot since high school. Um it started off as something that I kind of did on my own, um, or for friends. Um, and then eventually I met someone I would call a mentor to me. Um her name's Ellen Bourne.

SPEAKER_01

Shout out, Ellen.

SPEAKER_00

Um, yeah, she does a lot of work in the Buffalo area and at Cantera and whatnot. But she really took me under her wing and I started um kind of like as an assistant to her work. Um, so I was able to like write her astrology letters weekly and really just have someone to communicate about spirituality and tarot and astrology. So that's really what kick started my my more serious tarot journey.

SPEAKER_01

Got you. Have you um since you started your tarot journey and stuff, have you realized like has it unearthed something in you?

SPEAKER_00

Like, do you feel more connected to yourself or um definitely I mean spirituality in itself I feel like is kind of this ever-evolving way of like not only connecting to other people and the earth, but also to like creativity in my own art. Um so that's yeah, completely just snowballed and continue to evolve um into something bigger for sure.

SPEAKER_01

Guys, is is tarot reading something that like you never you never stop learning about it because there's like a lot of depth into it, or is it like a you can kind of become like a tarot master if you put in enough time?

SPEAKER_00

I think with anything you can always continue to evolve and you know learn more about the craft or the skill or about yourself. So I would say it's ever evolving, and um, you know, I've learned from a lot of different teachers in the last couple years, and I think the biggest takeaway is um the intention you have behind using the tool and also um kind of just the way that you're trusting your own intuition. I think that's the biggest thing that starts to grow when using something like tarot. Um, and yeah, I think that journey is ever evolving.

SPEAKER_01

How do you um implement creativity into your tarot readings?

SPEAKER_00

Um yeah, that's an interesting question. I feel like creativity to me is like so many different things. I think you can be creative in anything you do. Um I think it's more of like the energy that you're kind of embracing within like the amount of presence you can bring to something. So I would say yeah, just leaning into myself and like expressing from I think a heart-centered place is yeah, how I would describe it.

SPEAKER_01

So just to jump off of like expressing yourself, you you do poetry.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Um, how did you get into that?

SPEAKER_00

That's something that I always wanted to connect to. Um I remember like as a kid I wrote one poem in elementary school and it always stuck in my mind, and I never did it, I didn't do it for a really long time. Um but yeah, then I just I started journaling a lot. Um I did the artist's way, which is like a 12-week journaling prompting um exercise, and I think it really just came from that getting my words on paper and just kind of like letting the stream of consciousness flow through. Um so yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You think that that journaling kind of like it taps something into you like you were like um because poetry is a very like personal experience. Do you think that maybe like you being able to journal it, was it like it was almost like a freeing, like okay, now I can share it because like this valve has been opened in me kind of thing?

SPEAKER_00

Definitely, yeah. I mean, doing it every day, I can't say enough about journaling or just writing every day in general. I highly recommend um the artist's way. Um I think it just really allows you to dig deeper into yourself and unlock things that you might not have otherwise.

SPEAKER_01

Do you still journal?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I journal pretty much every day.

SPEAKER_01

Gotcha, got you. Um, do you are you like do you have any books that you've dropped on poetry or like is it just something that you do that like just another way to express yourself or like Um, I would say just a way to express myself.

SPEAKER_00

Usually I um when I'm writing music and stuff like that or writing songs, I will look back at those for inspiration.

SPEAKER_01

Tragic.

SPEAKER_00

Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Do you see um poetry and music as like the same coin or do you feel like they're different?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I would say both and I feel like they're different, but they also overlap. Yeah. Um and yeah, I personally found that being able to get any words out like that, even if it's not like per se poetry, if it's just kind of a stream of consciousness, like that can really translate into something um more structured like a song.

SPEAKER_01

Gotcha. Well, let's just jump into the the songs and stuff. Um what what got you into writing songs?

SPEAKER_00

Um, well, I had always wanted to be a singer, and um I kind of just stumbled upon an opportunity with friends. Um I reconnected to someone from elementary school and they were looking, they had kind of started a small band and they're looking for a lead singer, and um I was looking for a band. So it kind of just happened, and then from there it was like, okay, let's try to write music, and you using my poems is really kind of what like jump started that is um our inspiration.

SPEAKER_01

Was that around the time that you did the um artist thing and you were journaling?

SPEAKER_00

Um right after I actually during, yeah. I think right towards the end of my um experience with the artist way is when that came into my life. So it was kind of a nice handoff.

SPEAKER_01

Do you do you think that maybe if you didn't do the artist way you wouldn't feel comfortable enough to be like a lead singer? Or do you think you would just like you would just kind of force yourself to do it anyway, because that's something you always wanted to do?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know that I would have um considered the opportunity, or yeah, I don't think I'm not sure that I would have like recognized it or been like, oh yeah, I want to be a lead singer.

SPEAKER_01

That's cool. It was pretty like all that stuff was kind of like meant to happen to you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, definitely. I think um it really started with the journaling and then leading into the artist's way and you know, the creativity has just continued to like open up and more opportunities have come my way, and um I think when you really dig into yourself, that's when like the opportunities on the outside kind of start to reflect that. There's something a little cosmic to it all.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, um, I feel like uh when you're like a lead singer and stuff, like you don't even necessarily need to be the most confident per person. That's not that you're not confident in it. But like if you have a strong sense of self, I feel like that's all you really need. Because like you have to be up there, you know, and present yourself.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I think if I didn't do all of those things, I don't I don't know that I'd be in that space. Journaling is really something that um helps me to stay in alignment with my sense of self when you know the outside world might not be reflecting that back to me as much. So gosh.

SPEAKER_01

Um do you when the outside world isn't like re reflecting like what you want back from it, is writing a song about like what you want, is that kind of like a good way for you to like realign yourself?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, I definitely think so. I think yeah, anytime I'm like finding myself in like a dark place or a hard time, I always just go back to journaling. That that's really like the the floor, the ground for me.

SPEAKER_01

What do you um what do you usually write songs about? Is it just about like your feelings or is it like certain events that happened or um I would say you know, I really in all the work that I do, my goal is to really speak to like the collective experiences that we're all having.

SPEAKER_00

And um, I think it's really hard in our society to like really unveil our gifts and be comfortable expressing ourselves completely. Um and so I guess my goal with my art um would just be to like really share from a vulnerable place, whether it's about my feelings um or certain experiences I've had or more collective, bigger topics. Um I just want to like express from my experiences um to help people either feel less alone or give them that confidence to you know put themselves out there.

SPEAKER_01

Nice. Um, can you talk a little bit more about the collective experience that you just talked about? Because I feel like people nowadays, because of the internet and stuff, everyone just feels like they're their own thing and they're just like separate from everybody else, kind of thing. When really the collective experience is like all we really have in a way. It's like we're all different, but we all do have similar experiences. Like we're not that special from each other, and I feel like that's what's lost on most people is everyone thinks that there's such a special snowflake when really we're all snowflakes out here, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. I think there's a lot of humility in that, and I think there's a lot of importance in recognizing kind of how deeply connected we really are.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

Um, even you know, when there's conflict between two per people and you can't see eye to eye, I think things have a way of unfolding for a greater purpose. Um, at least in our in our personal experiences, like I think it's important to be able to kind of um always try to like learn from your experiences instead of like closing up or um you know not seeing the humanity in each other.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Have you always been you seem pretty empathetic. Have you always been like this? Or like is something you have to like work towards?

SPEAKER_00

No, I it's definitely just always how I've been. Um which can be, I think, has been a blessing and a curse.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, can you just part of my can you talk about how it can be like a blessing and a curse a little?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I think I needed to learn how to, you know, be able to give love without um sacrificing my own needs or desires. Um and I think my empathy can be really powerful.

SPEAKER_01

Um it's like a battery, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And I think it can help others um in the ways that I've been talking about, just in like you know having more compassion, I think, for one another. Um because it's really easy, you know, for the the ego to I think we've all been there.

SPEAKER_01

We're um Yeah, and we don't all have access to DMT so we can kill it, so right, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah. I don't know. I just want to use it in a way that's um empowering to others. And um I think the biggest thing I had to learn was just how to like have that big heart and you know not take things personally or I got you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's it's tough, but we need more people that are empathetic and like care about other people. Yeah, you know, because uh that whole thing, just like in the West, is uh empathy is going down all by a lot. So, you know, it's uh it's very important to have.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's hard to have that in in a world that um you know can tend to get us to a point of apathy at times.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. So well, we're getting to the point of the pod where I'm gonna ask you to name a band from the Buffalo area or artist.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Take your time.

SPEAKER_00

Um, I have a really good friend of mine, Johnny, and the man kids. They're wonderful.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um yeah, he's been around for a long time, they all have, and um, I think they're doing great stuff, and they got a lot of a lot of good things on the horizon.

SPEAKER_01

So awesome, we'll play with. I feel like the walls are closing in, and I don't have a way to stop it. I wish there was somewhere I could go. Some place where I could just get away from everything and just be creative.

SPEAKER_02

Creative workshop. Use our place. Let us hope you beat back the stress and feel centered again.

SPEAKER_01

Wow, that sounds great. I'll check it out.

SPEAKER_02

Always remember if the world has your creative spirits in a run, come to the Buffalo Creative Workshop for a pick me up. More about Buffalo Creative Workshop can be found at Buffalo.creativeWorkshop on Instagram.

SPEAKER_01

Alright, guys, and we're back. So, Crystal, what do you have uh coming up?

SPEAKER_00

Um, so I will be teaching a tarot class in uh September every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Explore Cantero on Elmwood. Um I'm really excited about it. I really want this to be an experience where people can come into the class at whatever um level that they're at, and we can all kind of collect collectively connect through more so our intuition than our like logical minds.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, just a feeling.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's really easy to get in your head when you're first learning tarot, or even if you're down the line in it. Um I think the most important thing is really to connect to your own heart, your own intuition, and um so we're gonna have a lot of like creative and immersive um exercises through journal prompting and vision boarding. Um, so it's gonna be a lot of fun and a lot of creativity. So I'm really hoping um to just get a couple more people out for the class. And you know, if anyone has questions or wants to drop in on August 11th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., we're gonna open the doors to answer any questions and just hang out and get to know one another. Um and yeah, you can sign up on that day or before. Um yeah, you can reach out to me.

unknown

Cool.

SPEAKER_00

Um, and then I also can mention that I um offer astrology chart readings and tarot readings. Um if anyone is interested in that via Zoom or in person, you can reach out to me for that as well.

SPEAKER_01

Gotcha. And you also have a band, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Um, so me and the band are kind of taking a short break to work on our music. Uh, we're writing lots of songs and uh building up our set list, so stay tuned for that.

SPEAKER_01

Nice.

SPEAKER_00

There will be more there for sure.

SPEAKER_01

Looks like you got a lot of stuff coming up.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's exciting.

SPEAKER_01

Nice. I I wish you the best on all of it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's been wonderful.

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. Well, it's been a pleasure having you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh this has been the BMP Podcast. Uh you have anything else to say?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

Alright. Uh well, see you guys. May the songs be with you. The bringer of life, the bringer of unimaginable joy, the cause of catastrophic destruction. Knowing that you have something so powerful, wouldn't you want the best to take care of it? Pardon me for saying this. I am just a humble announcer. But if I had a Guji, I'd probably get it waxed at Cheyenne's Waxing Studio on 830M would have. You have power in between your legs. So why not have it taken care of by the best? It's the B podcast. If you are artists, no matter discipline, I will help you welcome. We're leaving gatekeeping, we are gonna eat, and this is our way of helping Avengers Max of us here. Everybody got done. To be quite honest, I'm gonna jump living there, prospect. I'm not designed I'm too pretty for the talking of the dome. I'm phenomenal. If the rogue can do it, I sure can. I've never fucked the stool, so I've got the upper hand. If the rogue can do it, I sure can. I've never fucked the stool, so I've got the upper hand the BMP pocket.

unknown

It's the B and B pocket. It's the B and B pocket.