Ahead of the second instalment of RUSSH Weekend – our two-day digital festival of classes, talks and events for creative minds – Australian basketballer and DJ Liz Cambage and electronic artists Lastlings sit down for a chat on the ways creative industries intertwine. From celebrating what success means to them, to sharing their most admired creative muses, get acquainted with our RUSSH Weekend guests who will be sharing more during their exclusive Instagram live-stream this coming weekend – December 5-6.
What does success look like to you?
Liz: To me, it's just about being happy with what you're putting out into the world. I wake up every day, and I try to do the best and be the best at whatever I'm doing; surrounding myself with genuine people who are happy to see me doing what I'm doing. If I come home to my empty house and I know that I've put in everything that I can within the day, that's a successful day for me.
Amy (Lastlings): We have so many goals for the project, too many to list, but foremostly success is people listening to our music, coming to our shows and hopefully being left feeling connected to the world that we want to create and welcome them into with Lastlings.
Are you ever inspired by other creative industries?
Liz: James Turrell is my favourite artist, and I would do anything to get to his secret canyon in Arizona. His lighting and his art has always inspired me – music has always inspired me. Additionally, Tom Blanchford, he's a Melbourne photographer who shoots architecture, which is something I've always been inspired by. The way his photography captures architecture and lighting is everything to me.
Josh (Lastlings): We are both really inspired by art, design and photography/film and definitely bring these creative interests into the world of Lastlings. We both do modelling and Amy also does acting. I have also an interest in Directing short films and music videos, and a few months back co-directed my first music video for our friends, Golding.
How have you been able to develop your craft throughout the years and have you had much opportunity to collaborate with other creatives?
Amy: In the beginning it was just Josh & I in our home studio developing our sound and getting it to a point where we felt confident to release and perform what we were making. Over time we started working with other songwriters & producers to develop our sound and explore new ways of making music.
Josh: We’ve been lucky enough to work with the likes of RÜFÜS DU SOL and Cassian, as well as Matt Bartlem, a producer & engineer here on the Gold Coast that we record a lot of our music with. Collaborating has been pivotal to our development as artists and something we are so excited to do more of as we begin writing new music.
View this post on Instagram
How do you see sport and music intersecting?
Liz: I think there is such a close community between music and athletes, especially in basketball. There's a line in a song that goes, 'rappers wanna be ballers, ballers wanna be rappers' and there's definitely a connection between the two given that they both offer a level of entertainment value. I think there's something to be said about the way both athletes and musicians are expected to go out there and put on a show, then come back to a room on your own and having to deal with all that adrenaline in so many different ways.
Music has always inspired me to go out and just kill it on the court and it's always been there for me to chill out after games as well.
Our current issue theme is ‘Joy’. What makes you most joyful?
Josh: I think it’s fair to say that 2020 has truly realigned all our appreciation for the things we do have right in front of us. As simple as it may sound, Joy is spending time with you friends and family, being out in nature and eating delicious food.
Liz: Joy to me is being surrounded by friends and family and good times. This year has been really tough for me personally, and through that, I've realised who I actually want to give my time and energy to. Even on the hardest of days, I was lucky to be supported by friends and family who managed to keep a smile on my face, and I think being surrounded by real friends represents joy for me.
View this post on Instagram
What motivates you to continue to push yourself and explore new territories?
Liz: I am such a perfectionist and I'm always wanting to push myself to be the best I can be. I've always had to work for everything, I've never gotten a free ride or a handout – it's always been eyes on me and pressure on me. I have such a curious and creative brain. I always want to learn things and even though it can be frustrating, I prefer to take my time to learn things properly.
Amy: We’re surrounded by so many incredibly talented and creative people and it’s their success and energy that push us to be better at what we do and explore new ground.
What does success look for you off the court?
Liz: You can win all the time and still be really unhappy with your life away from the court. I've learned at the end of the day, winning isn't everything, awards aren't everything. But as long as I can go home to a house full of love, full of friends and family who support me, that's success.
Feature image:
