Josh Strauther more commonly known in the Salt Lake community, as Joshy Soul has become a close friend of mine over the past four years. He has really shown me what it means to be a true friend that sticks around. Josh is more than capable of creating a space filled with love and joy when he is up on the stage with his band mates, AndTheCool. When I started this podcast envisioning who I would interview and how far I would expand outside of the Ballet World, Josh was the first to pop into mind and the biggest smile came across my face.

In this episode Josh and I dive into what it means to be an artist in the SLC Community. How the art scene is mostly discovered through word of mouth and what it takes to persevere through the tougher moments of being a musician. Josh found the piano at the age of nineteen by being inspired by other artists of the LA community such as; AJ Rafael, Tori Kelly, TJ Brown, and Moses Sumney. Josh was ready for a change of scenery and came to Utah to help Church & State with their musical aspects within the church. Oblivious to the Mormon religion and what he was walking into with the lack of artistic diversity in the Salt Lake scene, soon Josh found his path that guided him to receive some mentoring from a local piano professor Courtney Smith. Courtney helped Josh move past the critiques and taught him to feel more when he is playing. Josh has brought diversity to the Salt Lake Community in such a powerful and vulnerable way. He expresses himself with the utmost honesty and I believe helps others feel more comfortable with expressing themselves. Josh has become a fashion icon in this city as well and talks about the importance of the way we dress ourselves, and how that builds confidence. How our clothing choice can be an artistic movement rather than an entitled one. Volunteering shows for the YWCA and Rape Recovery Center are a big part of the Joshy Soul brand with giving back to the community and shedding light on the non-profit organizations that need our help. And lastly a quote I took away from our conversation, “ Talent means nothing, but be good at what you do. Have confidence. If you have worth within yourself hold on to it. Your heart and your Vibe speak louder than your talent.” I hope this episode will offer you some wisdom.