Anshu Sharma

The formal, uninspired bio:

Canadian artist Anshu Sharma has been lucky enough to open for some of Canada's top hip hop acts (K-OS, Kardinal Offishall). As a beat maker he has happily produced for some of Canada's coolest (Classified, Jamal Rekana) and back in 2005 won the Ecko Clothing hip hop production contest which had his beats featured in the critically panned video game "Getting Up." After two years of wondering what the nature of the universe is, Anshu recorded his observations on his debut album: "Why the Lotus Blooms," which he is now promoting, to be released Spring 2012.

The informal, slightly inspired bio:

Yes, this is supposed to be my musical bio. But if I may be honest, and if I may perhaps shoot myself in the foot - I don’t care much for music itself. I believe music is a hugely overrated part of daily human existence, and that what we should really listen closer to is the music of the natural world... but that's another matter.

What I do care for however, is that little thing called 'creativity.'

Is not the concept of 'creativity' vastly misunderstood in our world? We say musicians are creative, we say artists are creative. We leave no room for the average man to live creatively. But I am an average man; I’m not good at anything in particular, I can’t play piano for too long before my fingers hurt, I don’t have a beautiful voice, nor am I intellectually brilliant.

You see, I worked as a banker for sometime. It was a destructive job; I was a machine there, an automaton. But Nature herself decided to make me a human being - not a machine - therefore, as with any human being, my heart instrinsically longed to live creatively rather than destructively. So I quit that job and moved into my parents basement to do just that.

“What do you mean by living creatively? You have no talents what so ever,” I was told, and rightfully so. Yet a lack of talent wasn't my concern. Creativity was my concern. There was this burning fire in the heart to live creativity, and from that fire came the deeply fulfilling music that I have created; from that fire came hundreds of pages of fiction and non-fiction writings; from that fire I forged some the most beautiful (or, beautifully strange) human relationships of my life; and from that fire came an on-going benediction within the heart that is beyond all measure.

Unfortunately, our education system, our society has told us to "do one thing well and stick to it." But I believe that the human being is a dynamic creature. Man is not meant to do one thing his whole life; this is how neurosis is born. When you feel stagnation setting in, move to the next thing; live dangerously, try something a new, even if it costs you your financial stability, even if it costs you your life, remember this: a moment lived fully is worth infinitely more than a eternity lived dully. This is how life is meant to be lived. And I tell you, the more things you create; whether music or a fresh meal or a beautiful relationship; the more you bring creativity to every facet of your existence, the more fulfilled your life will be.

So I hope we may all become creative beings, after all there has been so much destruction in this world, too many have suffered endlessly for us not to live creatively. And if an average, useless, un-talented fellow like me can find a way to live creatively then surely we all can. For let us make no mistake: living creatively is nothing short of the means to a better planet and a beautiful world.