Meet Crissy London of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crissy London

Hi Crissy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Crissy London. I am biracial. I was born overseas to a Korean woman and a Black American man. My dad was in the army and we moved around a lot while growing up, like all over the world. Eventually my mother joined the army too and my parents got divorced. We kept moving around and eventually I went to Baylor University and received 2 Bachelors of Art. One for Archaeology and one for Anthropology. I had no idea what I was going to do when I graduated. When I had first picked my major I thought I was going to become an archaeologist, move to some Greek island and then lose myself in my job/local life. Actually, I started out as a Classics and Archaeology double major and most of my classes are about the classics (Ancient Greeks/Romans). After being discourage about learning Greek and Latin at the same time while I was commuting an hour to classes and working at night because my mom was deployed to the Middle East…. I had to switch it to Anthropology. In case any of you wondered why I had Latin phrases written on my body…. that’s where a couple of my tattoo’s origin story’s began… lol… Anyways, it was after 9/11 and by the time I graduated in 2010, we were in “war times”. I took the test for Officers Training School and I attempted to join the Air Force. If I didn’t get into the Air Force, I was going to enlist. This is how I know there’s a God because somehow mysteriously all my paperwork disappeared and my Board to determine my eligibility for the Air Force OTS never happened. Quite frankly I was relieved! I never wanted to be in any of the Armed Forces but felt pressured by my parents. It was how they had made their success and they just wanted me to become independent like them as well. My mother had been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan a few times. She spent some time in Kuwait. She was deployed for a year in Korea over by the border of N. Korea. She will tell you her war stories about the times she had almost died. Life was tough. For both of us. I took care of her house while she was deployed or away at trainings. Being a single mom is hard and I learned very young how to care for myself. So board out the way, I was back at it looking for jobs. A few weeks later I would land my first archaeology job. Archaeology jobs are always kind of exciting in a way because as an archaeological technician doing cultural resource management, you can literally be sent anywhere, depending on the project or company. Now this isn’t the academic side of archaeology so don’t picture the movies where they are brushing the dirt with a paintbrush. It’s more like the movie Holes, with shovels and screens. Projects have different phases. So the things you see in the movies is more like phase 2/3 where we have already identified an area for a potential site/cluster of artifacts. Which I have worked as well but most cultural resource management is phase 1. So that being said, my job could be anywhere for any amount of time. A week, a month, a year, etc. Literally sometimes it’s like hey can you drive to Ohio tomorrow because we start on Monday kind of thing. Actually that happened to me once and I literally drove 20 hours from Texas to VA and the day before orientation, I got the notification that the project was cancelled!!! Luckily I was already at my sisters house so I just stayed for like a week, I drove up to Philly for a week, enjoyed my time and then drove the 24 hours back to Texas all by myself! Not paid! No gas money! Nothing! Road trip was on me. But It was a good time though and I appreciated it. Doing archaeology on and off for the past 13 years has taken me to some pretty interesting places. I found a lot of cool artifacts. (PLEASE DON’T LOOT.) As a biracial, I was pretty much THEE minority in the rural areas I worked and on the crews I’ve been on. It’s been pretty challenging. I didn’t always feel safe. Especially in areas that were more racially discriminitive. Like there is a difference between prejudice and racist. I found that out in real time. It does exist. I’ve been called the “N” word before. Before you go asking what I did… one time in particular I was walking around my neighborhood with my small dog. Literally in front of a middle school when some rando in a pick up truck yelled it out the window at me… like why? I don’t know. I’ve been told I was in the wrong bar. I have had people ask me directly about racist organizations while I was out because they were affiliated in some way. Some people don’t believe me when I say that because to them I’m not “Black enough” or whatever that’s supposed to mean but it doesn’t negate the things that have happened to me. I’m not going to sit here on my soap box to tell you about being biracial but it takes a toll. Always the black sheep because you don’t look like either side of the family. I literally go home to my country of origin and no one can tell I belong. So I don’t. I’m Korean to Black people and Black to Koreans. If you ask me how I feel then I would tell you I feel equally both. As I AM. So, I had to learn how to be alone. How to stand in my own energy. How to be comfortable being the different one. I always took the time to explore the world around me. Even if I worked 7 days a week for 10-12 hours a day (and I have…), I would take the time on the weekend to get out. I think that is important. Trying to find that work balance. I have taken a couple of career breaks such as the time I moved to Austin. I didn’t have a job. I had money saved up so I just moved. I got a tiny 400 sq ft apartment and started looking for jobs. Within a couple of months I was working at a Verizon. Then I went on to do some telemarking which led me to randomly selling auto insurance. It was interesting to settle down and not move around for awhile. I enjoyed it but the speed of life was slower than I cared to be at. So I moved to Los Angeles in the same kind of fashion. I quit my insurance job. Worked a few archaeology jobs until I saved up some money, I moved and when I got here I had to hit the ground running. After a couple of months I was back doing archaeology locally and I really appreciate how fortunate I have been. A few years later, now I’m a toddler mom. I have leaned into my creative artsy side that I kinda feel like I suppressed and I’m feeling more me today than I’ve felt in a long time. Now I vlog and create content. I have been working on my mixtape. I love to paint. I love to read. I love to write. I used to podcast in group for a few years that really helped me step into my confidence and find my voice. I started my own clothing line where I could design my own clothes. People ask me what my goals are and that’s a complicated answer. I don’t have an end goal unless you count death at an old age. I have many goals. I want to do many things and some not forever. I enjoy creating for creation sake. That’s what being an artist is. Doing something you love, because you love it. Sometimes people might not get it and it’s okay. Art is for the soul. Your hobbies are for you! You may work all day to fill your pockets but after years of living, if you aren’t filling up your own joy in your soul in your free time then what is it all for? As an adult now in my mid-30’s I learned that if you just quit doing all the things you enjoyed as a kid, you kind of lose yourself. I embarked on my self-love journey when I was 14 and now, 20 some years later, I understand that that journey is one you have with yourself for your whole life. There’s no end. There’s just another chapter. Time is going to keep going forward so instead of fighting the current of the river of life, take your paddles out and figure out where you want to go. What things do you want to do? The notion that we are forever stuck doing the same things or aren’t able to expand is not true. Try new things. Go new places. Enjoy the small wins.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oof struggles! Well I talked briefly about some struggles already but I too struggle. As a kid, I’ve had my fair share of bullying and what not. From both adults and other children. My home life growing up was not peaceful at all. My parents were always arguing. I was never close with any of my half siblings and my Dad was an abusive drunk. I mean sure he had his good qualities, but no one is perfect… and gin makes you sin, so they say. Quite frankly I was happy my parents divorced because they didn’t need to be together anyway. I never talked about my Dad really growing up to other people. I wasn’t hiding him but if no one asked then they would never know. He was flawed. But then again what “Boomer” isn’t? The things they lived through. The stories I would hear. My Dad was old enough to remember watching MLK deliver his ‘I had a Dream’ speech. He made sure I knew about our history. He loved to cook. He loved to sing. He loved to dance. He was a foodie. He loved to travel. He loved to make others smile. He used to call himself Mr. Wonderful. He did karaoke and was a party DJ. A few years ago my Dad was brutally murdered in his home. My sister’s called the police to do a wellness check and they just knocked on his door. They stressed to the police that my dad was a creature of habit and he had missed his dialysis appointment. 3 days later, finally after family/cousins/family friends kept calling the police to open his door. They finally opened it. Apparently the smell and the flies were finally noticeable enough for the police to do something… 3 days left for dead in his house in the middle of an 100 degree summer in San Antonio, Texas. Horrendous. Body unrecognizable. The prime suspect in the case literally drove off in his car with his and told his friend he was never going to see the light of day again. That suspect was never questioned and my father never got any justice. He was 73/74? I don’t remember exactly. That was a few years ago. Looking back, I appreciate that I was able to talk to him before he died and we had finally come to terms with our relationship. Thankfully. So I’m at peace with it but I just hope he’s able to get justice one day for his murder. So if anyone knows anything, if they could reach out to San Antonio PD and let them know. That would be great.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I guess I’m probably most known from my days podcasting in Austin. We had an all girl podcast YEARS before people were really podcasting called ‘Juice Squad’. It was vibes!!! Y’all missed out!!! We were not just podcasting, but we were throwing events, hosting, creating content, etc. All while we were out here working 40 hour jobs and meeting up in our free time. So that’s to say, if there’s a will, there’s a way. But there’s got to be a will to do it. I’d love to collaborate again with the right people but that’s what ultimately ended our group, not having the right people with the same vision for the project.

If you ask me, I will tell you I’m a creative genius. I came here (Earth) to innovate. I enjoy thinking outside the box. I have a lot a talents. A jack of all trades. I don’t like niche myself because I don’t want to limit myself. I think my voice is my strongest gift. Not just in my singing but in my speech and writing. I feel like I am able to relate and communicate with a large variety of people. I’m proud of myself. I am a life learner. I’m learning to be more confident in the things I do. I am focused on my own lane. I think that’s what sets me apart from others. I don’t find a need to compete because no one can be me. Too many people are concerned with what others think that they are unable to start creating due to the fear. I am fearless. I’ve been ridiculed and critiqued my whole life. That doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m still going to do what lights me up regardless. I’m still going to drop my mixtape when it’s done and if no one listens to it. I don’t care. I’m still going to post my content and if no one likes it. I don’t care. I’m doing what is authentic to me and in a world where genuine people are hard to find, I stand out.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk-taking is not for the weak! I only like to take “calculated risks”. Like when I moved to Los Angeles, I came here with options. I was already licensed to sell auto insurance in 9 different states and of course I had my bachelors degrees. I was open to work whatever job(s) paid the bills for however long it took to get to doing something that was I wanted and was stable. I think that’s important when it comes to taking a risk. First, you have to do the pros and cons. What are some good reasons for doing what you are planning? Are there any down sides for doing what you are doing? Then you have to figure out what you are willing to do for said risk. What are your boundaries? Are there any? Then of course, your plan b’s or contingency plans which are what you’re going to do when that plan doesn’t pan out. I also try to think of the things that might happen and some back ups for those scenarios. That way I can be more comfortable with my decision. I think another important thing about risk taking that no one really talks about is following your intuition!!!! You have to know yourself. Do the things that feel authentic to you. That way even if your decisions affect others, you are still being true to yourself. No one can be you. No one can live in your shoes. No one can walk your path the way you do. These days the way I move in silence is on purpose because telling someone your plans can ruin it. They can talk some doubt into your heads because they are not comfortable doing what you are intending or even more callously they don’t want to see you win. So know who’s in corner, who is truly a friend or a foe? Don’t be afraid to leave behind the things not meant for you. Figure out who you are and follow your gut! Have faith! Walk in your faith! Believe in yourself. Trust yourself. Believe in the things you are doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cmoneyoutloud.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c_money_253?igsh=OGQ5ZDc20Dk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crissy.london.9/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/I_never_fall
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@C_Money_253
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/6mVGVvzLoL5VLCdb7
• Other: https://www.labeachyday.com