• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

LDSPMA

Empowering Latter-day Saints to spread light and truth by connecting them at the intersection of faith, creativity, and professional skill

  • Conference
    • Sponsors & Vendors
    • Speaker Application
    • FAQs
    • Past Conferences
      • 2024 Conference
        • Sessions
        • Workshops
        • ZIFF Networking Dinner
        • Schedule
      • 2023 Conference
        • Sessions
        • Workshops
        • Schedule
        • Sponsors & Vendors
      • 2022 Conference
        • Sessions
        • Workshops
        • Schedule and Maps
        • Photo Gallery
      • 2021 Conference
        • Sessions
        • Workshops
        • Schedule and Maps
      • 2020 Conference
        • Sessions
        • Workshops
        • Schedule
      • 2019 Conference
      • 2018 Conference
      • 2017 Conference
      • 2016 Conference
  • Membership
    • Sign Up (Free)
    • LDSPMA Next Gen (Youth)
    • University Chapters
    • Facebook Group
  • Programs
    • 2025 LDSPMA Master Classes
    • Monthly Zoom Discussions
    • Mentoring Program
  • Podcast
    • Watch
    • Listen
      • Listen on Apple Podcasts
      • Listen on Spotify
      • Listen on Google Podcasts
      • Listen on Buzzsprout
    • Submit a Creator Highlight
    • Called to Create Conversations
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • Faith & Mindset
      • Gospel Principles
      • Creativity
      • Productivity
    • Craft Skills
      • Writing
      • Media, Film & Theater
      • Podcasting & Speaking
      • Music
      • Fine Art
    • Professional Skills
      • Editing
      • Publishing
      • Business
      • Marketing
      • Cultural Diversity
  • Awards
    • Apply to Be an Awards Judge
    • Praiseworthy Awards
      • 2024 Winners
      • 2023 Winners
      • 2022 Winners
      • 2021 Winners
      • 2020 Winners
      • 2019 Winners
      • 2018 Winners
      • 2017 Winners
      • 2016 Winners
    • Spark Awards
      • 2024 Winners
      • 2023 Winners
      • 2022 Winners
      • 2021 Winners
      • 2020 Winners
    • Lifetime Achievement Awards
  • About
    • Mission
      • LDSPMA in the Media
      • Success Stories
      • Viewpoint on LDSPMA
    • Volunteers
      • Volunteer Year-Round
      • Volunteer at the Conference
      • Apply to Be a Presenter
      • Apply to Be an Awards Judge
      • Resources for Current Volunteers
    • Leadership
    • Policies
      • Nurturing a Caring Community
      • Political Neutrality Policy
      • Antiharassment Policy
      • Harassment Reporting Form
      • Children Policy
    • Contact US
  • Support LDSPMA
    • Volunteer
    • Donate

musicians

A Conversation with Adassa

July 12, 2024 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

From the introduction to Adassa’s podcast interview with LDSPMA: Adassa exudes a zest for life. She’s fiery and confident and speaks with a passion that makes you want to eat whatever salsa she’s eating. Above all her fame, she knows what’s important and how to stay in an eternal lane. A proud descendant of Latin ancestors who sacrificed dreams and pleasures, Adassa is a talented musician of world-class renown who is the voice of Delores in Disney’s “Encanto.” She is wildly popular for her rendition of “We Don’t Talk about Bruno.” Her creative journey is inspiring and eventful.

Connie Sokol, the host of the “Called to Create” podcast, hosted Adassa in March 2023. Much of their conversation focused on how Adassa has kept her family at the center of her life while being called to create. Here are three ways Adassa has prioritized her family while continuing to create music for the world to enjoy.

Remember Family Stories and Sacrifices

Aspiring to be part of the music industry isn’t new to Adassa—both her mother and grandmother loved to sing and had dreams of being singers. Adassa herself dreamed of being a singer since she was little. Neither her mother nor her grandmother were fully able to live out their dreams—they instead went into the medical field.

Adassa shared her family’s story when she auditioned for “Encanto” at Disney. Her parents had both made many sacrifices to be able to come to the United States. As a result, Adassa had many opportunities that she wouldn’t have had without them. She says, “If this is all they (the producers) hear of me, they’re gonna hear my father’s name… I don’t know when I will have the opportunity for their names to be remembered in the minds of these creatives.”

Keep Family the Top Priority

Since being signed to her first record deal at eighteen years old, Adassa has traveled the world. Her career has given her opportunities to sing with Luis Fonsi, Missy Elliott, and Pitbull, among many others. She sang at Madison Square Gardens and in the American Airlines Arena.

Connie asked Adassa, “How did you keep your head? How did you keep grounded?”

Adassa said, “Well, family to me is number one and has always been my first love… the first thing is to keep them together.”

She went on to say that she wanted to be the best at the beginning of her career, so she had to study the market, follow trends, and be competitive. As a result, she became famous. She found herself pushing the line until she couldn’t go further. She was grateful for the opportunities she’d had in her music. And then she said, “I know what I believe and I know my principles, and I am unwilling to compromise my principles to go to another level.” She was comfortable, so she decided to retire. And then she was home, making bread and teaching her kids.

Connie later asked her, “You (and your husband) both are working in the same industry, and you’re both parenting, and then there’s gotta be time for you guys. How do you navigate the shifting of gears together?”

Adassa said, “I would say it becomes a list of priority. And for us, because our kids are first priority, we have tried to have a live-in [working style]… We kind of do it in the way that works for us.” Adassa and her husband Gabe, who is a music producer, take turns being the stay-at-home parent while they each travel, go on tour, and take advantage of the opportunities that come their way.

Don’t Be Afraid to Turn Down Money for Moments

Adassa’s family principles are very important to her. She has learned to say, “Thank you, but no” when an opportunity doesn’t line up with what she ultimately wants in life. She asks herself, “Does this align with my priorities and my principles?”

Adassa recommends that other creators imagine every step, every yes, and every no to achieve a dream. She said, “Like a chess game, you gotta see the end result before you move a piece.” Otherwise, creators could feel resentment toward their family members for unrealized dreams and expectations.

She has turned down seven- and eight-figure opportunities because they don’t align with her principles. She said, “Sometimes you have to say no to money so you can say yes to moments—and moments you can never get back.”

Adassa went on to say that moments are priceless. She looks for opportunities to take her family of seven children with her whenever she can. They come to see her perform and go on tours with her. “No amount of millions of dollars could ever pay for that moment that I’m gonna miss.”

This article is based on the Called to Create podcast featured during Season 3, Episode 5. You can listen to the full podcast here.

Filed Under: Articles, Called to Create Conversations Tagged With: family, musicians

7 Character Traits of Creative People

March 10, 2021 By Trina Boice 2 Comments

By Trina Boice

Have you ever wondered what drives creative people? What makes them different? Hanging out with other LDSPMA members energizes me, inspires me, and encourages me to tap into my own creativity more! You can develop your own innate creativity by incorporating the following seven traits into your daily life.

1. Creative people are focused

Highly creative people usually have high levels of energy and stay focused on their project for long periods. Even when they are out of the studio or away from the computer, their minds are still thinking about their creative work. To take advantage of the ideas that tend to constantly flow, keep a notebook nearby or reserve a spot on your cell phone where you can instantly record your flashes of inspiration.

2. They hold onto a sense of wonder

Creative people are often brilliant, but they don’t think they know everything. Just the opposite, they retain a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. They are committed to lifelong learning.

3. Creative people work hard

Creative people, whether songwriters or artists, speakers or writers, usually work long hours on a project and get into “the zone.” They let their loved ones know what they need for support, so that when they’re in “the zone,” they won’t be bothered or interrupted. Know how to design an effective workspace with music or silence, food or drink, aroma or light. Creatives are persistent and determined and totally focused on their work. They also know they need to take a break!

4. Creatives are not loners

Research suggests that creative people often combine the best of extroversion and introversion. While most people tend to favor one or the other of these personality types, creative people combine elements of both. They find ideas and inspiration in their social interactions and then retreat to the studio to work their creative magic.

5. They are open and sensitive

Creatives tend to be very empathic and sensitive. They are open to all the possibilities of the world and find inspiration everywhere. Sensitivity is necessary to be able to create artistically but can be a double-edged sword, leaving the artist vulnerable to criticism and rejection.

6. Creatives can daydream and be realistic

The traditional picture of the daydreaming artist isn’t necessarily reflective of the creative mind. Creativity is grounded in imagination and daydreaming, seeing the possibilities and wondering ‘what if?’ But creative people are also very practical, and the next stage is testing the ‘what if’ idea to see if it works. Creative thinking is essential for innovative problem solving that works in the real world.

7. Creatives seek to be a light in the world

Creative desire to share their gifts with the world to make it a better place. They want to share their insights and perspective in order to lighten another person’s burden or add joy and depth to understanding.

So, what are YOU going to create today?

—————————————————-

Dr. Trina Boice is a #1 best-selling author of 31 books and an author coach at www.FromBook2Business.com. She teaches online for Brigham Young University (Idaho campus), is a film critic at www.MovieReviewMom.com. Trina is the Marketing Director at LDSPMA and loves rubbing shoulders with all of you amazing creatives!

Filed Under: Articles, Craft Skills, Creativity, Faith & Mindset, Fine Art, Productivity Tagged With: actors, artists, creative people, creatives, editors, filmmakers, LDSPMA, musicians, publishers, singers, writers block, YouTubers

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

Sprint Writing for the Win

By Rebecca Talley – “There is no one-size-fits-all for writing a novel – or any book, for that matter. We all must figure out what works for us.”

To Creative Middle-Aged Sisters in the Working World

By JoLynne J. Lyon – “Decide how you’ll measure success. Study your possibilities. Say a prayer. And if it’s what you want to do, get yourself out there.”

A young woman writing.

Why You Don’t Want to Get Your Book Done Quickly

By Angela Eschler – “The quality of the book is a publisher’s best chance to convey the brand experience that will convert readers.”

Recent Podcast Episodes

Popular Articles

A senior couple walking down a quiet lane

Sometimes Things Do Work Out

By Steve Dunn Hanson – We can choose how any situation or circumstance we find ourselves in will ultimately affect us. We can literally shape the results of all our experiences.

Cussing & Creating: 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t (& Should!) Use Profanities in Your Writing

By Lizzy Pingry – Writers must evaluate the way they express themselves: how does our use of language and its profanities build or destroy our stories? 

Portrait of a Painter: The Journey of Latter-day Saint Artist Dan Wilson

By Howard Collett – “God is in the very details of our work. That doesn’t just apply to Christian artists working on temple paintings, but it applies to anyone in any career. God can answer specific questions to help us be better providers, better employees, better employers, better husbands or wives, or wherever we need help.” – Artist, Dan Wilson

More Articles

Questions Every Writer Should Ask Themselves

By Steve Dunn Hanson – How we answer the “Why” and “Where” questions will affect the content, quality, and impact of our creativity. But those responses beg another question: is our writing congruous with who we really want to be eternally?

Trusting Your Teenage Writer: Three Tips to Avoid Overwriting

By LoriAnne Spear – Many of us novice writers overwrite in our insecure attempt to sound like a real writer. We use flowery language or big words so the reader will believe we’re legit. Instead, we produce overwrought writing and get in our own way. 

7 Ways To Help Readers Discover Your Books

By Karlene Browning – When you publish your first book, you aren’t just putting a story out there. You are launching a brand and an identity that will travel with you over the course of your writing career. If you do it right, it will help lead readers to you in a natural and organic fashion. If you do it wrong, it will confuse readers and they will get lost on their way to finding you.

Footer

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 LDSPMA. All Rights Reserved. LDSPMA is not endorsed by nor affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.