Laura Cole
Meet Laura Cole; Singer & badass songwriter from Canada.
Laura Cole has to be one of the coolest souls I've encountered. I "met" her when we were both featured in the January issue of High Canada Magazine. Check it out here. Her unique voice and bluesy edge to her music just adds to her overall amazing persona.
I had the pleasure of asking Laura some questions about her cannabis consumption and career! Laura is someone who's down to earth and has such a gorgeous voice. Her talent is amazing and she is successful DESPITE her cannabis consumption.
Tell us about your cannabis journey? When did you first consume cannabis?
My first time smoking cannabis was when I was 12 years old with my older cousin in a recreational way! I really enjoyed the way it made me feel and it made me realize throughout the years that I liked the feeling I get with Cannabis much more than alcohol. It actually curbed me from drinking until I was around 23, despite the odd time I’d try to keep up with friends that enjoyed drinking more.
When I was 20, I was hit by a drunk driver while my dad and I were on our way home from a mercy call for my brother, who had just been in an accident. It was the start of a journey I never saw coming, dealing with chronic whiplash, muscle spasms, back pain, shoulder pain, a twisted rib cage (the list goes on). I was prescribed the pharmaceutical Percocet to deal with my pain and luckily my family quickly learned it was a problem for me. As we know, opiates of any kind are severely addictive. This is when I really began using cannabis for medical use, in addition to my recreational use. I developed ‘complicated migraines’ where my limbs go numb, a severe throbbing in my neck, and I cannot form sentences even though I’m making sense in my mind. Very similar to stroke symptoms. This was a huge wake up call because I was prescribed gabapentin from my neurologist and I have never felt more awful on a pharmaceutical. I started to indulge in different ways to use my favorite plant to heal my physical pain. Even in a time before legalization; I found several topicals that helped my chronic pain, as well as CBD tinctures, sativex, different types of flower & edibles! I knew that this was the way I wanted to heal, and I have lived this way since. I rarely even take Advil anymore!
Do you use cannabis to help inspire the creative flow when it comes to singing and songwriting? How does it help and/or hinder your creative process?
I absolutely use cannabis to inspire my creative flow! It’s a beautiful feeling that enables me to disengage from the pain I may be feeling both physically and mentally. It puts me into a calm state where I’m able to open my mind and create something based on my emotional and physical state. I love exploring new strains and finding what works best for me in different aspects of life. I’ve noticed that hybrids tend to give me the most creative flow, but depending on the time of day- I do enjoy a straight up saliva or indica recreationally. This journey has been a lot of me listening to my body and mind to find my proper dose, as well as the proper product and delivery method. I take CBD tincture every morning and it literally makes me feel like I have an inside glow. It helps subside my daily pain and let’s my creative side flourish because I’m not worrying about how I might feel throughout the day. Peace of mind, body and soul.
What are your favourite strains of cannabis?!
My favorite strains on the legal market include God Bud, Grandaddy Purple, and Pink Kush.
God bud-, being my favourite hybrid (indica dominant) provides me with not only a heightened creativity level but helps immensely with my migraines & chronic pain/ muscle spasms.
Grandaddy Purple- is another one of my favourites, again- a beautiful hybrid. This one is even more indica dominant than God Bud and it, too, helps with my chronic pain. I love this strain because I’ve found it extremely accessible in all my travels.
Pink Kush- is another fave- even heavier indica hybrid than the two above. I love this strain because it’s AMAZING for creativity and has that effect of making me focus on creation. I like to smoke this strain when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
Who do you gather inspiration from in the music industry?
I gather inspiration from all genres and artists. I personally don’t like to pigeonhole myself into a genre simply because I believe someone who can sing a country song can also take it back to a soul vibe. I’ve been enjoying the crossover genres lately such as country soul. Myself, being a soul singer, most of my deepest inspirations are no longer with us. I draw inflections from Motown/soul artists such as Sam Cooke, Etta James, Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin. As for inspirations that are currently with us, I draw energy from powerhouse women in music such as Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Lizzo, Ari Lennox- a very wide range of genres and voices but they all have one thing in common- you can HEAR and FEEL the soul of what they’re playing and/or singing.
What is your advice to anyone looking to pursue their passions in life?
Never stop. Keep going. Especially in my industry there are SO many people who want the same thing as you. The difference of the people who do something with that want, are the ones who are consistent. Keep doing things every single day to work towards your passion and your dream. Celebrate every opportunity. Say yes to everything until you have the luxury to say no.
And remember, always be kind <3