
Is Misé Johns the artist of his generation? The night is still young.
Classically trained as a musician, Misé had little inkling then that his orchestral background would be the impetus for an artistic journey that would take him beyond expectation and into the nascent ravines of his impulses for originality, authenticity and reflective inquisition.
“All my life I have sought ‘the answers’; sociological reasonings for why things were the way they were and how best to orient myself within them. As I grew older and life complexified, the necessity of this understanding quickly became a matter of impending health and vitality. When higher education failed to deliver on the subjects of my most pressing concern, I began a dedicated process of autodidaction that revivified my life around ideas of psychology, philosophy and spirituality. A lifelong student uninspired by formal education, I became determined to repackage the life affirming knowledge that I had discovered in a way that was not only applicable but enjoyable for the new generation of experiential learners.”
Upon graduating from the University of British Columbia, Misé began exploring the clefts and hollows of Montreal’s local music scene along with his penchant for composition and performance. At the same time, in partnership with the prominent non-profit organization Jeunesse au Soleil, he created a mentorship program (with the aim) to supplement young people (students) with the practical and personal knowledge lacking in traditional academia. As this program grew, it presented opportunities to branch out throughout the city’s non-profit network with organizations such as Y4Y Quebec, L’association québécoise pour la réadaptation psychosociale, Miracle Montreal, and more. With these organizations, he created a number of initiatives addressing the mental health concerns of Quebec’s most vulnerable youth including; a podcast, a youth forum, a video series and a community solidarity initiative during the Covid-19 crisis, respectively. Through these varied enterprises he discovered and honed an aptitude to deliver practical knowledge in more engaging contexts.
Empowered by progress but limited in his ability to fully express himself under the designation of an organization, he decided to go his own, starting a multimedia production studio to more fully investigate the extent of his deepest intentions. Under production moniker Ethos Cultura, Misé built on his newfound video and sound editing skills, adding an animated and interactive component to find a niche in an entirely new and innovative form of experiential entertainment.
In just 14 months since launching, Ethos Cultura has garnered Misé affiliations with the likes of the National Arts Center, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, the Montreal Arts Interculturel, the Black Theatre Workshop and more. Now in his third year of production he is in the process of expanding his practice into the digital domains of augmented reality, projection mapping and whatever else will amplify his ultimate mission: to create culture to serve our best interests as people in the digital age.
“This life is nothing short of a miracle. It is up to all of us to shape our culture to guide us toward our greater potential and make the most of our one precious moment, together.”
-Misé
