We were lucky to catch up with Fernando Vives recently and have shared our conversation below.

Fernando , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Since I was 12 years old I started playing as a DJ. At first it was a lot of work and many sacrifices, long nights where I had to install the equipment, play music and then uninstall everything. There were many years where I worked doing this type of gigs and despite all the effort there was something in me that always told me to continue no matter what or where the next gig was. I call that passion. If you are passionate about something in life, the journey will become easier to understand despite the ups and downs that will come. In my experience of being so young and starting to be a DJ, the biggest step was perhaps leaving everything aside and just dedicating myself to music. There is something magical that happens when you dedicate all your energy to something you love and are passionate about. It might be difficult at first but things will turn out well as you walk through your journey. I don’t think there are shortcuts in art, time doesn’t exist and the important thing is to dedicate your time to what you like and sow seeds so that they can flourish in the future.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Fernando Vives aka “Noon Do” and from early age I’ve been influenced and related with music. With a family of musicians, my first experience was at the age of 4 after receiving my first drum kit. Then I discovered the art of DJ’ing around the age of 12 and started making music when I was 18.

Throughout my career, I have played and left a mark in the biggest festivals in South America with audiences of up to 10,000, occupying an important place in the electronic scene of Chile. I was the resident DJ of “Club La Feria” during 2019, ranked as one of the best 50 clubs in the world.

I graduated from Icon Collective School (Los Angeles, CA) and currently I live in San Francisco, CA where I work as a music producer, run my own label called “Johow Digital”, play live sets with my band call “The Vros”, and I’m one of the resident DJs at “Phono Bar”

My mission as an artist is to make people dance and celebrate life with music.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

For me, creativity is in everyone. My truth is that everyone can do what they want. Clearly there are things that you can be very good at and others not, but if you put in the time and dedication you can surely achieve what you want. Creativity in this sense is the same, we are all creative, from the moment we wake up and start making decisions in the present. Whether it is how you are going to dress, what you are going to have for breakfast, what actions you will do during the day, etc. Creating for me means living in the present. The important thing is to realize that you live a routine but getting out of that routine is up to you by making “creative” decisions. It’s never too late to learn something new and that means a lot to me. We can always learn something new! It is up to us to want to be better and create different things. If it is necessary to have self-love and take care of yourself, sometimes we forget that we live in a body and that everything is connected to each other. Nowadays anxiety is in everyone, but we have to accept that things take time. We cannot be the best from one day to the next, we have to be patient and sooner or later our moment will come. To fulfill your dreams you have to desire them and work for them.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the best and most rewarding aspect of being an artist is when your dreams come true. I think my best example is when in 2012 I went to my favorite festival for the first time and I remember saying to myself “one day I will be playing there” and after 5 years of hard work I was playing on the same stage in front of 5,000 people. The important thing is that my dream took 5 years to come true, it was all thanks to the effort and passion that I put into my work. Do what makes you happy and not work for someone else’s dream. Not a science or an exact formula to get what you want but rather effort and dedication.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: noondomusic
• Facebook: noondomusic
• Twitter: noondomusic
• Youtube: noondomusic
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2sid98Cq72a04BZcpIMRuu?si=aQgw0pjIToS9tBteWJ63Ig

Image Credits
Alfredo Do ALL Mar