We were lucky to catch up with Gabriel Blackmon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gabriel , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I was raised by two living parents who were both the musical children in their respective families. My older brother also was involved in music as a Tuba player and a DJ. I experienced a lot of fear as a kid, which did a number on my self confidence. It was really hard to be sure of myself when it came to being good at creative things. I don’t have any formal training and I always thought ppl would be able to tell, then I’d get exposed as a fraud lol. Before I ever released a song, I had a pretty extensive song library of demos written for other artists, then was the dilemma of artists actually hearing these songs so they may purchase one. I feel that if I started releasing music 2 or 3 years earlier, I would be further along. Fear can be so crippling and freezing was my response to sharing my art with the world. I believe I will reach all the ppl I’m supposed to, I just wish I had the courage sooner. I also had the support of my family and loved ones around me. Without them having my back and encouraging me continually, I’m sure I would have waited longer to start.
Gabriel , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Getting into the music industry was always a goal of mine, but I definitely mythologized the idea of flipping a switch and I’m magically in the industry. That’s not how it works though. My way into the music industry was going to be through the recording studio, sharing my beats and song ideas with the other musicians around me, and learning from them. I love the studio environment so I started teaching myself how to mix and working on my writing skills. I still offer recording, mixing and mastering services, as well as songwriting, production, and whatever you may need that goes into the creation of a song.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Learning to trust my creativity when writing is by far one of the the most important things i had to practice. I used to write songs with these crazy details and I was really meticulous about lyrics, but those songs never quite got the same response. I had a few friends give me opinions and they said it sounded like the lyrics were forced. In truth, they definitely were, but totally missing feeling and direction. When I tried the method of writing that I do now, it was really uncomfortable and I wasn’t positive I would be pleased with the results. I was pleasantly surprised when i trusted my abilities and now I have more ears on me than ever before. Trust your passion and allow it to be seen
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I honestly wish I knew the truth about management and gatekeepers in the music industry. There were a few times my time and talents were taken advantage of, but as soon as I noticed, I separated myself from the situation and looked for another opportunity to use my craft. I wish I knew that management isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Having representation sounds nice, but it’s not necessary these days with how many self-starters there are. You can make your own path, your own success, and peace of mind knowing you did things on your own terms
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/gabrielblackmon61
- Instagram: @gabrielblackmon
- Facebook: Gabriel Blackmon Music Page
Image Credits
All photos and edits created by Gabriel Blackmon