We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Hill a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Given the nature of what I do as a creative/performer, one of the only metrics of success talked about often is fame. But since I was probably 15 years old I realized fame was more of a sacrifice than it was a perk. Even so it was a sacrifice I was willing to make if it meant I got to spend all my time doing what I loved. That is, until I started discovering more underground artists and realized you don’t have to be a household name to live off your art. With the idea of waiting to be discovered or getting signed to a label becoming less and less relevant, it gave me the confidence and the vision to pursue a full time career in music on my own. The music industry unfortunately is notorious for not paying artists properly (getting paid in exposure or 0.003 cents per stream) so one way I was able to bring in more income was through writing and producing for other artists, studios and labels. Ironically I took the leap from part time to full time in November 2019. Just a few months later Covid hit and that terrified me. Luckily all the musicians stuck at home wanted to remain productive, so my ability to adapt and work remotely made it so that I got to continue to work full time for the next 4 years. Living off your art is less steady than a 9-5 with lots of ups and downs so you have to plan accordingly. But the extra time and flexibility you get from it, combined with being able to help others with your creativity is well worth leaving your comfort zone.

Michael, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My personal music journey goes by the name Septembryo and it can be described as paranormal pop rock which has a comic book series of the same name that ties into the music. I’m the writer of the book and my good friend Roberto Duque of Rad Pencils is the artist. My songwriting/production services go by the name Love Hz Productions. I’m one of the in house producers at The Audiohouse Recording Studio in Calgary, but I also work freelance for a number of outlets. As a freelancer I have the flexibility to change my process based on a client’s needs/budget. As an artist myself, I know what it’s like to work with very little sometimes and I’ve learned a variety of ways to make a project sound like a million bucks without having to charge it. I specialize in helping solo artists who, may not have a band or access to instruments, create fully arranged instrumentation for their radio ready produced songs. I’ve worked in a variety of genres including pop, hip hop, country, folk, punk, metal, and even meditation. I’ve been nominated serval times for various works and even got one client (Talia Sargent) a YYCMA nomination for her very first single.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think the best thing society as a whole can do to help support the arts is recognize what an impact the arts have on everyday life. There is almost nowhere you can look without witnessing the work of an artist. Nothing you can experience that wasn’t dreamed up, created or enhanced by art in some way. For whatever reason, there is this common view of working in the arts as not being real work. And with the explosion of AI art and music, many would argue that gap in understanding of what actually goes into the arts may be widening. However I’m a little more optimistic and will take a risk in predicting that the increasing popularity of AI art may actually be the thing that finally makes us collectively understand art’s true value. When something becomes cheap to produce and widely accessible, it loses value. And I see this happening already. Even as AI gets better and better at producing an end result that may sound like it was made by a real artist, this could be the very thing that will make people appreciate the process! And in turn the artists themselves. My hope is that the new, most in demand thing anyone could ask for will be… real human artists! And when that time comes maybe we might get offered a little more than exposure or 0.003 cents per stream. Can you tell I’m an optimist?

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Probably the most rewarding thing I have found working in production with other artists is being able to help them in ways that I longed for when I was a young artist. Giving them access to services, resources and even information that felt like they were kept secret when I was starting out. It’s such a good feeling knowing I can help artists beyond just the services they’re paying for. But it’s also incredibly rewarding to talk with an artist about their unique vision and witnessing them realize it. Taking what is inside their heads and making it real! And that has always been the most rewarding thing about my personal artistic journey, turning thoughts into things. Creating what you wish existed. How else do you end up with a paranormal themed electro rock music project with a comic book series? It’s what the kid in me always wanted!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.septembryo.com
• Instagram: @septembryo
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Septembryo
• Youtube: https://YouTube.com/Septembryo
• Other: Production:
  Audiohouse.ca
  Instagram @lovehzproductions

Image Credits

Photo 1 by Doug Wong
Photo 2 Septembryo comic cover Art by Roberto Duque
Photo 3 by Bence Horvai
Photo 3 at the Audiohouse Recording Studio
Photo 4 at the Calgary Comic Expo with Septembryo comic creators (left to right) Michael Hill & Roberto Duque