We recently connected with Ac Scar and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, AC thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Ever since I was real young I had two things that exited me the most, exploring nature.. and soulful southern music. I spent my days puttering around the lowcountry rivers catching shrimp and collecting medicine bottles. I’d come home, wash up, and go deep into the night listening to my dads vinyl collection of Allman Brothers & BB King – trying to steal a pinch of the magic they pulled out of those guitars. That’s a theme that never faded.

15 years later I found myself halfway around the world. Backpacking through the Himalayas, leading camels across the West Indian desert, dirt biking up and down the volcanic islands of Africa; all with a guitar strapped to my back – the universal tool for spreading joy. No matter what culture I found myself in, no matter what environment, rich, poor, warm, cold.. a simple song was enough to make any group of people smile.

Once I had satisfied my curiosity I came home to start “real” life. That began with a focus on money. I had a masters in physics & engineering, along with a 3 year gap in my resume with no professional explanation why. That landed me on a farming operation in Colorado where I spent the next few years chasing get-rich-quick ventures. None of them were worth their efforts. I was lost and embarrassed by failure.

Through something like divine intervention I had the realization that I was approaching life all wrong. I was trying to make a living so I could do the thing I loved, instead of doing the thing I loved as a means to make a living. A wave of clarity washed over me and the next day I packed my life into a ’67 Ford and moved to Nashville.

Though the Music City gave me a crash course in showbiz mechanics, I failed to find the community that I was so desperately searching for; the “scene” that was romanticized in places like 1960s San Francisco. I had lived in LA, Austin, Denver, Atlanta, the UK, France.. but it took a fated trip back to my lowcountry roots to discover the place where it was all happening. Charleston.

Almost as quickly as I had packed up and left the farm, I had the truck loaded down and was headed south once more. Every day I spent here in Charleston would lead me to another incredible talent; the amount of first-rate musicians in this town is staggering. After all my searching I had found my music city.

Once I had found my place I wasted no time. From walking into bars/venues handing out cards to cold calling event planners and bookers, every hour of my day was devoted to gaining momentum. I quit my day job and soon my solo act turned into a trio, then a 5 piece band. Within a year I had a rotating cast of nearly 50 musicians, building a different band 6 nights a week, often times with 2 or 3 shows a day. The word “no” didn’t exist when it came to gig offers, and the days I looked forward to most were the triple headers with 10hrs of playing. There would be close to 400 shows for the year and I felt like I hadn’t worked a single day. Singing and picking a guitar had become more lucrative than the engineering salaries I’d dreamt about just a year before. Stability had come in the most unexpected disguise imaginable.

I guess that’s the feeling of finding your calling. But when it finally does call, you gotta be there to answer it.. and don’t hang up until you’ve squeezed out every last bit of opportunity it has for you.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve never thought of myself as an artist. All I ever wanted to do was entertain the people around me and spread that warm feeling that music has always given me. And that has led me down a very interesting road. After 10 years of writing and recording I’ve finally just released my debut Album. Can find it on all streaming platforms under AC Scar.

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?

Redefining success:

Success and fulfillment have always been synonymous in my book. If you can pour yourself into a hard days work and come out on the other end proud of what you produced.. that’s success. Add laughs and beers with the people you care about to the job description, and success starts to feel real good.

I’ve done just about every kind of work imaginable, from sweet potato farming in 110 degree Australian heat to microelectronics research at a Scottish laser facility and everything in between. The most important takeaway from it all was this.

Using your income as a measure of success will leave you feeling “worked”. If you use the fulfillment you gain from putting your passion into practice.. you’re left proud and full of energy for more. Instead of looking at the clock waiting for 5pm, you’ll find yourself in overtime with no desire to stop.. and that’s when the paychecks start to stack up.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

For performing artists like myself, go listen to their music on Spotify etc. and go out to see a show sometime. That keeps us going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://HighwaterHonky.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highwaterhonky?igsh=MW40amY4bDFuOGMybg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@highwaterhonky?si=yEQQ5emv05aBRgcf
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/track/5jx3XSKWdRo6vkScVRVd4c?si=TA75vdFMTmSDK7kj7X7i-w