We were lucky to catch up with Trent Peltz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Trent thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I like to say that I’ve been on an unwavering creative path since I entered this world.

Before I could speak, you could find me shadowing my grandpa as he played the blues on the piano, or dancing in the shopping cart as my mom navigated the aisles of our local grocery store. If you were to ask my parents what the first sounds that came out of my mouth were, they’d easily say ‘a melody.’

By the time I was 6, I was performing in multiple musical theater productions every year and could recite almost any Beatles or Elvis record front-to-back. It was clear that I was meant to be a performer; however, there was little that Tampa, FL had to offer for someone like me.

My mom always recognized this and when I was 10, she decided to bring me to LA to explore a potential career in acting. What was intended as only a 3 month trial, quickly turned into a permanent relocation when I booked my first acting job, a national Gushers commercial.

Though this was the coolest experience a 10-year-old boy could ever ask for, the move to LA was not without its painful consequences. The move caused immense stress on my parents’ relationship and eventually led to their extremely long and vicious divorce. Because of this, I spiraled into the first true depression I had ever experienced and began finding myself naturally drawn to writing music as my only source of solace.

At the end of my 5th grade school year, after I had written dozens of songs about the emotions I had been experiencing, my crush was throwing a birthday party. In a typical unashamed 5th-grader fashion, I decided I would write her a love song and surprise her with a performance of it at her party.

When the moment came for her to open gifts, I set up my keyboard, plugged my electric guitar into an amp, and performed the song in front of our entire 5th grade class. While this may have been the most embarrassing moment of her entire adolescence, the rest of the class was cheering me on and I will never forget feeling truly transcendent.

From that point forward, I knew, more than ever, that I would be a performing musician and songwriting was my passion.

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.

I’ve always believed that the purpose of art is to inspire human connection.

As a songwriter, I write brutally honest music about my personal experiences and my observations regarding the human condition. I want to write about things that others can relate to and hopefully be inspired by, whether that’s love, death, nature, depression, or anxiety.

While I’ve toured with other bands as a musician and produced songs for other artists, my true passion will always be writing music for myself.

I can’t say that my music fits into any single genre or box. Because writing music is my therapy and the most vulnerable outlet for me to express whatever I may be feeling at a given moment, my music spans between indie, folk, rock, pop, and psychedelic vibes. Sometimes I’ll write an acoustic folk song because that’s what represents my emotions at that time; however, the next day I may be producing a heavy rock tune.

I think that’s one of the main things that sets me apart from many artists. My grandpa always told me from a young age, “Music is the boss. When it tells you to do something, you do it.” His words have always lived in my head and allowed me to be extremely versatile in my taste and exploration as an artist. There’s no right or wrong answers and I simply want to explore it all.

This range of vibes and introspective contexts is well displayed in my most recent EP, “End of an Innocent Nation.”

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Rick Rubin’s “The Creative Act” truly transformed me. He articulates so many thoughts about the creative process that I’ve abstractly had, but never been able to properly put into words, really hammering home the idea that there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to art and the importance of completing something in its entirety, regardless of whether you end up doing anything with it or not.

Now, whenever I find myself at a creative impasse or struggling to finish an idea, I open up his book to a random page and simply read for a few minutes. Without fail, every single time I find myself grounded and ready to productively move forward.

I couldn’t recommend this book enough to any person pursuing a creative career.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Having a platform to publicly and freely express my own thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and perspectives through my art is already beyond rewarding in itself. However, there is truly not a more incredible feeling than when someone shares that they were moved or resonated with your art. It’s those moments that make the artist’s path worth it.

I’ve always said that if I can inspire even a single person through my art, that’s a success.

Playing live shows is where I experience this most often. While a listener can stream your song and still relate to it, there’s a certain aspect to seeing an artist perform their songs live that enables the audience to vicariously live through them and experience what they did when they wrote the song.

This feeling is what I live for and all I want is for others to take something valuable away from the messages I share through my songs. And of course, the more, the merrier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/47g14DDLZXTW1igoFG875M
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tpeltz/

Image Credits

Kristen Jan Wong