We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Logan Thomas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Logan below.

Hi Logan, 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?

I am grateful to be earning a full-time living as a performing musician. There was a lot of trial and error to get here, and it certainly was not an easy journey, but it has definitely been worth it.

I played in a wide variety of bands throughout my teenage years, playing everything from indie rock to metal to worship music. I eventually discovered my love for songwriting and decided to pursue a career as a solo artist.

I thought it would be an easy transition but it took a lot more hard work and grinding than I anticipated. My first year as a solo artist, I made zero dollars. The second year, I made a small amount of money but not nearly enough to live off of. The third year I was able to work part time and make a part time living with music.

The fourth year was covid, which was obviously an anomaly so I wouldn’t necessarily count that. However, the year after that in 2021 I was able to transition to making a full-time living in music. This year in 2022, I am going to break the 6-figure mark which is feels absolutely unreal and I am honored to get to do this for a living.

If I had to pick one thing that would have sped up the process, it would have been to think about how I can serve others with my music. We all want to be known for our art, but the only way to earn money is to find ways to serve others. When I stopped focusing so much on what I wanted and decided to focus on how I could serve my clients, my music income grew exponentially.

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 got into music from a young age by being inspired by classic rock artists like Van Halen and Metallica. After performing in a variety of bands over the years, I settled into the role of singer-songwriter because I realized that I didn’t care what style of music I performed, I simply appreciated great songs regardless of genre.

I am a performing singer-songwriter, so there area. few different dimensions to what I do. First and foremost I am an artist, so I write, record, & perform my original music which is a soulful brand of pop music inspired by artists like John Mayer and Ed Sheeran.

In addition to creating original music, the majority of the work I do is performing at events. I specialize in an upbeat brand of soulful pop music, so I do lots of weddings as well as private parties, corporate events, and more. The characteristics that set me apart from others are my bluesy guitar playing as well as my song choice that is characterized by putting a soulful spin on popular songs from a wide range of decades and genres.

My proudest moment as a musician was performing at Red Rocks in Colorado. I lived in Colorado for a few years, and Red Rocks hosts local artists during the off season. I was lucky enough to be one of their featured artists and it was an amazing experience to perform at one of the most iconic venues in the world.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

This most important lesson I had to unlearn was the false belief that it is the audience’s job to appreciate your art. As much as we would like to believe that artists deserve to make a living simply for being creative, that is not reality. The reality is that it is the artist’s job to create art that their audience appreciates. It is a subtle distinction but an incredibly important one.

That doesn’t mean that creators should sacrifice their artistic integrity, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with creating art for art’s sake; however, if your goal is to earn a living with your art, you must remember that it is your audience who will support you, and your art is more about them than it is about you. This may be an unpopular opinion but I have found it to be the most important driving factor in my success as a creative.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There is one book in particular that has set the frame for how I approach my life as a creative: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It is a book that strikes the perfect balance between the artistic side of being a creative with the hard work and dedication needed to make a living with your art.

The main premise of the book is that as a creative, it is your job to show up every day and create regardless of how you feel. If you wait for inspiration to strike, you will never be truly great. The great artists show up and create despite whatever external circumstances stand in their way, and showing up daily is what sets apart those who succeed from those who don’t.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.loganthomasmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loganthomasmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loganthomasmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/loganthomasmusic