We recently connected with William Weil and have shared our conversation below.
William, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am incredibly happy to be pursuing a career as a creative, although it can be very challenging at times. I rarely think about trying to have a “regular” job because I have worked those kind of jobs and the path I’m on now is much more fulfilling. The last time I thought about having a regular job was when I took a gig as a drummer for a band because I needed the money, but I was not very interested in the music of that band. It’s very hard to take something you’ve loved all your life and have to sacrifice your creative integrity for a paycheck. I was not very excited for rehearsals or the gig itself, but afterwards I came to a realization. I would choose music 100% of the time as my source of income over any other type of job, regardless of if that music aligns with my own creativity. I think the biggest key to this is to break down your art into two categories: the art you do for money, and the art you do for your personal enjoyment. I believe the more you invest into the art you do for personal enjoyment, the money likely it is to also become the art that gets you a paycheck.
William, 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?
I’ve been a musician for as long as I can remember. There are pictures of me as a very young child banging on drum sets and playing with other percussion instruments. My main instrument is drum set & percussion, but I also learned guitar and bass from a young age. My mom and dad both played a bit of guitar and taught me how to play basic chords and how to read tabs. I picked it up very quickly and soon surpassed the knowledge they had to give me. I would sit in my room all day and learn my favorite songs as best as I could and I still do that to this day. Much of my music education came through a school and private lesson setting. I took drum set and percussion lessons from about the age of eight to all the way through college. I remember in elementary school we had a music class where we could use GarageBand on school computers and create songs by arranging different loops. This was my first real introduction to music production (as basic as it may be.) In high school, I got Logic Pro and started making hip hop beats and guitar loops with my friends for fun. When it was time to think about college and my future career, I knew music was what I was best at and wanted to do my whole life. I auditioned for Berklee College of Music and was accepted into the Contemporary Writing & Production major. I learned advanced production and engineering techniques, while also continuing with private lessons and playing in various ensembles. My first paycheck from music came in my senior year at Berklee when I mixed and mastered an EP for a fellow classmate. I remember feeling so excited and fulfilled from making money from my production and music engineering knowledge. At this point, I’ve made the majority of my money from freelance production, engineering, and songwriting services.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding feeling I get from being a creative is the goosebumps I get from listening to music I’ve been a part of making. Regardless of the money, I believe the purpose of art is to evoke an emotional response from the viewer or listener. When I make a happy song that I can’t help but smile while listening to, or a sad song that makes me want to cry, that is what’s most rewarding to me. I know if my own music can evoke emotion within myself, then it can do the same for others and make them feel less alone.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The funny thing about music production and engineering is that there’s thousands of different ways to go about it. There is no objectively correct way to produce or engineer, but my education tried to teach me that way. When I was first learning to mix and master, my schooling taught me a very streamlined process to get it done. While it taught me great techniques and gave me extensive knowledge or different DAWs and plug-ins, I came to realize that the way I was taught is not the only way to create a beautiful product. I used to put certain plug-ins on tracks because “that’s just the way you do it.” But with more work I’ve done, I’ve come to realize that less is more. If you want a natural sounding track, don’t add a bunch of compression or effects that will make it sound unnatural. The number one rule that sounds so simple but is really not: USE YOUR EARS.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.williamweilmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willweil/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/will.weil/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2PfROW9lPOs4tiKuAKaLOQ
- Other: https://www.songfinch.com/artists/82080