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

Aaron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

Jack of all trades but master of none. Have you ever heard that old saying?
Odds are you have never heard the rest of it. It goes, “Jack of all trades but master of none, is still always better than master of one.” When I started my journey in the music and production business my father told me to learn a little bit about every part of the industry even if later you decide to be a specialist and do one thing. I took this to heart. I learned piano, guitar, mandolin, engineering, electronics, guitar repair, live sound, video production, graphic editing, promotion, marketing, branding, and on and on. For the last 28 years, I have earned a living in the Music business both as a touring artist and professional songwriter and also as a studio and live sound engineer. But here’s the kicker… all of those auxiliary music business skills actually opened the doors to income and opportunities I would never have dreamed of! For instance, another artist asked me to create some merchandise for them that was unique so I started to learn how to make custom leather bracelets with their logo on them. This led to learning to make other leather goods that eventually caught the eye of Joanna Gains from Fixer Upper and Magnolia Silos and I became the leather goods designer for a time for their shop.
Crazy right?
In the digital age of Social Media, I early on learned that I needed to have these marketing and branding skills to reach people with my music. I couldn’t just write songs and record them and put them out there into the universe and hope they caught on.
So I began to learn how to leverage video and social marketing techniques as well as how to build a brand online. in the Summer of 2017, I received a message from the Executive producer of NBC’s The Voice who had seen one of my short song videos on Instagram and wanted me to be on a new show she was pitching to the network called Songland. So we filmed a pilot! The show ended up being put on hold for several years and reworked with a different format but the connections were made and new opportunities began to stream in.
Three years later in 2020 I got another call from NBC after a different casting director watched a song video I released on my Instagram and asked me to be on season 20 of The Voice! Crazy right?
Because I have always followed the mantra of “Jack of all trades” and tried my hand at whatever presented itself I have had the chance to Perform for the President of the United States, on The Voice, Open for George Strait, work with everyone from Travis Tritt to Lyle Lovett and Wynonna Judd!
My grandfather always said, “Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your heart.”
So learn a craft. Become an expert at that craft. Along the way when you get the chance to learn about other aspects of your chosen craft say yes! You never know what doors will open down the road as a result.

Aaron, 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 grew up in a family of musicians and producers in the Christian music industry. I began learning to write and play at the age of 7 and began learning audio engineering from my father when I was 13.
I am a professional songwriter and producer as well as a live sound engineer and consultant.
I also work with many small businesses and property developers in the field of Brand development and identity, Marketing and advertising, social media strategies, and content creation.
I operate and design custom merchandise for 3 different online apparel brands that I started.
I create custom Felt hats in the style of Stetson and others.
I started and operated a custom leather design company for several years that designed curated goods for boutiques and brands including Magnolia Silos and HGTV’s Fixer Upper.
My greatest joy is helping creatives find the right ways to communicate with their audience whether that be in branding, advertising strategies, music production, songwriting, scoring for films, or content creation.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2014 I was let go from a multisite satellite church startup where I had been doing music, branding, graphic design, and video and forced to move back home to Waco Texas. No job. No money. Two young kids. So I ran into an old friend I grew up with who owned a small boutique in Waco and she asked if I would make her a leather bracelet. So I did. Another boutique owner saw it and asked if I could make earrings. I had no idea how, but I said yes and then set off to figure it out. Within several months I was now designing and making custom leather goods and jewelry for Magnolia Market (From the HGTV show Fixer Upper) as well as several other large Boutique stores and markets. A local Texas Winery owner bought some of my jewelry and liked the branding so much that she asked if I could design a new brand for them. I said yes. This then led to creating a whole new label and brand for the winery, helping them open a new downtown tasting room and more.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Stop following and messaging famous artists and influencers in hopes of a connection. Seriously stop! It’s like standing outside a celebrities house and throwing pebbles at the back gate. Instead, build a tribe.
Take care of your fans and really connect with them. Provide what they want. Let them into your story and process. This is how you grow on Social media.
Be consistent.
Stay in contact.
Be honest and don’t pretend to be what you are not.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.convergentmusic.com
• Instagram: @aaronkonzelman
• Facebook: www.facebookcom/aaronkonzelman
• Twitter: @aaronkonzelman

Image Credits
Ben Bender