We recently connected with John Ma’ae and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, John thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I got a bass guitar as a birthday gift when I was 15. I plucked away at it until I could make a proper sound. Days turned into years, bass turned into guitar and Whammo…I’m where I’m at currently!
I could’ve sped up the learning process by taking lessons! Ha-Ha!
The most essential skill, if it could be called that – or virtue, rather – would be patience and love for what it is you’re doing. The other essential skill is honed…and that’s practice, practice, practice.
Obstacles that got in the way, for me, was my own complacency with playing and not taking it serious enough.
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.
Since I was born, music has saturated my soul. It’s built into my culture, my household and was present in almost every activity I was into. Still is.
I got into playing music by playing in bands. Some friends I grew up with were musically gifted and needed a bass player to fill out the lineup of the hardcore band they were forming and so when I mentioned this to the girlfriend, I had at the time she bought me a brand-new bass and practice amp for my birthday. I was off!
My Dad was a touring musician and both sides of my family are innately musical, so rhythm & melody, I feel, are intrinsic.
Our band, The Pollen Collective, is what I’m proud of most with regards to music. We’ve built a good thing and nearly everyone who comes to see us play, without fail, will always mention how good the music makes them feel and how obvious and sincere the vibe of Family comes across, and how the Band makes them feel a part of it. And that’s because they are. That’s what we provide…community. Growing up in the punk & hardcore scene of the middle to late 80’s is something that made a lasting impression on me and is one I try to foster in the Band to this day.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Connection. When you connect with someone who is a total stranger and the two of you become bonded over a piece of music you’ve created, you witness, firsthand, the power of song. And now that total stranger is no longer a stranger but a friend. What’s more rewarding than that!?
How did you build your audience on social media?
We’ve built our audience on social media similarly to how we’ve built our fanbase at our shows – one person at a time. That’s how all real, sustaining interaction occurs. A person sees our live show, likes it, then follows us on social media and sees, and thus, realizes we’re the exact, same people they experienced at the show.
Numbers don’t motivate or impress me. The person standing in front of me while I’m playing is the one who’ll determine whether or not we have a relationship – social or otherwise. We often say during our sets that if you follow us on social media, be prepared to become friends, cause if you post a picture of your vacation or your grandkid and we like it it’s because we like you and hope to see you again.
My advice to anyone starting to build a social media presence would be…to be real. Be yourself, always…as much as possible because you will attract what you put out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thepollencollectiveband.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepollencollective/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePollenCollective/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4fuVDN4Bb9nrSbUwdTvOA
Image Credit
Julie “J-Wu” Morey