We were lucky to catch up with Ethan Ziemba recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ethan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I’ve been very happy as a creative, though it is not easy whatsoever. I think with a regular job you’re given particular assurances, and that can add a lot of stability and safety in your career. I feel though that I would find myself to be far less happy if I followed a path that didn’t allow me to work in the field that I feel most passionate about. I’m lucky in that way for the opportunities I’ve been given that have allowed me to work within a field that I love so much.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a music producer, songwriter and music instructor that has been working in LA for several years. I became involved in music from a young age and could never imagine a career outside of that sort of creative field. Professionally, I produce, song write, engineer, record and teach music in varying capacities. I think it’s exciting to be able to solve particular creative challenges for clients and I approach these challenges as personal growing and learning experiences. Achieving a particular creative vision, especially for others, is an awesome challenge that I really enjoy. I’m most proud of all the music I’ve been able to create over the years, and I think most artists feel the same about the things they’ve made; it’s why we do it after all.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Not much of a hot button topic any longer, as we’ve seen the fallout now after the initial NFT wave, but I think they are generally poor for art and thankfully irrelevant. NFT’s promote monetization and income as the genesis for any NFT project. They are born from the desire to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can, and thus artists aren’t really the ones actually making them. We have businesses, corporations and people just trying to make a quick buck using “art” as their new tech cash cow and often times are ripping from independent and smaller artists in order to do so. If you’re a working artists, it’s generally because you actually like art and have a real reason and purpose to create. It’s great to make money as an artist, but money isn’t the reason someone becomes an artist. This is solely a trend to use the idea of art to try to make ludicrous amounts of money. People seem to have caught on considering most NFTs are worth mere fractions of what they used to be.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Personally, the best thing people can do is actually show up for artists. Be someone who wants to support artists and give them a fair shake, especially when you haven’t heard of them or know little to nothing about them. All too often people’s opinions are shaped by advertising, corporate sponsorship or being told what is “hot” in a scene instead of attempting to find something new that I’ve never heard before. I think people put up barriers in their heads about smaller or independent artists and are less and less likely to give creatives the time of day. Being open to something new or giving a recently discovered artist a focused listen can sometimes be a super rewarding experience and you could potentially find your new favorite song or album by giving things a chance. Show up to live shows even if you don’t know the acts, and explore your local areas for local acts. Any of these things can help these artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.deadfriendmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdeadfriend/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/realdeadfriend
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deadfriendmusic2518

Image Credits
Kimmy Velez