Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Timothy Roberts. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Timothy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

Fortunately, I have. It’s been pretty rocky, but it always is with creative work. You have to do it to know what it is you want to “say” as a creative. It’s always changing and evolving. Day one was frightening and exciting. Then you settle in and realize just how hard it’s gonna be. There’s been many times I was depressed and more than a little hopeless, but you push through and keep creating and then things shift. I feel lucky to get to do what I do. There really is no substitute for putting in the hours. I could’ve done many things different over the years, but I wouldn’t have learned. The mistakes can be your best teachers.

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 grew up in a musical family, and fell in love with music and the drums at a very early age. I immediately gravitated towards cymbals and, as an early teenager, I would spend hours researching what my favorite drummers played. In 2008, I went to study music in college. It was there that I fell in love with jazz and began collecting cymbals from some of the smaller boutique brands that offer handmade cymbals. I did one of my final research projects on “cymbals and how they produce their sound” in 2012. It was there that my interest in the craft reached a deeper level. In 2015, after a few years of making a living as a touring/session drummer, I started my company, Reverie Drum Co. I started by building custom drums and crafting percussion instruments (called “Stack Ring Percussion”) made out of recycled cymbals. This gave me my opportunity to learn about bronze and its properties by actually working with it. I started repairing and modifying cymbals in 2017 and officially launched “Timothy Roberts Handcrafted Cymbals” in 2020. To date, I’ve handcrafted around 750 original cymbals and modified well over 1200 cymbals from other brands. I also run a youtube channel, when I make videos that dive deep into the craft of cymbal-smithing and drum-making. My company employs a handful of really tantend craftsman and musicians that help me produce the products.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think being business-savvy is incredibly understated in the world artists and creatives occupy. I know I avoided learning good business practices for about 5 years into my creative journey. Being business savvy is all about creating longevity and sustainability for our work.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal from the beginning has been to create products that feel like they have substance and inspiration to them. There’s something so disconnected with many instruments that come from big box manufacturers, and when you buy them you have to make them into something that’ll inspire you. That can involve getting them a little “beat up” and used before they are any fun to play. If my instruments can carry a sense of imperfection and humanity to them then the hope is they can inspire you from the get go. Many musicians and drummers may love “perfect” and “brand new”, but I never have and I know many musicians like me in this regard. I want my instruments to be brand new and also feel 50+ years old and “played in”.

Contact Info:

• Website: reveriedrums.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reverie_drums/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reveriedrumco
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXzIQRAiEnG_kWZ2iMSwGkA

Image Credits
Jonathan Collin Greene