We were lucky to catch up with Aaron McCloskey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aaron, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to make a living doing the things I love. I perform in an award winning bluegrass band called Wood Belly, build custom handcrafted tube amplifiers, and teach music. Between those three things I’ve carved out a comfortable living. In the recent years I’ve shifted more towards playing and building but still love teaching as well. I started playing music professionally when I was in my mid twenties and didn’t have a lot of responsibilities or living costs so I was able to make it work by playing and teaching. Since then I’ve developed in both areas and my income has risen with the general costs of life that have grown as I’ve gotten older. I started building amplifiers on a whim and have since built 125 of them and learned a ton along the way.

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

I see myself as a musician who also builds amplifiers and I take a ton of pride in both fields. I’ve always been a diligent and dedicated student of music and that has carried over into my love for crafting tube amps. I love the process of learning and pushing myself to do different things. Identifying weaknesses and working on them is another thing I’m always trying to do.

In the amplifier realm, I try to make products that suit each client perfectly. I want the amp to fit the players style in terms of tone, vibe, and feel. I’m very proud to have a huge number of extremely satisfied customers and I love hearing positive feedback. I want people to love their amplifiers and will do what I have to so that happens.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I get to follow my heart and mind down different paths. There is no schedule, no monotony, no day to day sameness. When I have a new and interesting project (either musically or an amp) I’ll be thinking about it all the time. My mind will drift to it and I get to think about all the what ifs before settling on the final product.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

In general, artists struggle to find enough support and musicians have a tough go these days. With streaming services dominating the marketplace it is almost impossible to make money from recordings and it’s been incredibly difficult to depend on live performances the last few years. Musicians are struggling and the best way to support them is by buying merchandise and music directly from the artist, going to concerts, and contributing to crowd funding campaigns. If a band you like is doing a kickstarter, don’t hold back, we need you!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mcclostone.com, www.woodbellymusic.com
• Instagram: @mcclostoneamps, @wood_belly
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcclostone
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ovr_Q_eZbuQgFS7JM30Bw

Image Credits
Emily Sierra Photography for the first 2, Backstage Flash