We recently connected with Aaron Rizzo and have shared our conversation below.

Aaron, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

When I was younger, I constantly thought about the idea of making my entire living from music. I loved the idea of going on tour all year and hitting the studio in the off time. While that would be ideal, it truly does take an incredibly diverse set of activities to make a full living on music if you aren’t a major touring artist. Everything from online lessons to session work finds its way into your daily schedule. With so much of the music industry existing online and on social media, it’s important to have somewhat of a presence there. I’ve found myself taking odd jobs and sketchy gigs in an effort to make ends meet some months.

It took a good deal of time to get to a point where I didn’t need another job to help pay my bills. Over the past ten years, I’ve worked all sorts of jobs from Uber driver to guitar salesman in order to supplement my income. During this time, there was a constant internal struggle of stability versus risk. I had to be willing to live in the ambiguous realm of not knowing if I was going to be paid that week. With time came the big milestones — selling out a show, having higher studio rates, finding a community of other musicians doing the same thing, etc. Looking back, I would not have rushed this process or skipped any steps. Albeit severely difficult and painful at times, every tiny moment has led me to where I am today. I constantly think about an excerpt from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield; “The Bhagavad-Gita tells us we have a right only to our labor, not to the fruits of our labor. All the warrior can give is his life; all the athlete can do is leave everything on the field.” I love this quote because it reminds me to live inside the journey without fixating on the end, that of which I have very little control of. I think about this quote any time I get run down as a full-time musician. It helps me to remember why I started doing this in the first place and grounds me in that moment.

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 have been lucky enough to be playing music since a very early age. I always knew I wanted to be in music, specifically the performance side of it. I started playing guitar at the age of 9 and quickly developed an obsession for it. There was always incredible music being played in my house growing up, and I believe it had a massive impact on who I became as an artist. Over the next several years, I honed my craft by practicing, playing in bands and getting involved in the studio. Doing all this before the age of 20 gave me an immensely sturdy foundation upon which to build my career as a working musician. It gave me plenty of time to explore my curiosities and make the mistakes that I needed to make as a young creative that would provide me the wherewithal to move in a more effective way as I got older.

As I continued on, collaboration became a cornerstone of my musical routine. I started playing in bands and recording original music in my parents’ basement regularly. We would take those records to the stage and perform live as much as we possibly could — performing anywhere from rock clubs to backyard graduation parties. Now that I’m older, it’s funny how the venues and people have changed but the original spirit very much remains. I’m grateful and proud of these experiences as a young artist. I can’t help but to cringe when looking back at it, but they were such an important part of my journey. I want potential clients and collaborators to know this about me because it’s important that people feel heard, no matter where they are in the process. It’s easy to forget that those you look up to had to start at some point.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

For me, it’s all centered around connection and community. Every part of this process takes a village and it’s possible for all of us to support each other and come up together. In the beginning, I struggled to realize that being an artist is not a zero sum game. There is room for all of us. We may play different roles, but we all belong. I want to bring people together with my art just as much as I want to be brought together with others by someone else’s.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being proficient at what you do is merely the foundation of building a good reputation. So much of building said reputation exists outside of practicing or showcasing your skills. Personally, I care about three things — showing up on time, caring about what you do and being a good hang. The ability to play nice with others is such an essential skill. I try to avoid letting my ego lead me into a room, and rather let gratitude be the sentiment that leads me in. I also try to always remain a student that is open to new information and ways of doing things. Carrying myself in this way has led me to some amazing places in my life and allowed me the pleasure of meeting some of the most wonderful people. I’m incredibly humbled by that.

Needless to say, it’s also important to be technically good at what you do. If people know that you can show up on time, be prepared and perform the job well, you’ll likely be called back to that gig. In a musical sense, knowing the difference between practicing and a rehearsal has done wonders for me. It has helped to show people that I want to be there and that I’ll be prepared when the time comes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aaronrizzomusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronrizzomusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaronrizzomusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aaronrizzo
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronrizzo

Image Credits

Jeremiah Rafferty, Matt Wheeler