We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alan Skowron. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alan below.

Alright, Alan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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 have been earning a full-time living teaching and performing music for approximately the past 15 years. I began by teaching music, mostly guitar lessons at a local music store. As my schedule allowed, I expanded to teach throughout the day instead of only the evenings. I was able to do this by not working a regular non-music oriented job. Over the years, I have built a good reputation and generally have good retention with students. Also, my business began to grow through the use of advertising, but more importantly, through referrals. Having some flexibility and understanding the goals of students has helped me retain students longer and to acquire new students through recommendations. I expanded my instruction business as well by offering more services which catered to other instruments besides guitar.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started out by teaching part-time at a music store, mostly doing guitar lessons. Over the course of time, I expanded to offering music instruction for other instruments as well such as piano, bass, mandolin and ukulele. In conjunction with teaching private music lessons, I also perform music in various bands and as a solo artist. One particular area I am proud of is my creative work regarding song composition. After several years of playing in various rock and jazz bands on the side, I launched myself as a solo artist. During the last decade or so, I have written and recorded around 100 songs. In 2019, I released my debut album called “Everlasting Spirit”. My second album, “Evidence of Autumn” will be released during the upcoming fall of 2024. You can find out more information about my lesson studio and music artist materials at my website which is www.alanskowron.com.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a music artist and instructor is sharing my music and musical knowledge with other people. Whether it is in the music classroom, performing while on stage or listening to my music, I feel a connection with other people who are listening and/or learning from me.

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

I think people in general can support music and musicians by valuing it instead of sometimes taking it for granted. In the digital age which we live in, it’s easy to stream music on-line and watch videos instead of going to concerts and buying records. Also, parents can continue to encourage their children to be curious about music by playing a lot of musical recordings during leisure time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alanskowron.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alanskowronband/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanskowron
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alanskowron2783
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/alan-skowron-guitar-and-music-lessons-loveland
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-46860930
• Other: https://www.reverbnation.com/alanskowron/songs
  https://alanskowron.bandcamp.com/
  
  
  https://www.facebook.com/AlanSkowronGuitaristMusician
  https://www.boomermusiccompany.com/alan-zkowron/