We were lucky to catch up with Arthur Buezo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Arthur, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you think about spending on things like coffee when times are tough?

At different times in my life, taking care of myself/self-care meant sometimes opposite things. However, i always held it higher than money. It was always a thought that i wont be remembering how in debt ill be after touring the UK for the first time. I’ll look back and say wow i actually did that by myself. Getting the experiences of living is synonymous with self-care for me, so thats where most of my money goes.

Arthur, 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 got into being a professional musician back when i was attempting to go to Paul Smiths College in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY. After hitch-hiking and train-hopping around the United States, that proved to be quite the challenging transition. I met an old childhood friend there, along with a whole crew of new ones. At local parties, instruments would be taken out and a bunch of people would be playing music together. Eventually the players boiled down to three others and myself. We called ourselves, The Blind Owl Band. We were consistently full time touring for around 11 years. That instilled the good-ole-work-horse way of making a living being a musician. Eventually, life for all of us started to drift in directions abit too far to keep the same momentum going, so i started a solo career. Now, I am a self managed one-man-band act with the self branded Savage Folk. Just recently being able to use the phrases, “Award Winning” and “Internationally Touring”, which feels nice. I been staying afloat for just about 7 years now. I want people to walk away from my shows thinking, Ive never heard anything like that, whether they want to hear it again or not. I have a consistent habit of being nothing but myself, and i hope i can influence people to embrace their own self. I love what i do, so i play as passionately as i can every show, but when it comes banter time, theres no way around this goof. Oh well. Im a lifer, or so i say, and i will always be pushing myself just outside of my comfort zone to see whats next.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The War of Art. I was just given this book by a friend of mine in Prescott, AZ. I started reading it on my tour across the United States and then fly to tour the UK for the first time. Its roughly about the existence of ‘Resistance’ and how to live with it. ‘Resistance’ is the force within us all that, keeps us from sitting down to write, read, paint, draw, sing, strum, and everything we have a desire to start doing. Everytime i feel my mind starting to make an excuse(resistance) for why i shouldnt pick up an instrument or start booking for the new year, or…finish this interview ;). I think about what ive learned from this book and how i dont want to trick myself into being stagnant.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Workhorse Strategy. Immersion. Although im not sure how well full-time touring does these days, in the shadow of social media. I do full-time touring mostly regionally in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. which got me to get a show booked with a performer (now life long friend) who started getting big with a viral video. He is all about sharing the light and bringing up his fellow human so we toured the US for 3 1/2 months together. That tour helped me step up to a higher plateau of recogniton with social media and spotify plays and whatnot. Basically what im getting at, and figuring out while i write this is….although it seems as though social media is becoming the only way to get a growing fanbase, doing my absolute best outside of that world is working out just fine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/arthurbuezo
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthurbuezo?igsh=MXhyN3ltcjduemQ2eg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthur.buezo?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=arthur+buezo
• Other: https://arthurbuezo.bandcamp.com

Image Credits

stage shot: Aurora Simpson
close up: Barry Hill