We caught up with the brilliant and insightful A’saph Darby a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi A’saph , thanks for 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?

Earning a full-time living from creative work is something that most, if not all creatives and entrepreneurs desire. “I’M TIRED OF WORKING IN A FIELD THAT DOESN’T ALIGN WITH MY PASSION”, are probably words we all have uttered. To be transparent, while I do earn some income, I haven’t actually actualized the fullness of making my creative work lucrative, consistently and full-time, BUT, I am getting closer to the vision as the days progress, and am finding myself saying the words “I’M TIRED OF WORKING IN A FIELD THAT DOESN’T ALIGN WITH MY PASSION”, less. So, while I haven’t gotten there yet, I can see the progress clearly! If I had to ask myself, in the most honest fashion, if I think I could have sped up the process somehow, if I applied all that I know now, back then, I would say “ABSOLUTELY, YES!” is my main answer, but I’ll get into why I would somewhat say no, too. Yes, because some of the major steps I would’ve taken is being more mentally disciplined, intentional about putting the time and effort into the grind, being more consistent, and being more intentional about learning more about my craft. I quickly realized how important it is to get to a place of being more mentally disciplined, intentional, and consistent with life things and creative work. Those key elements make it conducive for growth, and are ultimately some of the greatest milestones that you can reach, opening doors that lead to even bigger milestones. On the other side of that coin, I say no, because I do believe that some things are a product of timing, and even if you’re doing all the “key” things to get from point A to B, sometimes, the world just doesn’t understand the uniqueness of your artistry, and it becomes easy to feel overlooked. But don’t be discouraged, because there will come a day when the world will catch on. Until then, keep working, learning, and exploring, until you capture your vision and get to the place where you can earn a full-time living from your creative work. Then, you’ll finally be done saying: “I’M TIRED OF WORKING IN A FIELD THAT DOESN’T ALIGN WITH MY PASSION!”

A’saph , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a musician, actor, filmmaker, songwriter, recording artist, rapper, screenwriter, music producer, and videographer/cinematographer extraordinaire. Okay, that’s a mouthful, right? But hey, variety is the spice of life, and I like to keep things spicy! I’ve produced a ton of songs for artists (including myself), shot many music videos and films, been on many film sets (and even acted on some), done many collaborations, and more!

So, how did I get into this swimming pool of creativity? Well, it all started with traveling with my siblings, singing, dancing, and acting in skits and on stage at a young age. Oh, and the piano. I’ve been touching those black and white keys for a while! It’s my first love. But over the years, I’ve jumped into all sorts of artistic waters, from acting to filmmaking and everything in between.

Now, when it comes to the services I offer, I’m big on helping people capture their visions. As a musician and producer, I specialize in crafting original music production for recording artists. Whether it’s a solo project or a collaboration, I always zero in on giving clients the best I can give while adding my unique flair to it. I also offer mixing and mastering services. I guess I can say that sometimes, I find figuring out how to make songs sound good, by cutting or adding frequencies, and playing with effects, fun! But wait, there’s more! As a videographer/cinematographer, I’ve been into film for a long time! I remember myself taking my parents’ old phones and creating the worst, cheap films anyone could ever watch. But as I’ve gotten older, I look back on those moments and smile, understand the fire and desire that I had in my heart! I’ve grown to fall in love with shooting film/video, whether it’s a music video, a short film, or a documentary, I enjoy being behind the lens. And so, I offer video/cinematography services as well.

Now, what sets me apart from the rest? Well, besides the fact that I’m one of a kind (aren’t we all?), it’s all about style. I bring my own flavor to the table, with personality and passion placed into every project. Plus, I’m all about making the client happy – seriously, I put the client first, even over my own work/passion projects. I love hearing about the enjoyment that people get out of working with me. I’m easy to work with, a great listener, and I must say, I’m pretty great at turning visions into reality.

I’m most proud of how much I’ve grown over the years, both personally and professionally, and seeing the smiles on my clients’ faces is the ultimate reward. Their testimonies speak volumes, and I couldn’t be more grateful for their support.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Something I think some non-creatives struggle understanding about this journey as a creative is how much work actually goes into some of the things us creatives do. There tends to be this common idea or misconception that we just press a button and “poof!”, finished work appears, or, that the things we do are easy, don’t require much, and aren’t necessarily draining. I don’t typically get offended by this mindset, because I know for some non-creatives, what’ll change their perspective is something as simple as them getting the opportunity to actually see “it” in real-time, for them understand it and gain respect for that particular creative craft. You’d be surprised how many people I had say to me, “oh wow.. I had no idea it took all of this”, “I have a new respect for people who do this.” One final thing is that, some non-creatives struggle grasping the fact that creative things are real jobs, too! Sometimes, some non-creatives look down on something creative being someones real job, especially in the early stages of a creative’s career, because they don’t see it as reliable or realistic. The reality of it is, they are just as much a real job, as working in a cubical, and just like most things, it just comes with a process.

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

I came across a YouTube video a while ago, and I believe it was talking about consistency. Anyway, the YouTube video led me to a reddit gem, written by reddit user u/ryans01. He writes what is probably the most acclaimed inspirational reddit post ever, and it shined light on this concept of “No Zero Days”. In short, it basically means that, you should not go a single day without doing something towards a goal, and/or for the betterment of you. Even if it’s 1 thing, at least it isn’t a zero. But if you fall short of that, don’t beat yourself up, and give it another go. I’ve heard a lot of inspiring things in my life, but that definitely is top 3 things that lit a fire inside of me. What’s interesting is that, it’s not like I’ve never heard the idea of staying productive before. I’ve always heard, even from my parents, the importance of being consistent and working the vision everyday. But, I don’t think I ever heard it put the way the reddit user put it. I specifically appreciated the fact that he didn’t shine light on this or that being “not enough”, but instead, took a different approach and made everything count, even something that seems small or minimum. It’s still not zero. I think that was the light bulb for me; the thing that set his “consistency/productivity” concept apart from others. By no means am I saying or believe he was saying to settle for the minimum, but instead, don’t beat yourself up, and something is better than nothing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/asaphdarby
• Twitter: twitter.com/asaphdarby
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/asaphdarby
• Other: https://linktr.ee/asaphdarby

Image Credits
Michael Justice (Hollywood Headshots) Drum Major Studios