We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Audrey Pearson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Audrey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?
I am so grateful to be making a full-time living as a musician, audio engineer and private music lessons instructor! I got my first paid gig as a musician performing at a restaurant 10 years ago and I’ve been working as an audio engineer for about 8 years. Until 2 years ago I’ve always had a non-music part time job. It was difficult for me to transition into music and audio full time because it felt so uncertain. I’ve always loved music, but I never really believed it was possible to make it my career or even knew what that might look like until college. I am busier now than I have ever been with gigs and I am actually making more money with music and audio than I did when I had a day job! I also have more time and energy to devote to building my music and audio career.
Something I have been doing more of lately that has been powerful is logging gigs, like actually writing all of them down, and periodically reviewing what I’m doing to make sure I’m aligning with my long term goals and values. This gives me a better picture of where I’m at and allows me to make more informed decisions and create new goals. I definitely wish I would have started doing this earlier.
It’s really important to me that people feel understood when I work with them. Whether I’m running sound, teaching, or working with a client for a private event, I try to deliver my best work in a way that highlights the uniqueness and authenticity of the person I’m working with. This has not only made me more successful in my career, but more importantly helped me feel more fulfilled as a human and as a creative.
Especially as an audio engineer, I always felt like I did things differently than most engineers. When I first started, I felt like I had to do things “the right way.” In some cases that’s true, but I’ve come to realize that embracing my unique perspective and willingness to explore unconventional methods is actually my greatest asset. Looking back, I believe realizing this sooner would have absolutely sped up the process of me being able to go full-time with music and audio.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a full time singer/songwriter, audio engineer, and private music lessons instructor. I started writing songs when I was 8 or 9 years old before I had any technical knowledge or knew how to play any instruments. I remember imagining entire arrangements in my head as a child. I started playing guitar a couple years later and kept writing and singing. I decided to go to college for Recording Technology initially because I wanted to learn how to record my own music. I had never even heard of audio engineering at that point. I thought I would just take a couple classes and transfer to study optometry or neuroscience. But I couldn’t ignore what was in my heart.
When I decided I wanted to pursue music as a career, I wanted to have other skills in addition to writing and performing music. One of my professors owned a recording studio, and I went there to help with sessions and learn as much as I could when I wasn’t in school or working one of my jobs.
Later after I got my associates in Recording Technology, I got a job as Technology Director at a church where I mixed audio, oversaw maintenance and upgrades of audio and tech equipment, and also taught myself how to run lighting and video production along with my team. While I worked there, I had the privilege of overseeing the installation of audio, video and lighting and working alongside a team to create a new community center that hosts live music called Sound Check. Gradually, I started getting more and more audio gigs including running sound at my favorite venue in Grand Rapids, The Stray, where I currently work. I love mixing live sound, especially in environments where the quality can be close to studio level. The human-ness of live music is special, and when the quality of sound and performance is there, I get to be creative with my mixing and look for sonic qualities that make each musician unique. Those are my favorite moments.
During this time, I also kept performing and writing. I always try to gradually push myself out of my comfort zone, which has allowed me to gradually get more gigs including performing at the NAMM show in California last year! I also put out my debut EP, Roots, in 2022! Recently, I’ve enjoyed collaborating with other musicians including tracking and writing studio vocals for other musician’s projects and performing with others in the scene. I started teaching music lessons at a local studio a couple years ago because I hope to inspire young musicians and that has been so fulfilling!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I hope to inspire others to be true to themselves and to believe that they can achieve their goals if they work for it. It’s hard to start something and stick with it long enough to see results. I had to invest a lot of time and energy into my career before I saw very much return. It was so worth it though!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn the unconscious notion that other people’s opinions matter more than my own. Music is subjective, and it’s easy to weigh the opinions of others more heavily than they should be. Early on, I definitely gave too much power to how others felt or might feel about my songs or mixes without even realizing it. It’s important to get feedback and learn from others who know more than you, but if you don’t know how you feel about your song or mix, you have nothing. There is no anchor point. I think part of that is just gaining confidence from practicing and experimenting to see what works.
Audio Engineering in particular is a male-dominated industry and it can be discouraging for young women entering the field. It’s important to be confident, open minded and respectful to yourself and others anyway though. Don’t let others change the way you interact with people. There are so many resources available if you have the motivation to learn the craft and it’s such a fun career!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.audreypearsonmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreypearsonmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audreypearsonmusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-pearson-21391214b
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@audrey_pearson
- Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/audreypearson
Image Credits
1,4&6. Eric VanderMeulen 2 & 5. Jac Clayton 3. Chelsea Howel 7. Chelsea Whitaker (do not crop)