We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Benjamin Misanovic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Benjamin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I remember back in the Summer of 2014 after I graduated High School, I was laying on the couch at my parent’s place mindlessly watching TV at about 2 in the morning and the thought dawned on me: “I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life.” The weight of the thought hit me like a stack of bricks and my body was flooded with anxiousness. “What am I going to do with my future?” I never truly thought about it until then. For most of my childhood and teenage years, I had just been going with the motions and enjoying the moments that passed, without really thinking about what lies ahead for me up until that moment. “Well, shit,” I thought, “I gotta do something.” But I wasn’t just going to do anything…I needed something that would be fulfilling, something that instilled a sense of purpose or meaning. Something I was passionate about. So then what do most people do right after High School? Tada! College! Yeah. No way, not for me. I couldn’t even make it to the orientation for SLCC. I got lost at the Taylorsville campus and went home after about 10 minutes of looking just to tell my mother the orientation had been canceled. I just remember being there thinking, “What am I doing here? I’m not doing this for myself. I don’t want this.” So I went home and never turned back. That was also the Summer when I first began writing songs in my notebooks and on my phone during lunch breaks at work, free time at home, and whenever I had the chance. Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember and that was the first time in my life I tried my hand at creating my own music. I was never really good with instruments, but I knew that I was good with words. So I started writing songs and poems. And the words kept flowing and flowing, sometimes seamlessly, feeling like it wasn’t even coming from me, but another source somewhere out there. I knew that if there was something I wanted to pursue in life, it was this. I wanted to create. I wanted to experience life and share those experiences through the arts. I wanted to take the path less traveled. And so I set out to do just that. And around that time I remember having a conversation with a close friend of mine who asked, “Isn’t that a pretty big risk pursuing music, not knowing if it’ll work out?” And I responded, “Yes, but going to college to be a doctor or lawyer or whatever, is a risk as well so if I’m going to be risking it regardless then I want to risk it for something I’m actually passionate about.” Or…something along the lines of that, but yeah. I realized early on that life was about taking risks sometimes and we can either take those risks knowing that it will change our lives, for better or worse…or, we can do nothing and for the rest of our living days wonder how it could have been if we had just taken the chance. It’s been almost 10 years since that late night on the couch accompanied by junk food and Breaking Bad (some things never change). So do I regret my risk? Absolutely not. If I had not taken that chance, I would have never met the incredible people I have, some that I am still extremely close with today. I wouldn’t have ever stepped foot on a stage and been a part of such an incredibly talented music scene in Salt Lake City. I wouldn’t have the qualities and knowledge that I have now if it weren’t for those experiences that had taken place. To this day, I still create and perform music whilst also working as a property manager in the multifamily housing industry. I also train in the martial art known as Muay Thai, which has become another passion of mine and have dedicated a lot of my time to living a healthy and fulfilling life.
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 am an independent music artist that goes by the name of Benjamin Major from Salt Lake City. I am also part of a music duo that goes by the name of blockparti which was established in early 2020. I have been creating and writing songs since 2014 and have always had a passion/fandom for music my entire life. I began performing at the end of 2015 and have since gone on to play countless shows in many venues. I am currently in the process of writing new solo material and starting up a new side project that is more band oriented rather than solo.
I’m not entirely sure what sets me apart from others and quite frankly, I don’t give much of a shit about those kinds of things. I try not to focus too much on or compare myself to other creatives and what they do. I just do what feels right to me and trust the process that lies ahead. That’s easier said than done though of course, but I try to think of it this way: Creativity is like a dance; you gotta allow yourself to flow with the rhythm of things and the more you stop to think about the moves you’re going to make, the less flow you will have.
One of the things I am most proud of is having the experience to perform on the same stage as some of my favorite bands/artists that I got to see while growing up. It was one of my biggest performances to date and I feel very grateful to have had that opportunity.
If there’s one thing I want people to know about my work its that one of the reasons I got into music was to uplift and inspire other people to follow their passions. So if there’s anything you get from reading this I hope it’s the reassurance that doing what you love is well worth the trials and tribulations that may come with it.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Oh man…I remember early on when I first started performing there was a girl that came to my show that I was pretty stoked on and she brought a big group of her friends to watch me perform. She hyped me up to her friends all night so they were definitely expecting a good show. So I go on stage, begin my first song and not even half way through the song they all get up, leave the venue and never return. And this was a show with a crowd of about 15 people and half of that crowd were artists that were a part of the bill so pretty much everyone except the artists just left the show during my first song. I felt like a total loser hahaha. But nonetheless, I completed the set and decided that even though my confidence had just been completely crushed, I wasn’t going to let this keep me from continuing to perform and pursue this dream I had. It also made me realize that maybe I had some things to work on and there’s always room for improvement. The main take away I had from that experience was that some people just aren’t going to dig what you do or create and that is totally fine. It’s a natural part of being a creator. You can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t try to. I’ve seen too many talented people quit because of things like that and it’s a damn shame.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Just go to to their shows man. Buy their merch, music, paintings, photos, etc. Show up for them in real life. I mean, likes and shares on social media can be cool and all, but at the end of the day none of that stuff really means anything. To an artist, there’s nothing more rewarding than having someone buy a piece of merch you made or coming out to a show to see them perform or even stopping them in person and saying “Hey, I really resonate with what you are creating. Keep doing that!” That stuff right there…that is the real support that artists deserve. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/benjaminmajor
- Instagram: @BenjaminMajorUT
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3PJRaoIZbeypammYaNet9g