We were lucky to catch up with Brooke DeRosa recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brooke, thanks for joining us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
My best investments have always been investing in myself. It took me a long time to learn that. All too often as creatives, especially when starting out, we are looking to save money. But invest in the tools you need for your job, and always, always invest in education. There are many programs outside of full time colleges and graduate schools out there for creatives.
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 a composer and musician living in Los Angeles. I write everything from film scores to operas. I have had many jobs in music over the years and I think I have a very well-rounded general knowledge which I bring to projects. For example, I’ve worked as both a professional opera singer and a DJ. A guitar player in a band and a conductor. So I think where other folks may have more of a specialized and focused area of expertise, I have more of a wide and varied general knowledge and that’s where I believe I stand out to clients. I am most proud at being able to adapt and grow; to tackle a wide range of projects, from many different angles and wearing multiple hats.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I think in general humans are always looking to classify people. It’s just what our brains do. But there are many people who are able to successfully work in many different but related fields who don’t fit into a certain “box” or “mold”. I think when I was younger, I tried to make sure I wasn’t doing all of the things I loved because I knew people in general want to classify others in a certain “box”, and by having too many careers or jobs it would be confusing. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve abandoned that way of thinking. Rather than only be one thing, I find ways to use my strengths in other, related fields to pull everything together and arrive with strengths across multiple disciplines.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Yes, for much of my life I’ve been a professional opera singer. But, I knew I hated traveling. And I hated being away from home, and many of the things that go along with that profession. I wasn’t feeling happy or fulfilled by auditioning all the time. Since I was writing film scores, and really enjoying that, I decided I wanted to start writing opera. And that I would put shows together to be in with my friends, so I could enjoy the parts of the field I actually enjoyed (the performing), but didn’t have to embrace the lifestyle. So I made a lateral move; still working in fields I was already in, but pivoting slightly. It was so strange, but after struggling for years, life became instantly easier. I realized I could let go of who I thought I was supposed to be and instead be who I actually was. I am an introvert, so I love working alone. Composing lets you work alone and you can be at home and I rarely need to travel. It truly is my dream job and I’m so lucky that I get to work as a composer. Sometimes pivoting seems scary or that you’re “giving up” on a dream, when in reality you may have simply outgrown something.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brookederosa.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/brookederosa
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/brookederosamusician
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-derosa-9257a56
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/brookederosa
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/brookederosa
Image Credits
Elissa Rice, Chris Ward, Bruce Herwig