We were lucky to catch up with Bryan Johns recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bryan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I’ve always had a very high output for creativity. I have a really active imagination and I feel the need to engage my environment constantly. I think I knew from a young age that all I wanted out of life was for me to enable and support my creativity, and to be able to seek new experiences and derive inspiration from them.

Of course I’ve struggled with the concept of focusing on a career path (creative or not), but my interests are so diverse that I don’t think I’d be capable of pigeon-holing myself and inevitably burning out. In that sense I’ve made the choice not to live directly off of my creative endeavors, but rather to use them as an outlet.

There is no easy framework for being a creative in the US. In a country so focused on self monetization, it’s going to be a difficult path any way you choose, and you can’t help but question your choices.

I keep a day job with moderate stress, which in turn has enabled my photography and music output. Ultimately though I think I’ve struck a healthy balance that lets me be who I am.

I’m of course always second guessing my choices!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I studied photography at the university level, during which I discovered the underground rave scene in Baltimore. I knew immediately that I wanted to participate in it beyond being an active listener, so I bought some turntables and started to DJ at events.

At that point it was inevitable that I start producing the music myself, eventually releasing on international record labels and performing my music publicly. Participating in a global music scene, it’s emphasized to me how people are so different around the world, yet can share a mutual interest that elevates their experience beyond what’s been culturally defined to them. I’ve also provided soundtrack work for short films and video games, my music being more cinematic in tone and lending itself to accompaniment.

As far as photography goes, I continued to take client work for supplemental income. Weddings, events, portrait work. Being able to meet a client’s needs and tastes while still injecting my own eye, it’s been an interesting experience. On a more creative level I enjoy documenting my travels and the people I encounter on the street.

I try to identify moody, emotive sentiment within both fields of work. I’ve always been fascinated by the dynamic contrast of “light” to “dark”, and the ways that idea translates into different mediums. Darker, more melancholic tones with high energy beats for music, and capturing through photos how light creates feeling and drama on our world.

The dynamic of both mediums, while splitting my focus, has allowed me to keep being inspired in both fields and never really burning out of either.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think as we are now really leaning into the digital age, supporting the artists you like is as important as ever. The concept of A.I. providing immediate, disposable content has cheapened the level of effort that creatives put into the work they make. So while technology is just a tool, we should not let it lessen our appreciation for the soul that artists put into their work.

In that sense, our means of consuming the things we like, through cheap subscription models, leaves even less for artists to live off of and perpetuate their visions. People need to keep supporting the artists they love, directly. Use bandcamp, paypal, anything to get money directly to these people and subvert the systems that are built to capitalize off of them and exploit.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

People might not realize that epiphanic work cannot be conjured at will, but rather must be reached through thousands of hours of experience and practice. All of the great artists and musicians in the world have a touch of obsessiveness when it comes to what they make, an incessant need that has to be satisfied. They might fixate on an idea that intrigues them, create an extensive body of work that explores that idea, all the while fighting the notion that each piece is inspiring and not derivative.

So while intuition plays a huge part in how truly great somebody is, it takes a tremendous amount of time and focus to actualize it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hotwave.bandcamp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryanjohns.photography/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-498316338
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5j3rnmPkxcoj50RI0TIrJ3?si=4qr1ZyWfQz2_v3vIU89bhA