We recently connected with Ciara Proznik and have shared our conversation below.

Ciara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I was often told by my friends that my parents were strict but, although I sometimes agreed, it didn’t bother me. I never remember having a desire to rebel, sneak out, or lie – but I didn’t realize why until I was an adult.

My parents never used the phrase “Because I Said So”. They had a logical and caring reason for everything.

Looking back now, this taught me many more lessons than to simply obey rules, like: If you want something, it has to earned; if you feel the need to explore, it must be safe; you shouldn’t have to explain yourself, but you should always be able to; be honest upfront and own your mistakes; respect is the default, and remember that people can show it differently; and for any decision that is put in front of you, the reward must always outweigh the risk. Those are just my favorites.

I know it wasn’t easy for them, but these lessons left me feeling always in control of my life, even as a child. They never put me in fences – they gave me the tools to build my own. Even more amazing, neither of my parents were creatives and yet they supported my career in music enthusiastically and without question. So although I may not have always liked their reasoning, I respected every explanation because it showed a lifetime of wisdom and, most importantly, love for me. I have the highest respect and adoration for my parents, and am infinitely grateful to them.

Ciara, 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 knew I wanted to write film music at eight years old, but obviously had no idea where to begin. I had already started learning piano and vocal technique, but I could never shake the urge to create my own music – so I taught myself guitar and started writing songs around age ten. I continued along this path until my Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition, where I found that all I really needed to achieve my childhood dream of scoring films were things I already had: a faultless dedication, a tireless work ethic, instinctive empathy and intuition, and a strong comprehension, practice, and devotion to music.

It didn’t take long for me to kick into high gear from there. At nineteen, I was already stretching into any avenue I could imagine to break into the industry and gain experience. I spent that summer in New York as an intern for a music licensing company, worked in Vancouver as a production and post assistant with Air Bud Entertainment the next, and obtained a Professional Certificate in Scoring for Film and TV from Berklee College of Music online soon after. But the best move I made was relocating to Los Angeles to attend UCLA’s Film Scoring program, where I assisted Hans Zimmer’s team at Remote Control Productions, created demo reels for some of the best composers in the world at Kraft-Engel Management (a leading agency for film composers), and spent any spare time I had left scoring my own films. I’m happiest when I’m busy – and these were some very happy years!

I built my own cutting-edge studio from the ground up at the end of 2019, which I lovingly call my “happy place”. Many hours have been spent here composing into the early morning, making coffee and chatting with clients, viewing beautiful works of art, in powerful tears and roaring laughter, and simply living a life that I love.

The ‘problem’ I am privileged to solve for my clients, in short, is bringing their ideas to life by evoking emotion through music. But the true value of this collaboration runs deeper than that. The combination of music and visuals can feel like inexplicable magic, and in many ways it is – but it is also a science. Real life doesn’t have a soundtrack of course, and when you go to the movies you’re still aware that you’re not actually inside the world on the screen, yet you still somehow feel immersed. This is where music plays a highly pivotal role.

One of the most fascinating and wonderful aspects of scores is that, although it is usually unrealized, music adds an entire new dimension by engaging another physiological sense, lighting up a mostly-forgotten space in the mind, and subconsciously awakening the echoes of feelings burned into memory. In film, it can also fill gaps where other roles have faltered (like mildly-lackluster acting performances or choppy editing transitions) and can even tell secrets that are visually unknown, like: “there is something waiting around the corner”, “they’re finally about to kiss”, or “that was a joke (even if you didn’t find it funny)”. Original music can artistically complete dance or vocal performance, poetry, sound, theater, static art, immersive technology – the list goes on. And to have all these mystifying effects on an audience and also have its own brilliance as a piece of music is nothing short of magic.

Outside of composing, I also arrange written pieces in different styles, forms, and ensembles. I can transform a piano sonata into a symphony. I put music to paper for live musicians to read and play. I add string sections to pop songs. I solve any musical ‘problem’ that I can because as long as I’m working with music, everything is right – I am where I was made to be.

Now what sets me apart from others? Well that’s hard to say, because all art is subjective and irreplicable. And though I’m often proud of my music, (most creators know) imposter syndrome is real. However, I did learn from an early age that I feel more deeply than most. In fact, my empathy is sometimes so intense that I have to step back for a moment and breathe. This ‘gift’ has brought me difficulties at times, but I believe it also brings a unique strength and profundity to my work. Most of my clients are pleasantly surprised at how intuitively I can translate their vision musically, and occasionally I even create something they didn’t know they wanted! I also like to think I am versatile in composing different styles, but I do tend to gravitate towards soaring melodies and harmonizing layers (I prefer to leave my desk humming rather than welcoming the silence). But that’s not always what serves the project best, and that’s the true goal. More objectively, I take pride in my devotion to my craft, spirited work ethic and resilience, and unwavering dedication to my principles and goals. Are these individual qualities rare in artistic minds? No, probably not. But I think it’s their combination that makes me original.

If I’d like people to know anything about me, it would be that music is my purpose, and I put everything I am into what I do. So when it comes to my work, I hold each of my values to its highest: I always choose what’s best for the project, not what’s best for me – even if what’s best for the project isn’t me at all; I am the only one that can create something that’s mine, so I make sure it is always my best; I have never missed a deadline, and my respect for valuable time and communication is top-notch; I try to think of everything so my client doesn’t have to; and my gut is always my compass, because every second has to feel right.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Well, as we said earlier, I have a ‘problem’ to solve – the need to inspire emotion with music. So what could be more rewarding than solving an important problem with the thing I love to do most?

But I do have one rule: my music must affect me the way it is intended to affect the audience. If this piece doesn’t make my heart beat faster, how can I expect people to feel exhilarated? If this cue doesn’t make me cry, how can I expect tears from anyone else? And in an ideal world, I don’t just make the audience feel through my music. I make them experience it in an innovative, unforgettable, and extraordinary way – with my sound. I want them to know that it is a Ciara Proznik score and be excited to hear it.

But if I had to choose specifically, I think the most rewarding part of being a composer is when I create something that inspires me all over again. Those are the moments I truly live for, because it reminds me of why I’m on this planet and what I was meant to bring to it.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I may call them “clients”, but they never really are. The creative world is very unique in this way. I go into every networking opportunity, not with the attitude of self-promotion or gaining a clientele, but with the intent of making new friends, sharing in laughter and love for art, and learning from others with the same passions and mindsets. Fortunately, more often than not, those friendships do turn into opportunities – but I believe there is a more complex reason than that. When you meet someone who also likes hiking, you have a reason to enjoy that activity even more. But when you meet someone who shares the same ‘live-to-create’ core as you do, it’s almost like finding a soulmate. Without the shared history of which average friendships develop, you’ve already made this immeasurable and indescribable bond that only inspired souls can experience.

But it isn’t just an unspoken connection that creates this harmony. My relationships with many clients have been pressured like diamonds under vulnerability and self-expression, time-constraints and complications, and mutual exhaustion after weeks of twenty-hour days. We must be comfortable sharing a small studio space until 4am, eating cold pizza and downing shots of espresso while doing final deliveries, and be able to contentedly finish a project under massive stress and still want to work together again. Building these types of relationships is complicated, nerve-racking, challenging, arduous – and I absolutely love it.

So to answer this question simply: make friends, not clients, and as many as you can. You will stand out, turn occupational obligation into wonderful memories, make incredible relationships, learn more than you ever could from books, and serve your career (and happiness) much better in the short and long run. Take full advantage of every opportunity and never lose the excitement to gush over the thing you love most – your art.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CiaraProznik.com
• Instagram: @CiaraProznikMusic
• Other: www.IMDB.me/CiaraProznik