We were lucky to catch up with Clay Schroeder recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Clay thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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?
Earning your income solely as a creative can be quite the challenge, especially coming out of the pandemic of 2020 – you have to be crafty and adaptable in all aspects. An early understanding and embracement of flexibility has helped me enjoy a diverse career in creative work – from cover bands, commercial music scoring and ADR work, I’ve explored it all. When your plan A isn’t showing enough growth, you have to have the foresight to change it up. This was evident when the lockdown began and I experienced a drastic reduction in my private music teaching. Deep into 2020, my business partner, Cody Casillas and I decided to expand our music production services, so we constructed our new studio in Hurst. At the time, our clientele was at bare minimum because of the threat of covid and we knew this would be a move for the future, but we were determined to create an environment that was adequate for all forms of creation. Fast forward to this year, we are now offering everything from mixing and mastering to live sessions and podcasts. The journey has been challenging but the connection we make with our clients is priceless.
Clay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
From an early age I found myself drawn to the creation of music. Ever since I could comprehend the ingredients of a song, I have been obsessed with all the aspect that it entails. Lyrics and melody soon became rhythm and groove, which now has blossomed into a deep respect for dynamics and feeling. Any way I can help capture or compose something, i’m eager to do so. After years of crafting other artists’ visions, I quickly found a knack for developing unfinished musical ideas and helping people push through writer’s block. Nothing gives me more of a thrill than helping someone develop an idea beyond what they could have imagined on their own. I was fortunate enough to work on a few of these projects during 2021 that displayed this level of synergy. think a common problem that a lot of new engineers struggle with is knowing when to capture and when to produce a particular project. In some cases the artist doesn’t know what they want and you have to find a way to motivate them into a creative (open) mindset and that can be difficult at the early stages of collaboration. One method I’ve employed is having them come in for a production day where we can spend time exploring their style and composition without the pressures of serious recording. More often than not, the song gets pushed into a new creative space and a majority of the elements are useable for the final track. If you have the desire to create, I can be someone that helps you transform your musical passion into musical reality.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
While not necessarily a physical resource, I found that by understanding the emotions driving people’s decisions, you can communicate better with them more effectively. This is a resource I found myself neglecting in my earlier days as I naively focused on blunt forms of communication. I’ve since discovered that by being strategic with your questions/statements you can really control the temperature of a conversation.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think the word “non-creative” is a negative label. We all process some measurement of creativity, it just depends on how it’s perceived. While some may see music and content creation as money pit, they are missing some of the non-tangible benefits such as the joy and sense of fulfillment it brings. Whether your passion falls into collecting or creative, they are all valid in there on way.
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