We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Damian Kompel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Damian below.
Damian , appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I definitely wonder what it would be like to have a ‘regular’ job. In fact, the idea of treating music as a hobby is quite tempting in some ways, as it relieves the pressure that comes with making a living from it. But, at the end of the day, I simply enjoy my creative activity way too much to not pursue a career in it. So, to answer the question, I am happy to have the privilege of doing what I enjoy the most as my main occupation. I’m not sure if what makes me happy is solely the fact that I am creative; in reality, being creative is what also brings about feelings of anxiety, competitiveness, existential crisis, etc. Nevertheless, I genuinely enjoy the craft so much that I wouldn’t take the risk of stopping from doing it.
Damian , 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?
I’ve always been deeply passionate about music and cinema, a true geek who loves discussing movies, actors, and more. Eventually, my love for music took center stage, leading me to discover that composing for visual media was a viable career path. Now, as a music composer, I’m responsible for translating the creative director’s vision into music that immerses the audience in the world of films, series, games, and more.
My main goal is to complement each project’s unique world with my music, whether it’s a 2-hour feature film or a 2-episode web series, I believe all projects convey their own world (a certain aesthetic, a certain kind of people, etc). My role is to create musical particles – sounds, melodies, etc – that transport the audience into these worlds or at least provoke thoughts about them. Musical instruments have always been a strong obsession for me. I believe an instrument tells a lot about the culture in which it was created. Instruments play a crucial role in my work, and my passion for learning and playing various instruments allows me to convey diverse sonorities for different projects, which is something I take great pride in.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
As I see it, my main goal is to be a part of the “joy” portion of someone’s life. Being present on a Tuesday afternoon on a random person’s TV in their moment of disconnecting from the real world. As a film consumer, I am a person who gets transported to the movie’s own world very easily, and for the stories that really hook me, there is a feeling I can always travel to that world by watching a movie or listening to the soundtrack. I believe music is the most powerful tool to create this feeling of being transported, and it’s the thrill and hope of being the one who generates that for others what drives my creative journey.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I believe that the most rewarding (and sometimes the most terrible) aspect on a day-to-day basis is watching your idea take shape in reality, especially when it involves other artists. This feeling happens a lot when you are constantly creating something. The most beautiful example in the music world would be when listening to musicians play your music, taking what you wrote and mixing it up with their personalities, making it something real. I imagine something similar happens to screenwriters when actors give life to their words, to directors when they tell their ideas to the writers, and so on. That act of collaborating with others and sharing your idea to make it real is the most beautiful experience in the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.damiankompel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinokompel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/damikompel/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damian-kompel-194690264/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUgNTxcIE7kDZiuTPJengQ
- Other: Music Reel: https://soundcloud.com/dino-kompel/sets/dino-kompel-composer/s-nkgIaIlR9gE?si=0606fdf6ea314478aa80fd73f6f8b694&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing