We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Damien Rhone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Damien below.

Damien , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

It’s definitely much harder to earn a full-time living being a creative. You’re in this chosen few it feels like, cause now you’re in this freelance tax bracket as well. it’s sort of like an independent artist.

Everything is getting paid out of pocket. It can be a gift and a curse if you don’t manage your money well.

I’ve been able to succeed in it. It took time and trial and error. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Trying to navigate and deal with life as it comes at you as a creative is tough, but you know if you succumb to the negative it will throw you off your pedestal. Or back to the life you once had. So you most go harder!

With myself, I took a risk, and made sure that this is what I want to do with my life. And I didn’t look at if I failed then that was the end all be all. Failure was never an option for me. There’s nothing else. This is it.

Damien , 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?

Well I’ve began my journey in this Music Production/Event Management Industry in 2008. I worked in Music Production and Festival production for companies like Livenation, Goldenvoice, Insomniac Events, and a numerous of other event companies nationwide.

There I learned the ins and outs of how promoter production worked. Being if it was working as a runner, box office, ticketing, Site Operations, Production Coordinating, Stage Managing, Stagehand, and Production Managing.

I felt coming in to this industry and not knowing much about it except on how to drive heavy equipment, I knew I needed to find a way to learn more. I wanted more. So in this industry close mouths don’t get fed. I began to reach out to friends I made a long the way and journey away from the norm and did other type of events in film, television and art. There was this stigma about being in freelance and doing events full time. You never said no to a gig or said you don’t know how to do a job. It was always you just figured it out on site. And this is exactly what the industry is, a lot of figuring it out.

From there I sharpened my skills and around 2013 I began to jump into the festival world, where I did my first Coachella and a few other festivals. Which were amazing. But deep down I wanted more. I started using work as a tool, instead of just me having a job that was pretty cool.

I had a few friends that I worked with constantly on different gigs, and they were musicians and artists. I guess in this industry you either love the music, or a fan of music, or you play music. Lucky for me I have really talented friends that love the art of music and are very talented.

So a lot of times I would attend their shows or events and support them. It felt good to see my friends doing what they loved on a grander scale. I was a fan. But I noticed something was off with the performance side of things.

Back then there were showcases and play to plays. Where you paid or had to sell a number of tickets just to showcase or perform your art, which for me was pretty lame. So I would ask my friends what they took away from performing or opening up for bigger artists in a pay to play format, and the majority of the responses were lack luster. The sound wasn’t right, the Dj messed up my music, the scheduling was bad, or no soundcheck.

And so with the skills I’ve learned and the friends and contacts, and sponsors that I grew with in this industry. I started to think, this is what the MORE I was looking for. This how it begins.

And so in 2015. Spaces + Places Studios was born.

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

I feel in this day and age there’s a lack support. Especially from the people closest to you. Having friends and family at your events or shows means a lot.

It used to discourage me when I didn’t have my support system there at my events. But as I grew as an entrepreneur you start to realize that you’re going about it all wrong. Getting your friends and family to come to your events isn’t what you need. They are in you corner regardless.

The engagement you need to reach is the people that don’t know you or your event. That’s who you’re doing it for.

It’s pleasant to see people attend my events that would come to me and introduce themselves and tell me they came based off the music, flyer, or vibe I created. If I get a few of those engagements every event, that’s when it starts to resonate.

I’m doing something right. This is what I need. Let’s keep this going.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Being my own boss is the ultimate goal for me. You can never stop learning. And to be your own boss, you got to learn and teach yourself as much as you can. It’s okay to pick up a book and read. Or do the research.

Also, not knocking college or trade schools. I think those are also good ways to learn how to be an entrepreneur in events and curation. But a lot of it can be learned on the fly, self taught, or through some one you worked with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://spaces-places.com
• Instagram: _spacesandplacesstudios_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpacesandPlacesStudios