We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Davis Hattaway a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Davis, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

For my entire life, my parents have stressed the importance of hard work and dedication. And for a long time, that hard work and dedication was centered around my education – and frankly, still is. That being said, around my sophomore year of high school, I realized that if I wanted any sort of career in music or acting, I needed to start putting all of my energy into that. It was the middle of quarantine, and there was honestly no better time to lock in. I quit the basketball team, I quit the lacrosse team, and I quit doing anything that wasn’t going to be moving my creative career forward. That was the first time I had the conversation with my folks about pursuing a creative career. My mom is an attorney, and my dad is a doctor – both pretty traditional career paths that follow the “script” (for lack of a better word): Go to school, go to school some more, get a degree, then get a job. So, it’s safe to say I was a little nervous about telling them I wanted to be a big-time actor and musician. After telling them, they were completely supportive and helped me find a logical and more promising way to go about pursuing a creative career. They have embraced my love of acting and music completely and there aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how thankful I am for that support. They show up to every small town restaurant, bar, or music hall where I play. They show up to every musical, play, or film premier that I act in. It is the best possible support system that I could ever ask for.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am simply one more person on the globe in search of happiness. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from John Lennon, he says something along the lines of, “When I was in school my teachers asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment – I told them they didn’t understand life.” I will stop at nothing to be happy. Because if you’re not happy, what’s the point? Right? And right now, what makes me happy, is sharing my love of music, acting, and all things creative with the world. I am very proud of how far I’ve come in my creative journey, but it is still just the beginning.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is three-fold. First and foremost, I am on the search for happiness. And I believe that expressing myself creatively on a grand scale will do that. Second, I would like to spread positivity and love throughout every dark corner of the world. There is no amount of hate that love and compassion can’t overcome – and I will do anything I can to help lighten those parts of the world. Last, I want to inspire others to pursue their dreams and passions. I have met too many people who feel like they’re not good at anything and don’t know what their calling is – my response? I believe that everyone in this world is exceptional in and loves doing at least one thing, if not more; however, we just don’t always find that passion at the same time. Whether it is politics, mathematics, music, religion, law, family, or underwater basket weaving, every passion is equally important and worth pursuing.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

As much as I want to say, “Buy more tickets,” “stream the song more,” or “go to the theater,” I don’t think that would help as much as everyone thinks. My answer is quite simple: talk about it. Talk about how that song, that painting, that movie, or that play made you FEEL. How did it make you view your life differently? How does the artist affect your emotions? Art is not talked about as much anymore and is seen far too much as a hobby. Art is an integral part of our society and it can’t be ignored. Talk about it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dhatta20.wixsite.com/davishattaway
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davishattaway/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davishattaway
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davishattaway/
• Twitter: https://x.com/DavisHattaway
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@davishattaway4659
• Other: https://laylo.com/bootsnbeatsofficial/m/NhSf1H

Image Credits

Mandee Bertone
Abby Cortright
James Maier
Steven Zhou