We recently connected with Dylan Sherry and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dylan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

It’s challenging to land on things they did wrong, I’m grateful there are so few. One thing my parents did especially right was encouraging me to play instruments without forcing me to. They noticed my interest in music from an early age, being awestruck by seeing people on stage, always looking through my father’s record collection, and loving Hawaiian slack key music that I was exposed to from my Mother’s side of the family. I understand my privilege of having supportive but not overbearing parents.

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.

Creating music and finding my sound has always felt natural to me. I’d want people to know that my music is the truest way I can express myself and that it comes from a genuine place. There was a time during my career when I cared a great deal about engagement on social media or was anxious about releases because of number-based things. It’s easy to fall into that in today’s world… you’re essentially encouraged to by platforms and companies. But realizing that and separating it from the process resulted in me loving the craft even more.

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

I think it starts by making a concerted search and giving them a chance. Everyone loves an underdog story, but the line can be blurred on social media with brands and individuals posing as independent or self-made. The answer to it is supporting local creatives, artists, businesses, etc. in my eyes. It’s easier said than done sometimes, but it’s far more rewarding. It’s probably the most readily available method of supporting your community, and people should feel proud to do so. Especially with AI coming for the jobs of writers, artists, and musicians quickly, there’s never been a more pivotal time to take a chance and do something like see a local band or attend an art show.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this but things changed a lot for me after graduating college. I got my Bachelor’s in Journalism at CSUN while things were still on lockdown and conducted online. I think I bought into the idea of automatically getting a job in the field following graduating… the reality was quite different. Searching for a job is usually a numbers game, but the comparison between jobs applied for and jobs I heard back from was pretty shocking. I was really forced to go back to the drawing board on that end, but would never want to paint higher education in a bad light. The fields I’m most passionate in, music and writing, are incredibly competitive, and it was a reminder to hone your own craft and keep chipping away at the big goals… not just expecting to attain them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dylansherrymusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylansherry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylansherrymusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherrycokezero
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuwAgY-Ejmn8jo5GnbOCmTA
• Other: https://dylansherrymusic.com/music

Image Credits
Claire Parker