Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edy Lan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Edy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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.

I think they always allowed me to communicate and pursue my own goals and dreams, as long as I was dedicated and convinced myself that those were right for me. They were also very loving parents all around which creates a safe environment for creativity.

Edy , 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?

I remember being affected by classical music from an early age and subsequently film music and a whole bunch of genres and artists from Michael Jackson to Yes and everything in between. I always had a creative impulse but I didn’t pursue it till I has a little older; I thought people would make fun of me if I told them I wanted to be a musician and I kept it to myself. When I watched a live production of WEST SIDE STORY I told myself “Yeah, this is it. I need to do this.” I simply wanted to create in others the same amazing range of emotions I’d get from other’s music. I started as a self taught musician and eventually I Caught up to be able to study composition formally. I started writing some concert music while simultaneously trying to get into music for media and arranging. Eventually I did and fast forward to today, Im a media composer and an arranger. I also have a company named MUSIC NERDS which does music for advertising, TV etc. I personally work on a variety of media from film, to ads too arrangements. I think that’s one of my main asset, having been been involved in projects of all genres and understanding the sensibilities of different genres and markets pretty well. My company also has other composers who are also my friends and together we make a pretty versatile bunch with a commitment with EMOTION. We need to help elevate whatever we put our music to, otherwise our job is simply not done. I truly love collaboration and the more time passes the more I crave it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The pure joy I feel when Im able to “conjure” emotions in others when I’ve done a good job, seeing that effect on people. I know it may sound cheesy, but it’s also true. For the longest time I would’ve tried to give a “smart” answer to the question, but the older I get the more I realize I shouldn’t lose that thing which made me go into music in the first place. Yes, you also have to sell and be an entrepreneur and pay the bills; and you can’t always have the “dream gig” or enjoy every second of what you do. But the more I’ve put my attention in the other aspects and forget to keep creating that emotion in myself, the more miserable I’ve been. The more I aim to think about what originally got me into music. the happier I am and even in projects which might not be my favorites I find a way to enjoy it this way.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

The sheer necessity of doing what we do. I think there are also other people that feel this way about their work, but I’d bet they’re in the minority. There’s this urge to create that makes us go through a lot of adversity and keep pushing. I think it’s not true with most people that their work is almost an extension of themselves and I think creatives do tend to feel that way. It’s such an innate urge (the urge to create) and so embedded in ourselves that we find a way to do it. You even see it in people that are creatives but pursue another career; they find ways to bring some of that creativity out. Which is another lesson I’ve learned for myself. Im embarrassed to say this, but I tended to be somewhat judgmental about people that wanted to be artists and ended up doing something else. Like I would think “they don’t want it bad enough.” But honestly that’s like a sports/business mentality brought into this subject. And who says that’s the right thing? I think art should bring joy, if for you that’s making a career out of it that’s great. But if you don’t want to suffer the hardships of the industry and want to do it on your own terms, that’s awesome as well. And that’s something it took me a long time to learn.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://edy-lan.com. https://www.musicnerds.us
• Instagram: @edylancomposer

Image Credits
I have the rights to these pictures. 1st and second photo by Jona Lan