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

EG, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Many times, I think about my career and wish I had time back. Music and songwriting has alway been in my blood and I wrote my first song at 15 years old. However, it wasn’t until my mid-thirties that I decided to pursue music full time and with a serious focus. I sometimes wish I had devoted more time to music in college or that I would have decided to pursue music first and foremost instead of spending a decade in corporate America. However, without the detours and alt life paths, I know that I wouldn’t have the perspective that I have today. I think this wide ranging perspective is a good part of what makes my life interesting. And it’s just not a smart endeavor to dwell on the past!!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a musical artist that takes pride in connecting with people at my live shows and who still makes full length albums. As a kid in the mid 90’s, I was lucky enough to experience the alternative rock movement and cut my teeth on music from artists that were constantly breaking down barriers of genre and stereotype. We will release our third album this summer and I’m proud that each of our albums has a totally different style and sonic aesthetic. People tend to gravitate to my lyrics if they are a thinker (or claim to be). I think it’s because I look for deeper meaning and understanding in the world and hopefully that can open people up to differing perspectives. The easier path in my field is certainly to pick a genre, find a producer who makes records that sound like already popular records, dress like the already popular artists and go from there. But that just doesn’t sound very fun to me!

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?

That it is non-linear. This is something I’ve had to learn and re-learn myself. I was in the corporate world for a decade after obtaining a degree in Finance and that world has essentially the polar opposite mindset. Many of my friends will say things like, “have you thought about making a _______ (insert genre, style, etc). type of record/song?” with the idea that I can get famous and wildly popular and maybe make the path to “success” a little easier. The reality is that if you truly want to be a creative and an artist, the path is more about self discovery and understanding than it is about cash flows and timelines. The goals now are about developing the art and only then putting the business plan in place.

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

Support artists and creatives in any way you can. Buy their merch, participate in their crowdfunding and GO TO THEIR SHOWS! Think about where you are spending your time and money. Do you only take part in large corporate events with music and art that is part of the well established machine? It takes a long time for anyone that creates something original to be found or to catch on and most will never get past their first or second album. We need support all along the way. Go to shows at the small room(s) in your town and see what is happening. There is nothing better than discovering a virtually unknown artist that blows you away with a passionate performance. There really isn’t a whole lot of difference in talent between the folks touring the small clubs and those playing in arenas. Just a few more steps in the development chain. We’ve been lucky to find dedicated supporters in the dozen or so markets that we tour regularly who are really spreading the word and helping us grow!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.egvines.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/egvines/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.google.com/search?q=eg+vines+facebook&oq=eg+vines+facebook&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i60l3.2489j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/EGVines
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCglJZduRyMUBRW9-fjoxKGQ

Image Credits
Photos by Julia Dunagan and Kelsey Vines