We were lucky to catch up with Emily Hulslander recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I think being an artist/creative with somewhat grandiose goals and dreams can be detrimental at times to one’s happiness. It’s that constant feeling of wanting more for yourself and your talent, the insatiable desire to achieve the ever moving goalpost of “success.” I want to know at the end of my life, that I gave my talent the best shot it deserved. So much of this career is out of one’s hands, but I have to constantly push myself to keep going and make myself better.

I always joke with friends about what my life would be like if I made, like, chairs. Would I live in an industry city like Los Angeles? Would I allow myself to age gracefully and just enjoy life without trying to stand out in this giant sea of talent?

All that being said, there is no joy like the joy when I’m singing onstage surrounded by my favorite musicians. Or when someone tells me a song I wrote helped them through something. At the end of the day, all of the moments of “what am I doing?” and self doubt can easily be reversed with those other moments in music where you’re in your “flow state” andthat truly makes it all worth it.

Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am singer/songwriter/ musician / composer who has their hands in many different projects. I am in a duo called Guyville that is comprised of myself and Kat Hamilton, another local singer-songwriter. We straddle the line between alt-country pop ( Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile ) and alt-rock ( Liz Phair, Veruca Salt).

I also have a solo ’90s melodic alt-rock project called Social Drag which I write and produce entirely independently, hiring some of LA’s top musicians for live shows.

I sing in two cover bands, Saved By The ’90s and Hot Southern Nights. I don’t consider those work as I get to sing my favorite songs alongside my favorite musicians and it’s incredible to get a crowd going at big sold out venues.

In the remaining time, I am a songwriter, composer and instrumentalist for hire. I have scored a short film titled ” One Night In Noho” ( unreleased) and written songs for hire for Strike Audio. I love being involved in music in any way shape or form and I love the craft of songwriting and composition.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think I struggle with social media because I am from the previous generation (older millennial) who modeled their entire career path to success on “being discovered” in the real world. Knowing that whole world has gone inward onto people’s phones is hard to wrap my head around. In some ways, it is incredible to have access and exposure to millions of people who can just stumble across your music, however the flip side of that coin, is that it makes an already saturated market more saturated. I wish I had lassoed a better grip on social media when it was just starting out and perhaps ingraining that practice into my process so it felt more familiar. It is an ever changing landscape that I must acquiesce to keep up with and try to find a new audience on.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I highly highly recommend “The Artist’s Way” by Julie Cameron. After a year of it sitting on my bookshelf, I finally cracked it open and it changed my creative life. After a few weeks ( it’s modeled after a 12 week program) I found myself writing and producing again and feeling inspired and creatively abundant.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmesongs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmesongs
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hulslander-0927481a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY2LMq5nnbSctmolR4bIEdw
• Other: Social Drag IG: @socialdragmusic Guyville IG: @guyvilletheduo Hot Southern Nights IG: @hotsouthernnights

Image Credits
Mitchell Haeuszer Victor Salazar Emily Hulslander