Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eric Bell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Eric, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I am super fortunate to be able to make a living as a full time musician in Los Angeles. That has always been my dream since I started playing piano at age 12. I always told people my dream was “To play good music with good people and make good money.”
I will say it happened from day one but not in a way that was easy. From day one I was taught not only to play piano but play organ, synthesizer, write music, know theory, and listen to different styles of music. I think what really has set me up for success even before I realized it was learning to play different styles of music on various instruments to have a sort of multiple sources of income. Having the ability to play keyboards in a rock band, but also read music really opened up many doors for me as I could do the bar gigs but also do the suit and tie events. That process has taken some time, going to college, learning the organ, and most of all spending time listening and playing music. But as of now I enjoy what i do. No day is like another and the same goes for weeks and months and years. Opportunities change for me and as I finish those it trains me to take different opportunities. This never ending cycle is really something that I find is one of the highlights of my life.
I think some things that could have sped up the process was the idea of not staying inside. My parents always told me “you could be the best player in the world, but if you are only playing in your bedroom it doesn’t mean anything.” I think during Covid and chasing my music degree I got a little lost in that idea. I would go do the gigs with people I already knew, and come home and practice for the gigs I was hoping to get one day. But the disconnect came from me not taking chances and meeting new people and being willing to fail. I feel more awake to that idea of making friends and building relationships is everything and Just in the past season of my life where I have tried to take that to heart I have seen big changes happen for me. It could have happened earlier, but I am happy how my life has played out so far, home or away.
Eric, 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?
Well, I love music first and foremost. And I mean all kinds of music. I got into playing music for a living because my dad would bring home concert dvds and I would watch them all the time. After watching a Toto concert I asked for piano lessons, and I was super fortunate enough to have a teacher who taught me songs and music rather then theory and scales. Instead of learning to play the piano through Mozart and Bach, I was learning Jerry Lee Lewis, Santana, Dream Theater, BB King etc. That really aided in me falling in love with the process of playing music, writing music, and learning music.
I was fortunate enough to be asked to go on short little tours or gigs with a blues guitar player in town. A really wonderful player and such a mentor in the industry, not through words but being able to watch him work. During high school I also was really active in two different churches; a more modern Christian church playing radio hits in addition to a more Gospel church. Both of these really helped in my idea of playing clean and perfect, while also learning to work in the moment and change if something comes up.
After that I went to Cal State Long Beach for Jazz studies. I was only there for a year and a half before covid started. By that time I had already completed a good amount of the degree course load so I was fortunate enough to be able to graduate in 3 years.
Now days I really just play music full time. Whether it’s at Disneyland playing big band jazz, the Church I music Direct at, a whiskey bar in LA, or wherever. I pick up any and all work I can while trying to get better every day.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
What a great question. I am finding that a lot of people will look at my calendar or see all the work I do or that is pilling up and just look at it from a hourly point of view. I seem to get that question a lot of how many hours do you work a week. Whether its 120 or 50 hours, it doesn’t feel like work. I get to play music and be with friends and hang out basically as much as I want. The job is hard, and I have to put in the work to prepare, but Im not counting hours or anything.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Last year I found myself in a whole of doing a lot of work I was not enjoying. I was playing in a well known cover band, I was doing a lot of weddings and corporate work, in addition to other jobs. While this was all financially really amazing as a musician, I would walk out of the gigs feeling like musically I was leaving stuff on the table. I did a big pivot of quitting those bands or declining the high paying gigs this year to focus on making real music with friends. Its not a pretty and the checks aren’t as big. But I wake up excited to go play music.
Contact Info:
- Website: ericbellmusic.com
- Instagram: @eric.bell.music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eric.bell.94009841
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericbell7643
Image Credits
https://rbellphoto.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rbellphoto/