We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eric Delaney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eric below.

Eric, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

For years I pursued music while having another job and I always seen it as such a large hindrance to achieving the level of success I wanted to attain. I’d be at that job thinking man, I could be practicing singing or working on my stage performance, but I’m stuck here working this job! But when the opportunity came for me to work as a full-time musician, my previous hindrance was replaced with a new one.

When a hobby you love changes into something that provides all of your income, the love for that hobby changes too. And it’s not so simply described as a lessening or increase of interest, but really just a change of perspective. When music was my hobby I could do it as often as I want and never feel exhausted. But with this change, the amount of time I spend being musical has to be budgeted wisely or else I’ll burnout. And that’s speaking from experience haha .

I always thought I could be musical all day everyday and never be sick of it. I seen an interview with world renowned music producer Rick Rubin and he expressed the importance of having your craft be separate from your source of income; it gave me a completely new perspective. I realized I now run the risk of becoming exhausted from the very thing that brings me so much happiness. It’s quite the conflict and I’m definitely too far to go back now. But on the bright side, since I spent my formative years performing while also working another job, I do feel like I had the opportunity to see things from both sides. And even with how stressful it can be to have your hobby become your full time job, I still wouldn’t trade this opportunity. For me, it’s all worth it.

Eric, 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 an entertainer at heart, through and through. I have a deep lust and hunger for performing; I have never found any other job that provides as much fulfillment as this does. I think that anyone who has the same level of passion as I do can provide a top tier entertainment experience. Because passion has the ability to supersede any flaw or mistake in a performance. That’s what I bring to every show, and that’s the word I would use to title how my brand operates: Passion. I’ve seen times where people don’t even understand the words I’m singing, but they can feel my passion.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2022 I lived in a U-Haul, and it wasn’t really by choice. The experience was a true test of my resilience; I considered myself at rock bottom. But all the time I was going to gigs and rehearsals, and I was still recording music as well. It taught me something about myself: I seen that no matter how bad my life got, it never took me away from my desire to create. I realized at that time just how deep my passion for music really was.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

PAY THEM PROPERLY. Don’t haggle with entertainers over their rate, just find another one. Other than that, I’d say that if there’s an artist who you really enjoy, find a way to let them know. Most creatives never get their flowers while they can still smell them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @edelaney2u