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

Erik , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Q) How did you learn to do what you do?

A)
Well, it’s a long story, and it is still being written.

A broad theme in my life has been that the things I really wanted have never been all that accessible. I have always had to do a lot to pave my own way and go well out of my way to learn and pursue the crafts. That being said, I have always been given incredible mentors along the way who have contributed greatly to my learning. My path of learning music exemplifies this life theme.

I started poking around on the mandolin somewhere around 9 years old, and had a handful of teachers. All were very passionate about music and encouraged me to play for fun. After a few years I was very fortunate to meet a wonderful player and teacher named John Moore. John was the first bona fide professional that I had really ever met. He had spent years as an L.A. studio musician, toured the world, won national awards etc etc. This was still in the days of dial up internet so exposure was mostly limited to what you heard on CD’s or happened to see live. The first time I heard John play live he fundamentally changed my understanding of what was possible on an instrument. I mean, that man could (and can) play at an incredibly high level. John took me under his wing and made time for me. He did not have to do it, but he did. We never had regular lessons, but a few times a year I would get to spend a weekend out at his ranch picking songs. If I saw him at a festival, he would make time to give me a quick one on one lesson. That relationship was crucial in my development.

Many years later I started writing songs and singing. And once again, after years of trial and error and going at it alone, I met Bob Rea. I honestly can say that Bob is one of my favorite songwriters of all time. I feel absolutely blessed to have been able learn from and work with him for almost a decade now.

Q) Knowing what you know no, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?

A)
Knowing what I know now, I would speed up the process of learning by slowing down. It is an ongoing exercise to not rush, take the time it takes, relax into the process, be intrigued by the journey and the little discoveries. It’s so easy to get pulled out of the moment by the big dreams you have in your head. This can amount to feeling inadequate, and a host of other things that ultimately close you off from discovery and learning. There is a place for discipline and goal setting. But, I think it is crucial to foster the whimsical, carefree, and wide eyed experimentation as well.

Q) What skills do you think were most essential?

A)
In the world of music that I operated in. A certain about of music theory is pretty crucial. Being able to speak and write the language of music on paper has opened opportunities for me that other songwriters/ artists may not get. But I would say that any skill that peaks your interest is worth pursuing.

Q)What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

A)
Thats tough, because I have found the things that I once perceived to be my greatest obstacles turned out to be my greatest teachers. I have more examples of this then I can share in this interview. But, going back to my life theme as an example..Not having easy accTess to information to start with has taught me over time to become my own teacher, to think both critically and creatively about problems. It’s allowed me to form my own artistic expression and voice, as opposed to regurgitating information handed to me.
I think the only way is to just keep going no matter what might be in your way, and learn the lessons that it takes to over come those hurdles. Godspeed!

Erik , 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 am a touring musician and songwriter based in Nashville Tennessee. I grew up in Colorado and moved to Nashville in 2017. I have released two full length solo albums and I am currently working on a third. I really do most of my work on guitar, and mandolin but I do play other instruments as well. I sing/ write and play a variety of genres that loosely fit into the Americana/Roots/Country sound scape.
I would say that I am most invigorated by that act of songwriting and in particular lyricism. I love a song that can stand on it’s own, without any instrumentation and still move people.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield was a very helpful book to me. I read it in my early twenties and it really helped to lay out some of the obstacles that all creatives encounter as well as ideas for over coming them. Another great book that I read in my early twenties was called “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle. This book puts in perspective the route to being a professional at any skill. It helped me to settle into the idea of “the long game”.

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

When I was a kid I fell off a zip line and broke my right arm pretty badly. Long story short, the break did not heal properly and I was left with a right four-arm that only had about 30 percent of its potential mobility. I endured constant physical pain while playing for over 10 years. Finally I met an exceptional healer who was able to restore the structural functionality of my arm.
It was a major obstacle to me that was both physically very painful and mentally discouraging, but for what ever reason, quitting was never even an option.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erikstucky.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikstucky/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikstuckymusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzmDrtRMR_q-n_qcoyH6iw

Image Credits
Paul Arbogast Jeff Fasano Brooke Stucky Scotty Kenton