We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ethan Carling. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ethan below.
Alright, Ethan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Every choice we make has risk attached to it. Of course choosing to be an artist has a larger risk than climbing the ladder at Gap. Climbing a ladder is less risky than building a ladder to climb.
I remember going to a church event in my hometown right after I dropped out of college to pursue a career in music. I met a middle aged man who knew my parents. I told him I was about to move from Billings, Montana to LA to be an artist. The man was too stunned to know how to respond supportively, so instead he questioned me. “So did you finish school? Do you have family there? Are you going to a music school?” The risk I was taking frightened him. I felt confident in my decision but his reaction made me feel insane.
Choosing to pursue a career in music and entertainment never felt like a crazy risk. I’ve always been curious and fascinated by music, so why not lean into it?
Of course the path has been wildly unpredictable so far, but the lessons have been priceless.
Ethan, 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 dropped out of college in 2016 because I couldn’t stop making beats. It was the most exciting thing to me. I remember telling my roommate how making music was a ll I wanted to do. His response was “then do it.”
I moved from Billings, Montana to LA in the fall with a little pocket of cash saved up from my summer job, a Subaru filled with all my belongings (mostly instruments), and a dream to be an independent full-time musician.
For the past 7 years I’ve been writing, producing, mixing and releasing music for myself and for other artists and trying to figure out how to make an independent career out of music.
I just released my debut album “i feel like an alien” in March. It is an album that I made during my faith crisis throughout quarantine. It is about my exploration and deviation from the path that I was expected to follow.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Witnessing ideas come to life is a miracle I don’t think I will ever get sick of. It is euphoric to hear a song come together better than imagined. For me a song can spark from a lyrical idea, a rhythmic idea, or a melodic idea. The “writing” process is making that initial idea work with all the other elements that are created along the way.
Sometimes the initial idea is scrapped entirely to make way for something better that sprouts along the journey. Tending to ideas and solving tiny problems until all the parts become whole is miraculous. The words of a song intensify when they are combined with a dramatic melody. The drums groove harder when they are grounded and supported by bass. I could go on and on about the magic of music.
Songwriting and production helped me realize my innate desire to solve problems. Whether is a personal issue, or something irritating at work, I love to figure out what is in the way of progress.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I want people to be inspired to be more creative in their daily lives. I want to share my music and knowledge to others and create a community of like-minded creatives. Music has helped me see myself clearer, it has soothed me and taught me many of life wonderful lessons and I believe every form of art has that same power.
Is there anything more magical or rewarding than when we use our imaginations to conceptualize something, then use our knowledge to make the concept a reality? We are the only known species with this power! We should all be using it as much as we can! 
Contact Info:
- Website: carling.live
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethancarling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carling-Music-103219614636155
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-carling-12a32bb1/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFbVcGZKKlFVVPgoGCnNW9w
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ethancarling?lang=en
Image Credits
Jake Reedy Gabriel Caste Jazzmine Zubia