We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gerian Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gerian below.
Gerian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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.
My home growing up felt like it was just built for a creative. There were instruments everywhere. Drums, bass guitar, piano, you name it. My brother, cousins, and I formed a band and we called ourselves YPC (Young People for Christ). We used to tour around the city of Cincinnati to different venues like the Cincinnati Museum Center, Eden Park, and Sawyer Point. Some of my earliest memories include performing as the musicians and background singer for Annie Ruth. We began to break away with our talents and would perform at notable place like the annual Black Family reunion and Swifton Commons. We eventually disbanded the group seeing as though scheduling and management did not align, but it was a huge impact on why I still continue to create music and perform for others..
By my late teenage years, I had began to write poems and raps. It was something that I kept personal most times. I began to record at home and eventually pieced together enough equipment to call it a home studio. I began releasing music and doing local shows from 2010-2018 where I had my last performance at Proctor and Gamble Hall for Dada Rafiki 2018. There were many lessons leading up to that moment. Subsequently, I moved from Cincinnati to Houston to further my career in the music industry.
Knowing what I know now, there is nothing wrong with needing help and surrounding yourself with the community to make that happen. The most essential skill that I have needed was just the tenacity to stick with it and be dedicated to my goals and dreams even when thing aren’t going the way I want them to. At times that can back fire because I become so hyper focused, that I forget the community I built around me. I had to re-learn to ask for help. The simplest things can be the hardest. But, ultimately I realized there is power in community.
Gerian, 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 the co-owner of Broken Kids Entertainment, an independent record label. I will release all future music and projects under this emblem. Outside of creating music and song writing, I also do creative audio visual work likes, website design, video editing, and other small creative projects. I also work with A Ruth Creations, which is an art education company that focusing on incorporating art with literacy, reading, and learning. The most current project that I am working on is On Her Shoulders Curriculum videos for Anne Ruth set to be released early 2023.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Early on in my journey, I did not know that there were so many grants that were open to help offset wit funding of creative projects. Funding was a big deterrent from pursuing a creative career fulltime. Once I gained more knowledge on the topic and networked with fellow peers in the industry, I was able to find different avenues that would help provide the resources to bring my projects to life.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is when a complete stranger is able to connect with me through my art. In a day and age where interpersonal connections are becoming more strained, its nice to be in a position where you can just connect with people and relate about life, love, learning, or what ever the topic of creation may be.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilbaddiewithatti/
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