We recently connected with Graval Baehr and have shared our conversation below.
Graval, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
I believe the best thing my parents did was let me figure things out on my own and find my own personality. Also their support for me is unmatched. When we grow up, i feel like we are scared to really be who we want out of fear for disappointing our parents. My parents always have been supportive of my creative dreams. Although they might not fully understand, they still show love and support. That means the world to me and allows me to comfortably follow my dreams knowing that my family has my back.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
When i graduated high school, I felt the pressure of going to college and getting a degree in something practical like business. I knew if i did that, i wouldn’t have been happy because i felt like i.had a different purpose. Growing up, i always had a passion for music, like going to concerts and sharing an experience with a large group of people. Or staying up for hours on the internet discussing new music with friends and strangers alike. I knew if i could incorporate my love for music into a career then i would be happy.
After taking some time to find a way to make that a plausible career, i decided to enroll at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio for music management. I was able to learn about managing artists, booking live shows, and other behind the scenes stuff. They really provide me with a comfortable way to learn and get hands on experience in the process. From there, i was equipped with all the tools to come back to my hometown of Cincinnati and start my journey in the music business.
Once in Cincinnati, I started throwing shows with a few friends combining art, music and good vibes. Just breaking in and not having access to legit music venues, we would throw a show anywhere we could like a skatepark, house party or at a park. Turnouts were great and people were having fun but, i needed to grow the audience and bring more attention to these artists and musicians that we were working with. That’s when a group of friends and I created, “Donuts n Akahol”, an interview series and platform for creatives in Cincinnati.
“Donuts n Akahol” has changed a lot over the years from being just an interview series to curating concerts to helping build a strong foundation in Cincinnati’s music scene. The one thing that has always remained the same is that we make sure we take care of these artists and provide them with a safe space to hone their craft and further their careers. We want to be a resource for serious musicians and help them get to their next steps in their career.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Society can help the most by getting involved with the local music scene, whether it be going to live shows or engaging with their art. In Cincinnati, we have an unbelievable amount of talent that is ready to blow up but the average person in the city has no clue who they are. We should support our own and make this city a hub for music like it deserves to be.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Bringing smiles and good times to the people who come to our shows or watch our content. Everybody goes through struggles, so if we can people to forget about their issues and escape realtiy for a night and focus on having a good time, then I’m a happy camper. That’s what art, music and entertainment are for.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @gravalbaehr @donutsnakahol
- Twitter: @gravalbaehr
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/donutsnakahol