Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hagan Wessbecker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Thank you, Hagan, for graciously sharing your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know that you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first realize it?

Certainly! I wanted to be a rockstar from as early as I can remember. I can confidently say that at around 8 years old, I made the decision about what my future would look like. While I briefly entertained thoughts of being an astronaut or a cowboy (well, maybe a cowboy for a short time!), my heart was set on a musical path. When I expressed my desire to play, my dad took me to get a guitar and an amplifier, marking the beginning of my musical journey. I vividly recall learning classics like Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” and Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” which ignited a passion that would shape the rest of my life. The guitar remains my first love, but I have a knack for most instruments I pick up.

Thank you for sharing that with us. Before we delve deeper into your insights, could you please take a moment to introduce yourself and share your journey to where you are today with our readers?

Certainly! I am a visionary, artist, musician, composer, and soon-to-be husband. My professional persona is known as HtheOutlier, but to friends, family, and those who care (lol), I am Hagan James Wessbecker. Born and raised in Littleton, Colorado, to Kirk James Wessbecker and Sebastian Jordan-Michael Young, I have a sister named Addison Chloe Wessbecker. In addition to being a musician, I am engaged to an incredible woman, and I share my home with a dog and a cat. I began writing music at the age of 8 and officially embarked on a musical career in 2021, receiving critical acclaim in my home state of Colorado. I aspire to expand my reach nationally and internationally, and I owe much of my success to my talented engineer, MixedbyBlitz, at Mount Olympus Recording Studio in Colorado Springs and Black Pegasus. Thank you both for helping me advance my career.

Life isn’t always straightforward, and through music, I’ve found a means to break free from the chains that might otherwise hold me down. I hope to provide solutions to others’ problems through my music, just as it has done for me. Despite having aspirations in other areas, like professional snowboarding, I feel my true calling is on stage, conveying messages for those without voices. I will continue to pursue this passion every day until they put me in a box.

Society can do more to create an environment supportive of artists and creatives. I believe we should provide more avenues for artists in their development stages, offering classes that provide comprehensive knowledge of the music business, including trademarking, publishing, and marketing visual art and talents. The creative mind and job force deserve more value, and artists should have access to education without having to pay excessively for it.

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

In my honest opinion, I believe that we don’t provide enough routes for artists in their development stages to be able to gain knowledge in order to able to actually do this themselves, the right way; why not have classes more available that provide full introspective knowledge of the music business? Or at the very least how to trademark publish and Market their visual art and talents as well. I just don’t feel like there is enough value placed on the creative mind and the creative job force or Collective as it is. Artists almost have to pay to learn or have to be indoctrinated or taught.

And don’t get me started on the way some parents treat artist children. They most certainly do not always cultivate the art or their child’s knack for creating it

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

That’s a great question. I believe that non-creatives may need to recognize that, when approached properly, a career in the arts can be financially sustainable and fulfilling. Taking the right paths and avenues can lead to profitability and a livelihood solely from one’s passion. If one or two people believe in a creative early on, it can be the tipping point that propels them to create in the first place. In my case, showing my music to a true friend, Travis Scott, was a turning point. His belief in my work, created as a form of therapy, fueled my dream from embers to an open flame.

If you ever read this, Travis, I love you so much, bro. I’m grateful for our friendship, and you will always inspire me to be the best version of myself. Thank you more than you’ll ever know. I love you, brother.

Contact Info:

• Website: HtheOutlier.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hthe_outlier?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HtheOutlier?mibextid=2JQ9oc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HtheOutlier
• Other: https://spotify.link/v9jU1ZXCbEb https://linktr.ee/htheoutlier