We recently connected with Hayley Cain and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hayley, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am happy making albums and playing shows. Lately, being in the studio has been more fun than live performances, but I think that has a lot to do with how the pandemic changed live events. I’ve never fully gone back to that place of wanting to be in a crowded, sweaty bar with lots of noise. I know a lot of others who feel the same way. The quiet act of creation has become far more attractive to me as of late.
As far as making money, I’ve always made my living outside of music. Writing has always been my “regular job,” although I know how rare that truly is. As a journalist and freelance writer I’ve worked for community newspapers, alternative weeklies and small magazines since 2009. When I transitioned fully to freelance writing in 2013 I was worried if I could cut it. Obviously, anyone who takes that leap into self employment has to face their own fears and insecurities.
I wondered: Could I actually support myself through my writing, all on my own terms? The answer was “yes,” because I did not have a plan B. I worked hard. I overdelivered. I never missed a deadline. I soon found that if I could also tailor my writing skills to satisfy clients’ needs, I could take on lucrative advertising copywriting jobs. This was a game changer for me, as journalism does not pay well and might still be considered one of the lowest paying jobs in the country. I still write for music publications like BUST and New Noise as a hobby, while making my actual living writing for clients in the California food, wine and travel industries.
As long as I can remember, I’ve known that I was never going to succeed in a traditional ladder-climbing situation. I’ve never been a “good” employee and I only thrive when I focus on what interests me. Now that I am diagnosed with ADD, I realize that this hyper-focus is my super power, and not a limitation. Writing, editing and storytelling interests me on a cellular level, even if what I am writing isn’t always the most exciting. I still get a kick out of drawing the reader in and engaging them in the journey, just as I did when I was a little girl scribbling in various notebooks.
I’ve also worked side-jobs at wineries, ran my own airbnb, worked in my husband’s comic book shop and was once a chef at a small bed and breakfast all while writing professionally. My worst job was at a place called Things & Stuff (or Stuff & Things, who can remember?) in Redondo Beach California. It was in a strip mall and they sold body jewelry and beanie babies and those cheesy crystals you hang from your rear view mirror. I was so bad at giving the correct change that the owner thought I must be stealing from the till. Numbers have always confounded me. Luckily, words are my friends.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As a songwriter, I aim to deliver a hook so strong it worms its way into your brain and snuggles there a while. I aspire to write from a place of universality, but sometimes the songs are obviously personal, and you can feel that in my music. The songs “Overexposed” and “Broken Window” come to mind. Writing a song is all about connecting with the universe on a deep, almost subconscious level. It feels a little like a spiritual gift when a song is actively moving through me. It feels electric and I can’t stop till it’s done. On release day, I’m always frazzled, panting, fainting! Other songwriters know what I’m talking about.
When it comes to my freelance writing clients, I aim to create strong, engaging copy that delivers a message clearly and with a dose of heart. Emotion plays into everything we consume, from the song that strokes your bruised ego after an awful date to the branding that connects with your inner desires. Good writers know this, no matter the medium. I particularly enjoy the interview process, transcribing notes and crafting profiles that feel extremely intimate. I like to shadow a subject, to put the puzzle pieces together. People are mysteries that I enjoy solving!
It also gives me a lot of joy to validate the lives of small business owners through storytelling. There are humans behind every business and I strongly believe that the world is better when we get to know and respect these folks. We should know our grocer, our book store owner and our mechanic. I recently wrote a cover story for Detroit Metro Times about a decades-old hat shop that lies at the heart of the city’s incredible history.
Obviously, journalistic writing, songwriting and marketing writing are all completely different planets to work from (ethically, creatively and from a craft standpoint), but there is one common thread: you have to tell the story in a way that is real, impactful and relatable. You want it to connect, you want it to land. Lately I’ve been focusing on my long-suppressed ambitions in fiction writing, which feels a lot like taking the truth and blending it up into a crazy smoothie. Detroit’s The Room Project peer-editing group has been incredible for helping me take those baby steps.
Fiction writing is fun, annoying and liberating all at once. It also scares me. This is how I know that it is my next goal. Writing a book has been on my to-do list for 36 years and counting.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I went freelance in my late 20s, and I wish I had gotten this advice earlier: Double down on your strengths and believe in yourself. It was my husband who encouraged me to take this massive leap into starting my own business, as he saw that I was talented, hardworking and, frankly, a crap employee! Truly, this is a compliment, because I never want to be an employee again. We laugh about the fact that I couldn’t really be any other way. The amount of orders I got wrong as a waitress is comical. Being my own boss, although not the easiest, is the right path for me. For those who do it, they know it deep down.
I always have more to learn, of course. I am quirky, tenacious and sometimes easily distracted. I also have crazy hyper focus powers and the ability to get a lot done in a short period of time. Working for myself has grown me as a person in so many ways. I am accountable for everything with no one to blame my mistakes on. You fall down and you get back up and you learn. You get paid what you ask for, and not a cent more.
This lifestyle has helped me in the music industry as well. My journalism and marketing experience has made it so much easier to advocate for myself and my art. When you interview and write about hundreds (at this point, probably thousands) of people, you realize that we are all same deep down. We all want the same things: respect, love, freedom, and acceptance. Knowing this truth bone-deep in my body inspires me to connect, not just network (ew, gross!).
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
At this point, I can actually feel good about the self promotion of my art. Yes, I said it. It is all about knowing you are “sharing,” not “selling,” yourself online. Being sold to sucks. Being shared with rules. Bringing people into your world feels great as long as it is a world you love. Craft a world that you adore and then bring others into the party. Boundaries are always important, too, and you will learn them along the way by staying in-tune with your intuition and by making many, many mistakes. Marketing is not really a dirty word to me, although it is often used for evil. When done right, and with good intention, it can be magic! Every artist I’ve ever admired has thought about this element of their art and how to get it out into the world. Have you read Kurt Cobain’s letters to his drummer, firing him for tardiness and lack of drive? He ran his band like a business, pure and simple. The Ramones were not born with their leather jackets.
This idea of marketing scares a lot of people, and I get it. Technology has given us each a lot of instant power, a global platform and a chance to connect with likeminded (and not so likeminded) souls. It is a lot for the human brain to take in. In 2023, we live in a world where many folks sadly still feel entitled, as if they don’t need to promote or explain what they do, even though they have the power to connect with their people, if only they’d just risk a little vulnerability. In a way, this is how artists become invisible to themselves, yet wonder why others don’t truly “see” them or their art. To be seen, and for your art to be seen, you must first see yourself. It would be like creating a beautiful ceramic bowl and then putting it on the street with no information, assuming someone will pick it up and know what to do with it and the story behind it. Why hasn’t someone ordered 100 bowls from you? Well, I can think of a few reasons…
Some people don’t want to sell 100 bowls. That is fine. Just know what you want and don’t pretend you want obscurity when you actually want to be big in Japan. Being a business owner has made me a better supporter of others’ art, too. I think people can sense that I want others to win as much as I personally want to find success. Success is a term defined by my own self, not society. I can appreciate others’ success because I know wins are hard-won and come from personal responsibility. You don’t see the blood, sweat and tears behind someone’s success. You don’t see the years of toil or the hard days, the days when they want to give up. I have almost given up countless times. I
always try to imagine the personal mountains that had to be moved for a single piece of art to make its way out into the world. For this reason I respect anyone who puts themselves out there and offers up creative work to the world. The weird kid in me thanks to weird kid in you. Thank you fellow weirdos for doing what you do!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hayleyandthecrushers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayleyandthecrushers/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hayleyandthecrushers
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-cain-1b5341176/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLDJXUZWUeuhu_6UHcF32Og
- Other: Hayley and the Crushers Bandcamp https://hayleyandthecrushers.bandcamp.com Professional writing services website http://www.astoldbyhayley.com
Image Credits
Photo by Thomas Ignatius HTC11 Photo by Tim Meeks Crushers2022_Tim Meeks6.jpg Photo by Chyrisse Tabone Crushers by Chyrisse Tabone.jpg