We were lucky to catch up with Hayley Koning-Bastiaan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hayley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I’m jealous of the days when curators and collectors would fund symphonies and works of music. I think with some reframing we can get back to that point. Currently the landscape looks as if shards were floating in space of what once was a viable and respectable art form. That might sound depressing but more than anything it’s existential. It is our duty as artists to engage in creation as a sacred rite, to pick up these broken pieces and rearrange them in a way that’s meaningful. Until music and sound are valued to a greater extent, people like me are going to need a job on the side.

I think there are very few people who can engage with artistry without the burden of obligation. I daydream about one day being one of those people who can make ends meet without a day job. So many folks (myself included) are underemployed and it’s a result of overvaluing a speculative market. The music industry has been eaten by tech. I want to bring it back into the performing arts space, the museum space, and most importantly the campfire space – Where it sits in your heart.

Hayley, 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?

When it comes to consulting on creative endeavors, I don’t feel constrained to one form of art or another. The principles in helping others make art are very intertwined with what is done in therapy. It’s all about empathy and growing ideas.

I think of the creation process as if we’re guiding this orb of energy and importance through the process of manifestation. At the end it is the soul of the piece. If you care about a cause, if there is a pressing matter, or even when you’re “out of inspiration” it’s really productive to have someone to help gently refine and encourage useful ideas.


Misinterpretation is inevitable. I am all too familiar with the feeling of alienation, and misrecognition. I want the artist to feel as secure as they can in letting an idea out there into the world. Even if I had no hand in the creation of a piece, it’s fun to frame the work in a way that encourages understanding. I love co-writing artist statements.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think everyone likes to make things. People just don’t like being bad at things. And practicing an art is hard work. I think we all have to do it a little bit to stay sane, or at least human. It’s really easy for me to forget about my own humanity, it’s like I have object impermanence – but I am reminded of my own worth through the recognition of another. And I think art is that pathway toward recognition. I don’t have monetary success or a lot of followers, I don’t want to “succeed” as an artist in the current state of our industry. I do this because I love it, I refuse to let the market dictate or even influence my craft. I do it for the people I meet and the special things we can create.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

They’re scary. Have you seen AI generated NFTs? When will it all turn into wall street speculation of robots consuming robot content? It’s funny because there is a lot of good money to be made in fine art. But you have to have the connections and meet these collectors, It’s a whole song and dance in an evil misogynistic industry. I don’t see NFTs as subverting that, I don’t see them helping women or people of color. They are frat bro art. Whomever is holding the bag at the end loses.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayls.mp3/

Image Credits

1. @_.m0x13