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

Hillary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am happy to be an artist and creative, but every artist will tell you there are many challenges to building a sustainable career in that field. As a songwriter and singer, you are in a very vulnerable space when you share your craft with the world, that can be a challenge in itself. Making money to live as an artist can also be a struggle, which is a secret to no one. I have had many “regular” jobs, some not so regular (currently), and some of them have actually helped me get farther in my music career. I am not able to sustain a living as an artist at the moment, but I have a wonderful job that has helped me accomplish some of my greater goals in the music industry. For example, I had full support of the company I work for (Pike Place Fish Market) full time as the shipping manager to go back to school. I studied Music Supervision, Copyright Law, and Music Licensing online at Berklee College of Music. Which I completed in September of 2023. The pursuit of my music career is not interfered with by my employers, being there actually works in my favor. They give me the time off I need to study and create. I have had several opportunities to combine my job as a fishmonger with being a singer. I recently did an episode for a new iHeart radio podcast, Finally! A Show, (made by women, for women) where I get to talk about both being a musician and a fishmonger. I also did an episode for the Day Jobs segment for the one and only KEXP in Seattle, WA, where I was interviewed at work about how slinging fish pays for getting my music out in the world. So for me, the regular job is fueling my creative career and soul.

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.

My name is Hillary, my moniker is Branik, and I am a singer/songwriter from Florence, CO. I am currently based in Seattle, WA where I release music and work as a fishmonger at the World Famous Pike Place Fish.

I always knew that I wanted to sing when I was a kid. When I was a little and I would get upset, I would sing songs to myself about why I was sad to soothe the ole heartache. So, I guess you could say I have always been a songwriter. I wrote songs in high school with the help of my guitar teacher, and performed when there were opportunities available. There weren’t as many as I hoped for where I am from, but I did my best. I really wanted to make music a career for myself, so I kept after it and had my eyes set on one school for college. It was the only place I applied. I was accepted into Berklee College of Music when I was 17, and I have always been proud to say so. I had been told that I didn’t have the chops to get in, and it turns out that I did. I went on to study songwriting as a vocalist. I had to drop out due to difficulties with my voice stemming from cysts that had developed in my vocal chords. I lost over half of my range and was not able to continue with classes. Two years later I had the cysts surgically removed. After vocal rehab and about 2 years of practice, I began to release music again, and I started to grab on to my identity as an artist, which is how I became Branik. Eventually, I made my way to Seattle, which was where I really began to bloom as an artist. My single ‘Monster’ hit the radio in March of 2020, and that changed my life. I was a radio kid, so having my song broadcast on a major radio station like KEXP was a dream come true. Thanks DJ Kevin Cole and Rachel Stevens. (She discovered me!) Recently, I returned to Berklee to complete the Music Supervising program so I can pursue a career licensing and placing music. Something I look very forward to! I have released an EP and another single, “You Never Knew” since moving to Seattle, all produced by Hillary Reynolds and Trevor Jarvis. Look them up, they are incredible musicians and creators. I am proud that I was able to work with them, it truly has been an honor.

My focus now as a musician and creator, is to light a spark in whatever audience I have. I want to captivate people who are sharing their attention with me. It is my favorite way to communicate the human experience from my perspective. It is something I will never stop. I am grateful that I have created several paths for myself to continue the adventure of connecting with people through my art.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the things that I had to unlearn, and honestly still have to remind myself of at times, is that I aged out of being an artist, or that I would. I used to be told that I had until I was 18 or so to be someone in the entertainment industry, we were all told that tale. Now, as a 33 year old, I know that it is just not true! I have made great accomplishments, and most of them happened later in my life. I also still have to unlearn that the beauty standards for performers (or anyone for that matter) do not have to make or break you, even though there are times that they do. I had to learn that they do not equal your worth in any way, even if someone else decides that is not the case. But that is the business they call show. I am just grateful it is evolving, even if it is slowly. It is easier said than done, but I will never give in.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

If I could go back and change one thing about the beginning of my musical journey, it would be to learn piano and music theory at a much younger age. That would have changed so much for me when it came to writing and development. The confidence level would have been a lot better for me as well. It was hard to apply music theory without being proficient in an instrument in school. It would have really helped with my running start into college. I was involved in all sorts of art programs as a kid, but that was not in my wheelhouse. Luckily, it is never too late! I am doing it now.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/branik
• Instagram: iambranik
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-branyik/
• Twitter: iambranik
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hillaryanne21

Image Credits
Jonah Besel, Michael Nelson, Diego Moreno (Pike Place Fish Market Photographer and Marketing Director), Jim Bennett (Photo Bakery), Kelly Branyik, Jimmy Anderson (Getty Images)