We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jimi Cracovaner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jimi below.

Hi Jimi, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

One of my very earliest childhood memories was sitting in the living room and watching a recording of Jimi Hendrix on the television. Between the music that I was hearing and his energy on stage, this was a new language and it hit differently. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was watching, but I knew that it was something that I wanted to learn how to do. After a couple of years of asking my parents for a guitar, I finally got one. My brother was a drummer, and playing music together became our obsession.

We started playing shows in high school, and by the time we were in college we were releasing albums and playing several shows a month. I really enjoyed the stage and the studio, but the entrepreneurial part of my brain really loved being involved in the business and marketing aspects. I studied business management in college, but music remained at the forefront of my priorities. In addition, to being an artist, musician and songwriter, I spent a lot of time reading books on the music industry, from everything from music marketing to music law. I knew that it would be a difficult path, but it was around this time when I knew that pursuing music was going to be my professional path and my life’s work.

I still have much more to accomplish, but I know that the 5 year old watching Hendrix on the living room tv would be proud of my accolades!

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 I mentioned, I grew up playing in bands from a very young age. After playing hundreds of shows and touring, I began exploring other revenue centers within the music industry. After a placement of one of my own band’s songs on television, I was turned onto the world of music licensing and sync.

About 10 years ago I moved from Arizona to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. I’ve learned from being in this industry that you sometimes have to wear many hats in the music business. I also was forced to learn a broad skillset. I am very proud of the skillset that I have learned over the course of my life’s work as a musician. In addition to playing 10 instruments, I’m a songwriter, composer, music producer and mix engineer. In 2020, I reignited my passion for songwriting, and now I am again a recording artist under my solo project as Jimi C & The Waves.

The music business is constantly evolving with different technologies and platforms, which has forced me to innovate, grow, learn new skills and always think like an entrepreneur.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

For me it’s quite simple. Through my own adversity as a child, I came to understand that life is short and that everyday we wake up is a blessing. For me I made the decision that I want to spend my days doing what I love and what I am passionate about. Music is an incredible powerful force in our world and one of very things that can evoke strong emotion and bring people together all over the world. Music is truly the universal language. I’ve always wanted to take my creative musical energy and spread it, and share it to as many people as possible. I think that if more people found an outlet for their creative energy that the world would be a better place!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding part of being an artist is connecting with others. There is nothing better than knowing I made someone smile, take a few extra dance steps or brighten up their day just a little. I can remember moments of playing live shows where I could see someone’s face in the audience brighten up with joy. More recently, I’ve even had strangers reach out to me on social media and tell me that I’ve inspired them to go for it and pursue music as a career. I think as artists we are stewards of a creative torch. It is our job to carry that torch for as long as we can and for as many people as we can. It is also our job to keep that torch going and to make others see the value in that light, so that they can keep the flame ignited with their own creative pursuits! The world needs more creative energy. At the end of the day I love knowing that my music has the ability to make the world shine just a tiny bit brighter!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jimicwaves.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimicwaves/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jimicwaves
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jimicwaves
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6pLYxXwjexi3spUPvVOCij?si=DTcf_WXAS9SMrB1–Nv8MQ

Image Credits
Photographs by Lisa Donahue (@thelisadonahue)