We recently connected with Kevin Taylor and have shared our conversation below.

Kevin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

Whew! Like most endeavors people get into, there are always unexpected obstacles you face. I actually created a course for my music producers that I coach around this. I’ll dive into one of the most common, which is inconsistency! Basically, I didn’t realize how tough it would be to make sure I created on a regular basis, despite what life throws at you.

The first time I had a real issue with this was maybe in 2015. Mind you, I started making music in 2001. I was finishing maybe 5-10 beats a week, consistently, probably spending between 4-6 hours a day cranking them out, and even more when I got to college. That was a great pace for me. I had recently moved to Atlanta two years prior, had some big music opportunities on my plate, but of course, needed to make sure I was working to support myself. Life was also throwing some different obstacles at me with family, friends and personal life. I was trying to balance everything while staying focused. It felt impossible, though, and I started to get exhausted, discouraged and put music on the back burner. And here’s the problem – inconsistency compound effects!

First, you just miss a day or two. Then your skills and workflow get a little bit rusty and becomes slower. A slower workflow means even when you do create, you make less art. Making less art starts to make you feel discouraged about your progress. Feeling discouraged brings negative self-talk, where you’re questioning who you are and causes imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome makes you feel less motivated about creating. Less motivation, less inspiration, means you spend even less time creating. And the downward spiral continues.

So here’s how I snapped out of that: a schedule.

I know, boring answer, but that was literally the solution for me, and has been for so many of the creators I work with. Since my work schedule had changed drastically, and I needed time to deal with life, I couldn’t just “wing it” with my time anymore. I had to be disciplined. I had to be a professional. I decided that no matter what, I’d spend 2 hours/day creating Monday through Friday. The same window of time every single day, and scheduled down time to reset. I protected that time. I know that sounds like a BIG drop off from 4-6 hours a day, and it was. However, it was what I could commit to, which is the most important part. This restored my confidence in myself, which reversed the downward spiral I was experiencing before. And this had more positive effects.

Shortly after, my job laid off our entire floor with no notice. Ironically, I think I kind of wanted that to happen, because I was feeling so inspired again about music. Maybe two weeks later, I was fortunate enough to connect with Inky Johnson and start working on his project “Empty The Bucket”. I finished the album in maybe a couple of weeks and that album has changed lives ever since. If I hadn’t been consistent, I wouldn’t have felt confident in my abilities, wouldn’t have had the fast workflow I needed to meet a quick deadline, and likely would have passed on the project.

No matter where you are in your journey, this is something you’ll face, that you likely don’t consider when you’re first getting started. Now I’m grateful that I get to help other producers and artists in particular figure out how to get unstuck from situations just like this.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m KT of KTGotBeats, a guy from Alabama who had a dream of making music. I’m pretty weird – I grew up around gospel and jazz music, trained in classical piano, while being a fan of hip hop and R&B.

However, I’ve been fortunate enough to work outside of the box with worldwide talent – everything from Grammy nominated songwriters to international motivational speakers like Inky Johnson to tv/film to audiobooks. Artists featured on Netflix, millions of streams, co-founding a music publishing tech platform – I’ve touched nearly every lane of this industry in some capacity.

After 20 years working in so many different facets of the industry, I remember how much time I wasted getting started in my journey focused on the wrong things. Overthinking, over-planning, over complicating things.

It was confusing and overwhelming (and YouTube didn’t even exist!) And I know exactly what I would do differently that would have propelled me to success MUCH sooner. Now I have a passion for helping producers and artists get out of their own way, find their artistic identity and earn from their music. I’ve helped countless music producers and artists get their start offline, and now I’m coaching artists and producers create with confidence virtually all over the world.

While there’s a rabbit hole of information out there that will help you with the technical aspects – the latest gear, new mixing techniques, etc – there aren’t many people helping creatives work through all of that clutter and focus on what’s most important: the principles to weather through any season of your journey. The tools can change every week. The techniques will evolve over time. But if you’re new, do you actually know where to start? If you’re seasoned, do you know how to overcome writer’s block or what the most important part of your production is? How to collaborate without feeling so shy?

These are the keys to becoming successful no matter what DAW, plugins, headphones, that you use. This is how I help you stop overthinking, stop wasting time and create with confidence.

I’ve coaching everyone from elementary school kids to seniors, but I’m most proud of the moments when my students say “I feel unstoppable now.” When they tell me that they finally got over the “hump” they were facing. I want to create that moment for you too. Reach out when you’re ready for a guide on your journey.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a music producer for me is helping others tell their stories. That’s what I’ve always loved most about music and that’s what I’ve been able to help so many artists do over the years. I don’t think the everyday person realizes how powerful story is. How much it is used to pass down culture, sell you a product, or teach you a deep truth about life. Most people in the world don’t write songs, but we all have a desire to be seen and heard. When you listen to a song that tells a part of your story, there’s an instant emotional connection that you build with that song, or even with that artist. This helps you feel connected, seen, heard, and many people have talked about how a song “saved their life.” This isn’t something we as creatives should take lightly. No matter if you do music, write poems, paint, design, etc – you’re creating something to express yourself first, which in turn contributes to the world. Don’t take that for granted.

I create soundtracks for storytellers.

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

Society needs to first understand that without a creative ecosystem, we have no culture. We have no buildings, no music, no art, no films, no food, no innovation at all. I understand the absolute need order, structure and boundaries. However, it must balanced with room for curiosity, fearlessness and freedom. We have to create spaces specifically designed to cultivate those characteristics. We cannot create our best from a place of fear, restraint and limitation. Especially for our youth. That’s where my passion lies. If we can allow children to explore, experiment, and test the boundaries of imagination, we create adults who can solve problems and create beauty out of chaos. And that’s what I think society should value more. My big goal is to create these environments at scale and I think it’ll give us a better future.

Contact Info:

• Website: ktgotbeats.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ktgotbeats
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevintaylorjunior/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ktgotbeats
• Other: Producers, I’m here to help guide you on this journey. Become a part of the community we’re building: https://noboxcollective.ck.page/musicproducerpowerstart

Image Credits
@mayashotyou @kd_docher