We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matt Farren a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Matt, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Basically from birth. Like, I don’t know of a time in my life where I didn’t want to be an entertainer. There’s a core memory in the back of my mind from when I was on a swing set with my best friend at something like six years old. I asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up, and his answer? Jet Pilot. Aghast, I asked, “why would you want to be a jet pilot when you could be one in the movies?” Now, I understand that to create something real you should have real-world experience, but that’s all for nothing if you don’t prioritize doing something with what you’ve learned. Now, this is one of my guiding principles: if I’m making something, I need to prioritize sharing it, not perfecting it. And if I’m NOT working on something creative? I need to be as present and intentional as possible so that, hopefully, it informs my art eventually.
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?
It’s a good thing I keep getting asked this question because the answer changes depending on when I’m asked it. As of now? I’m just super excited about the EP I’m gonna release at the end of the year (follow me @MJFarren to learn more about it).
I’ve put out a few singles (the first I’ve ever shared), but I don’t think anyone is prepared for what me and my collaborator (Royal Dean) have in store. We’ve been working on this project for nearly a year, and some of these songs were written as far back as 2020, so you can bet that a LOT of time and thought has gone into this. Thankfully, I’m not in the industry/business side of things so I’m actually able to take the time I need to work and have the freedom to be multi-disciplined, BUT— that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t spring on the opportunity if it came my way. I’d do this with all of my time for the rest of my life, so it would be a thrill to be paid to do it. In the meantime, follow me along for independent music/film that’s being made from a love for the work, instead of to sell non-existent CD’s & Blu-Ray’s.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Collaaaaaaaaaboration. It’s fun to create things individually, but you’re driven out of your comfort zone by working with others and can make things you’ve only ever dreamed of when you work with people who have a different range of experience from your own. It’s fun to work on anything, but it’s rewarding when you intentionally work with people you haven’t to create something you couldn’t have before!
How did you build your audience on social media?
This is the perfect question for me because I DON’T have any kind of audience! Almost every single person that follows me is somebody I know and somebody that knows me. Because of that the only thing I know is how to build community, and that demands authenticity, presence, and intentionality. I don’t see why these tenets aren’t something that would build any kind of audience, but I haven’t tried it yet. At this point, I’ve only been prioritizing having work to show for myself. I figure if you do the verb, you are the noun, so—before marketing myself as a filmmaker, musician, or an actor—I’ve been making sure that I’m actually doing the things that I want to be doing for the rest of my life (you’d think this would be common-sense, but you have no idea how many people DON’T do this). I’ve been at this for years now, and I’m hoping it pays off soon because my quarter-life crisis is peaking.
Contact Info:
- Website: MattFarren.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjfarren/
- Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/mjfarren/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/4xwK-cQlZ2Q?si=Q4ETxu3pcIa0J5Vo
Image Credits
Jessica Fernandez