We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matthew Killough a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Matthew, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I haven’t, I’ve always had a side-gig or day job. I didn’t start writing music seriously until after I had finished school and started working. I doubt that I could have done it any other way. It took a long time to become the person I am now, and I don’t think the younger version of me would be as committed or capable.
Matthew, 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?
I finished school and started working in Colorado around 2008. I had been playing guitar since high school, but had never been in a real band. I met some people in Denver and we started playing shows around town, I did that for a couple of years. After that I started writing my own music and playing solo shows. I moved to Nashville in 2018 and took a year off to write new music. I’ve been playing shows around town ever since.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being able to pour yourself into a project for weeks or even years at a time and then bringing it to the general public is both incredibly rewarding and terrifying. I live in my own head most of that time, which can be pretty daunting by itself. You’re always wondering if your last good idea could be your last good idea. Nothing beats leaving the house knowing that you’ve written something good though, that’s a high that lasts for days. And hearing positive feedback from someone you trust is always huge.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I’d love to get on with a small label at some point and be able to do some touring, but mostly I just want to write material that I’m proud of. I know how I feel when I’m not writing and I’ll do whatever it takes to avoid that, it leaves me in a pretty empty place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://matthewkillough.bandcamp.com
- Instagram: @mattkillough
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.killough.39?mibextid=LQQJ4d
