We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Miguel Larsen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Miguel below.
Alright, Miguel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I wouldn’t say earning a full-time living with your creative work is difficult because it’s unattainable. In my experience here in Orlando, it’s easy to get consistent gigs in the local area after some time performing publicly and meeting the right people. And the money is GOOOOOD! But I also experienced getting burnt out. I felt like I didn’t want to play the same gigs and places over again. Or even learn new cover songs other people wanted to hear. I was starting to feel like the money wasn’t worth straining my voice after hours of singing. All signs were pointing for me to stop performing all together. But I didn’t want to. I needed to find a balance where I can expand my horizon in entertainment, while again feeling that excitement to perform on stage (or in most cases, the corner of a bar). I am currently a part-time musician, as well as a part time Event’s Manager for a media company here in Orlando, where I’m able to gain the knowledge and experience in event/concert production while having the freedom to perform wherever and whenever I choose. I’m not sure where this will take me, but I know I’m on the right track.
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.
I got into performing while playing in my past original band, Raising Cadence. During our run, we met a lot of great people and were provided opportunities to showcase our talents. This gave me the confidence and reps to work on my craft on stage. After a while, I decided to perform gigs on my own where I felt I was able to provide entertainment the way I wanted to, as well as the places and people I wanted to perform for. I feel what sets me a part from other performers are my people skills. I love being able to read the crowd and feed off their energy. Even if they’re not all paying attention, it’s thrilling finding ways to make them feel a part of the set without force or disturbance. Being able to play a diverse setlist of songs, it’s a great feeling when you play that one song they can relate to and can’t help but to either dance or sing along. The main thing I would want my fans to know is that I perform these songs a lot, so it’s easy to focus on other things that are around while on stage. So yes, if you spill a drink, I will see that party foul while I’m singing my heart out.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I love how I came up in my musical and life journey. As I’ve gotten older, I started to realize few opportunities I may have missed out on in the past. One of them being musical theater. I love acting and improvisation and am so inspired to fuse the two with my performances. I just thought I was too cool for school in High School, even though I wasn’t cool at all. Denialism is real. Lol. But I’m proud to say I’ve been looking into open auditions for local plays and a month from now, I plan on going to my first audition. I am so stoked!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I would say the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or a creative is bringing life to that idea you created and sharing those ideas to others in a way that they can understand and relate to. It’s beautiful thing to hear someone can relate to what you’re going through, whether good or bad. Feels like you’re not alone and the world isn’t against you, it’s with you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/miguelarsen?utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-larsen-2b1a94b0/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCql37MefHTMjQOhzci2lTOg
Image Credits
Truc-Linh Thi Tram Studio 22 Photography Concept Photography Tyler Long