Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mike Seely. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mike, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Most of my musical skills and capabilities have been self taught. Although there were brief times of hesitancy, my drive and curiosity has lead me to expand my creative knowledge base and try new things. I believe we all learn what we need at the time we need it, and I usually tend to let it all arrive organically without trying to rush anything. My passion for music and the creative force that’s inherent in my blood has sustained my various projects over the years, with only myself being an obstacle. It’s all up to me how far I take things, and there’s only me to blame if I’m not where I want to be.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been drawn to music and songwriting from an early age, primarily composing songs on the piano. My desire for technical skills faded as I felt compelled to learn and play by ear, figuring out songs without help, mind you this was before the internet age. However, this lack of technical skills also motivated me to write my own stuff because learning other songs was time consuming. It’s definitely fun playing cover songs, but for me there is something deeply satisfying about the experience of creating something out of nothing. Whether it’s art, engineering, or music, offering the world some sort of tangible experience that once was just a stream of ideas floating around in the ether is a profoundly rewarding thing, on a soul level and ego level. In an odd way, it feels good realizing that pieces of us, our art, will live on even after we die. While I like to think that most of my music and writing is for me, my ego is proud to share it widely with the world. As I’ve honed in on Sunburnt Sky and its underlying message, it’s uplifting and positive music that promotes living your best life. I’m not trying to change the world, but whatever small impact I can have on spreading love and optimism is certainly a worthwhile endeavor in my opinion.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My early teenage years involved chipping away at the piano and drums. Eventually I gained the confidence to try learning the guitar, an instrument that looked hard and intimidating for some reason. I finally got my prized possession one Christmas, a black and white fender strat knockoff. I played the hell out of it for a few weeks, learning basic chords and feeling like this was the start of something big. Unfortunately while working at a cabinet shop after high school classes, I had an accident on the table saw, severing several fingers on my left hand. During the shock of it all, the first thought that came to me was that my short-lived guitar playing days were over, as this was the hand I use on the fretboard. Long story short, after a year of surgeries and healing, my mangled hand hasn’t stopped me from pursuing my dreams or playing the guitar. A small impediment for sure, but I’ve learned to embrace it and use that experience as a springboard for motivation and determination. We can all do hard things and if there is a passion in your life, you’ll figure out a way to itch it at any cost.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I got into stoic philosophy about a decade ago as a way to be happier and more resilient, both on a personal level and professional level. This ancient wisdom has found a lot of relevancy in today’s culture as we continually find ourselves getting trapped in the rat race of life. In short, Stoicism is a tool set that helps us direct our thoughts and actions in an unpredictable world. We don’t control and cannot rely on external events, but we can (to a certain extent) control our mind and choose our behavior. It teaches how to keep a calm and rational mind no matter what happens to us and it helps us understand and focus on what we can control and not worry about and accept what we can’t control. In the end, it’s not what happens to us but our reactions to it that matters.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunburntskymusic/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@SunburntSkyMusic?feature=shared
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1CQMu66UNh8eMuj6koJEwL?si=5KFrE-yGQUKDjPpmwJMDtg https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sunburnt-sky/1605419896