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

Missingno., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew that I wanted to try doing music professionally since Spring of 2019, right after I finished my Master’s degree. I had been making music since undergrad but it took me until after grad school to work up the nerve and take the jump. It feels like a late start to me because most artists I know have been making music since childhood, however, I suppose starting late is still better than not starting at all.

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 am Missingno. and I make chill music that is best categorized as alternative hip-hop / pop. My artist name comes from a glitch in the original Pokémon games and can also be read as “missing number”. My music is for anyone who’s open to listening to it, but my listeners tend to like nerdier things like games, anime, or comics.

I got interested in making music by becoming friends with musicians in college. While at UT Austin, I would watch them record songs in their dorm rooms, go to their performances, help record music videos, go to SXSW with them, etc. Eventually I started to want to make music myself, but it took me a while to actually try to do it because I didn’t think I was good enough and I didn’t want to be a poser. Eventually I discovered my sound, which is inspired by video games both lyrically and sonically. Lately I’ve been branching out on the production, so my recent work isn’t as overtly game-sounding as it was, but it’s still me.

Where I am now is not where I want to be, but I’m proud of the fact that I’m still going. Because last year I seriously almost quit. I doubted whether I wanted to continue, but recently I’ve come to terms with it. Even if I worked a regular job I’d still make music on the side. So why not try?

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The blessing and the curse of doing creative work is that there’s so many different hats you have to wear that you could really do a different job each day if you want. For example: Songwriter on Monday, Producer on Tuesday, Social Media Marketer on Wednesday, Videographer on Thursday, Live Performer on Friday, Graphic Designer on Saturday, Video Editor on Sunday. That’s not even an exhaustive list of what all has to be done.

But despite the difficulty, the work is very fulfilling. To have a job where I can wake up everyday, anticipating the work I’m gonna do is a blessing. Especially nowadays where it’s hard to find a job that pays well enough, let alone whose work you actually believe in and buy into.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a part of my creative journey, I had to unlearn preconceived notions about myself and evolve as a person. Up until the point where I started to make music, I had already accepted myself as an introverted person who doesn’t use social media and I was okay with that. I didn’t need to be anything other than that. But after stepping onto this path I realized that if I wanted my life to change, I had to change as a person.

Being an independent artist, I could no longer just be an introverted person who doesn’t say anything; I had to get out there to perform and network with people. I needed to start posting to social media instead of just lurking – and it’s a very vulnerable thing to do. Even on the business side of things, I never saw myself as a persuasive business person who makes sales, but now it’s something that I have to learn to do.

I’m still in this process right now and I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I believe I’m changing for the better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://missingnomusic.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/missingno_music
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/missingno.musics
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/missingno_music
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@missingno_music
• Other: Listen to “Infinite”, my newest single for over thinkers, here: http://symphony.to/missingno/infinite

Image Credits
Matt Brown, Jason Chamberlain, Quaneia Murphy