We recently connected with Myles McGuire and have shared our conversation below.
Myles, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
The best investment I made was in myself. When I dropped out of college in 2018 I worked tirelessly to fund my career. If I wasn’t paying for studio time to record a record I’d be paying for a visual or for a photo shoot, a dance class or new outfits to experiment with. It wasn’t until I loved to LA in 2020 that I started monetizing and professionalizing my craft. I had opportunities from my hometown ( Ann Arbor Michigan) like festival performances and performing at colleges campuses. But LA offered me a wide range of talent to work with. I finally found a personal stylist. Names angel who I’ve experienced Many ups and downs with. I landed a billboard on Hollywood Blvd. covered my first 3 online articles. Choreographed a short dance film. These are just a few examples of what it means to plant seeds early on to enjoy the harvest when you least expect it.
Myles, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Shortly after I graduated high school in 2016 I went to Central Michigan University to study political science. That lasted for about two years before I dropped out. I performed within those two years, I fell in love for the first time, I got my heart broken, traveled, cooked at a Thai food restaurant, worked at JCPenney, BCBG, Macys, Walmart, Amazon, ect. I could never keep a job that I felt was dead end and outside of my purpose. I lead protests in my home town, on days that I was suppose to be at work. My high school counselor and her wife reached out to their network of colleagues to raise money for me to move to LA in 2020. It was enough to give me a head start on a job hunt and wiggle room for me to experience LA stress free. What I didn’t know is that the next three years would be the hardest years of my life. When I moved to LA in 2020 I made it my mission to create a hero that I got to be when life got hard. I based my life around a projection of myself. I wanted to brand and market myself properly. Which landed me in a constant state of performance. Constantly posting new dance videos online, going to dance class to put out the next video, spending my last on a dance class. Paying for class footage and not getting it back. In the time that I was in LA I slept on couches, study apartments with 4 people, fallen asleep on trains, not knowing where to go next. I’ve lost myself numerous times out here. I’d rather create than to be comfortable to the point of homelessness. I didn’t know how to power down. I was racing to get to a place of monetary value. So I’m slowly unlearning how I am as a artist beyond my accolades. What ultimately makes me happy is my family. I try my best to keep them at the head of my life.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding thing can be tied down to a feeling rather than something tangible. For as long as I could remember I wanted to creatively entertain people through various mediums. From making YouTube videos in high school, to running track for 7 years. I found joy in bringing a show to people. Making people forget about their worries because your performance has them so present, is a indescribable feeling. I studied political science for two years in college before I decided to pursue music and dance fully. It wasn’t easy walking by faith and I have lost my way time and time again. But allowing myself to fall apart made the results that much more rewarding.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I based my life around a projection of myself. I wanted to brand and market myself properly. Which landed me in a constant state of performance. Constantly posting new dance videos online, going to dance class to put out the next video, spending my last on a dance class. Paying for class footage and not getting it back. In the time that I was in LA I slept on couches, studio apartments with 4 people, falling asleep on trains, not knowing where to go next. I’ve lost myself numerous times out here. I’d rather create than to be comfortable to the point of homelessness. I didn’t know how to power down. I was racing to get to a place of monetary value. So I’m slowly unlearning how I am as a artist beyond my accolades.
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