We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Parker Pruneda. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Parker below.

Alright, Parker thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

When I started making music it was mostly just me in my dad’s garage. I slowly started to network and meet other artists and I soon had several guys come in and out of the garage pretty regularly. At that point, I was still so new so I didn’t really have a good idea of what to charge for studio time or for beats, and almost everyone I worked with was a good friend of mine anyway. My friend Kohl who quickly became my closest collaborator had a show at the Pasco flea market and he performed some songs that I worked on. He was paid $100 for his performance and after the show, he gave me a cut of that. It wasn’t much but I remember looking at the cash in my hand and thinking to myself, “Wow made this from making music with my friends in my dad’s garage”

Parker, 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?

My introduction to music really came from my friend Sam. We went to school together from 6th grade til graduation. In middle school, Sam was always writing rap songs in class and during lunch. it was at this time my dad showed me Macklemore and I was taking an interest in listening to music that wasn’t just whatever my parents had on the radio. Sam and I played basketball together and id ask questions about his music. He told me about this beat software he used to produce his music so I did some research and decided to give it a try. We began to write and produce music together and by our sophomore year of high school, we made a mixtape and burned it on a bunch of CDs. It wasn’t very good and I was made fun of for it but it was a start. I realized I was better at the production side of the music and not so much as rapping so I put more effort into the beats. But a lot of the music I listen to now and my love for music was inspired directly by Sam so without him I don’t know if I’d be where I am now.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My ultimate goal in life is really to do whatever the hell I want to do and nothing I don’t. I love music and I’m working to get to the point where music can support me and my family easily.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I really think the biggest thing is short-term compared to long-term money. It’s easy to go put in hours at a 9-5 job in my opinion. You’re obligated to show up and work, you’re fired if you don’t perform, and you walk away every week with money in your pocket. As a creative, you have to have the self-discipline to “show up” and be creative and you have to be willing to put in a large sum of hours with no immediate compensation like a paycheck. Time is extremely valuable and you have to be willing to sacrifice that along with other resources in your life for the long-term gain being a creative has.

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Image Credits
Kay Gonzales Elijah Ross