We were lucky to catch up with Pavle Kujundzic recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Pavle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the one I’m working on now. It is my first EP. The musical debut project I make as an adult – the first project I feel like I want to do right – which is probably why it is taking me so long to complete.

The circumstances are simple. I haven’t published any music since the songs I used to make in high-school to amuse my friends. I’ve never published something that I feel has true meaning. So this is important to me, it is important that I share whatever I need to say, in the most honest way possible, and for it to be produced properly. It’s like waiting for stars to align.

The method is not simple, for the fact that I keep changing, and I keep writing new songs, without having published what I’ve written so far. So this project has become a process of distillation. Taking all material, new and old, demos, lyrics, ideas and different methods of recording from the past several years and trying to figure out it’s core, trying to figure out my message, what is recurring and still relevant to how I think and feel. I want whatever I release as my first EP to be honest, and I don’t want to regret releasing it.

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

I was born to a mother who was incredibly creative, an avid sculptor, painter, seamstress, and carpenter, my father was a photojournalist – the way to deal with the world was through self-expression – being a doctor, lawyer or accountant was never even a backup option. It would mean death.

I don’t mean to sound dramatic at all, it is just the way it is. I developed a passion for performing at a very young age, acting, music and drawing were my main ways of expression. They were encouraged and nourished by my mom. Today I make music, I write songs, and compose scores for film. I do most of my work alone, in my own studio. I am gearing up to do my first EP album and have just won an award for best short film score at the CFC Film Festival.

What I enjoy most about working on film scores, is that I get to work with directors in order to make THEIR films, their stories amplified through music, and I get to forget about myself for a while. I’ve written ballads and pop-songs with words, made heavy, electronic drone music and played a variety of acoustic instruments to build western style soundscapes – whatever fits the story, whatever fits the moment. It’s liberating because my ego gets to fall by the wayside, in service.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of making music, and sharing it, is gaining understanding and connection. When someone takes the time to listen, and open themselves up to feeling, I feel understood, and also gain better understanding of myself and them in the process. The connection I create with people through my work, is a deeper connection than I ever could through conversation, because in the process of them listening and opening up to the music, allowing themselves to feel, I receive the confirmation that I’m not alone in the world. I receive the confirmation that the thing that feels in me is real and present in others.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There’s a brilliant essay by Kevin Kelly called “1000 True Fans” in which he makes an undeniable argument (more applicable now than ever before), that in this world, you only need 1000 people to really like your work and support you financially in order to sustain a living as an artist or creator.

I strongly advise you read it – it completely shifted my perspective from “I need to be famous” to “I need to be honest about what I feel and connect with others who feel the same”. This allowed me to stop thinking about how others may perceive me and my work, and start allowing myself to feel how I feel, figuring out how I’d like to express that feeling, and to take my time (or not).

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pavle.mara/