We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Preston James a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Preston, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I studied everyday for hours on end. Giving up most of my social life and trading it for a life more desirable, lucrative and fulfilling. I tried to speed up my process by getting in the door of local studios in Denver Colorado where I started, but it is slim pickens (at the time) in Denver for studios. Especially one’s that will allow someone who has to previous working experience or school within that field. I also didn’t know anyone either, so I was out of options. I had to fend for myself if this was something I truly wanted to pursue. Spending hours on end in my room learning the skills of a producer and engineer was the only way I could even scratch the surface. Luckily, there is this platform called youtube and instagram that is filled with information if you know where to look and what to learn. Self discipline was the skill I had to teach myself. The most valuable skill I would learn and continue to practice on a daily basis. My only obstacle was me. If I wanted to do this for the rest of my life and make it a career, I had to put the time in, double time in comparison to my counter-parts who were actually working in studios and getting mentor advice. I had to spend the time, take the risks, put in the work and do it relentlessly days on end to get to to where I wanted to go.

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.

My name is Preston James and I am an Audio Engineer, as well as a producer who is also trying to help make the world a better place by promoting self worth, community, growth and positivity through a podcast I run titled “The Reflection”. Here at the Laughing Buddha Recording Studio we offer audio services (production, recording, mixing, audio repair and portfolio building for social media platforms as well as anything else a client wants to pursue that inquires different angles and lens’s of their person or business). We build personal relationships with our clients and use those relationships to get the most out of our clients in order build their best work. To give our clients the best authentic approach and clarity that will in turn set them apart from other competitors. After all, we all have a unique voice and are biologically, neurologically and systematically built different than every other person on the planet. Why not use that to help our clients reach their goals, potential and highest form of self?

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I know it may sound cliché or corny, but my goal and mission is to make the world a better place. Helping people reach their goals and dreams creates a flow of happiness and positivity within their circle and for those directly around them as well as in their community. Helping people feel good about themselves and who they are as a person and then helping them deliver that to the world in turn makes the world just ‘that’ much more of a better place where people can live out their hopes and dreams.

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

The most rewarding part of this job is working with people and helping people become more accomplished, feel better about themselves as well as seeing them push themselves to do and be better at their craft or work. Having people feel good about what they have done is rewarding in and of itself. I obviously didn’t get into this industry for the money, don’t get me wrong, money is nice, but it doesn’t drive me to do the things we do here at The Laughing Buddha Recording Studio. The truth is that most engineers and producers don’t make a ‘lot’ of money. They make decent money, enough to live a good life with reasonable perks and a steady income to live within the middle to upper middle class lifestyle, if you’re fortunate enough to maintain in the industry. Overall, the reward is the success of each person that accomplishes the thing they sought out to achieve with the help, support, guidance and pathway that we provide.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thelaughingbuddhars.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laughingbuddha_studios/
• Facebook: Preston James
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preston-james-709862346/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaughingBuddhaRecordingStudio
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-laughing-buddha-los-angeles

Image Credits

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