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

Ryan , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I picked up the guitar around the age of 16. Initially, I learned a through a simple form of musical notation called tablature. I quickly began to shift away from tabs and realized that it was much easier for me to use my ear to find the sounds and chords that I was trying to emulate. At that time, my musical guidance was hard rock and metal. I learned riffs and chords on an old electric guitar and then gravitated toward the acoustic guitar.
Looking back, I think it would have benefited me greatly to have the right teacher (I’ve never had music lessons). At the same time, I feel like there is something unique to the process of stumbling blindly through the dark of a new endeavor. It takes away the shortcuts, but that lack of external influence has made the style of music that I play my own.
The most essential skill to learning anything is self discipline… Give anything focused attention and you’ll grow in it.
The main obstacle that has stood in the way of me growing was myself, pride, lack of humility.
When we focus (with compassion) on our weak points they will become strengths if we work on them with consistency.

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

I’m a songwriter, singer, guitarist and music producer that felt called to pursue music from a pretty young age. When I was 18 I had a very clear vision of being a career musician. At times this vision shifted but never left me. In some form or fashion I’ve been a professional musician since my early 20’s. I remember blindly reaching out to coffee shops and bars about playing at their venue’s. I quickly got work and I quickly realized how much I had to learn. Being a musician in your home is one thing, it’s a completely different experience being a live performer in front of an audience. It took me many years to grow into a consistent, competent musician.
What I feel sets me apart from others is the way that I use my tools to create my live sound. Also, I genuinely love people and the challenge of playing music live. When I get to connect to others through music it brings me so much joy. There’s nothing else like it for me…
I’m the most pleased with the way I’ve learned to express and articulate my music. I love the growth process. Most of the time I have a pretty clear vision for the recordings and sound that I’m looking for. In order to bring the vision from an idea into the tangible world I had to combine my vision with the knowledge of audio recording and other tools to help articulate it.

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

When I perform live, the connection that I feel with the audiences that I play for is life-giving and extremely rewarding.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are so many great philosophic teachers that have influenced me over the years. From the stoics to the Bible I’ve found and worked to apply values that have been instrumental in my personal and professional growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ryandesiato.com
• Instagram: @ryandesiatomusic
• Facebook: @ryandesiatomusic
• Linkedin: @ryandesiatomusic
• Youtube: @ryandesiatomusic

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Zach Brigham-Delude