Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Gilman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ryan , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The moment I realized that I wanted to give the artistic path a try was after a show I played in March of 2024. I was lucky enough to join James Morse (really great musician by the way!) at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, Georgia, a more traditional music venue. The stage and music happening on it is really the main event, as opposed to shows I had played in the past where it’s been more “background” music. The set was an hour, but it truly felt like 5 minutes. I didn’t feel nervous, tense, or any negative emotions. It was a flow-like state where it was just a blend of notes leaving my guitar and joining the rest of the band. Performing had always been just a hobby before this, but I walked away that night really thinking about what it would be like to DO THAT more seriously.

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.

I’ve had a guitar in my hands since around age 12. My father growing up was always a huge inspiration. He had the ear where he could literally hear anything and be jamming away to it within 5-10 minutes on a multitude of different instruments. Growing older, I played in various bands/projects, but took a more conservative route as far as going to school, studying business, and working in the accounting industry for 5 years.

However, the music projects kept coming, and coming, to the point where I felt there was enough value I could provide in that industry to leave the corporate world. Over the last year, I’ve become an online + in-person guitar teacher to students at basically every skill level. I’ve become a fill-in guitarist + member of a number of Atlanta-based bands playing live music. I’ve also tried to gain an online-presence where I can remotely record, produce, and provide guitar tracks for artists in various genres to help with their own music.

What I’ve learned in the limited time doing this type of work is that there is no better feeling than helping others on their musical journey. Whether it’s bringing someone’s song idea to life, or teaching a student their first chord, what’s truly the best part of these jobs seeing the joy others get from the music we create together. I want anyone who works with me to know that I enjoy the time I spend helping them.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Only a year in, there are definitely growing pains I’m still experiencing, and I would like anyone that is considering going down a similar path to be aware of this. In previous job roles I had, there was someone I reported to, and they would became a mentor to me. Someone I could go to who had been in my situation before and had helpful tips how to navigate challenges.

With what I do now, it’s extremely important for me to be diligent and seek out those mentors in this new community I’ve joined. There’s no set of instructions on how to succeed and a lot of what happens is trial-and-error, especially when it comes to making online-content. There will be days you make the mistake of comparing yourself to someone who has been creating art for much longer. It truly is the thief of joy, but you have to ignore those thoughts and focus on just getting better each day!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I don’t think I have the conventional goal of becoming a “big-time” artist and topping the billboard 100. It would be awesome, but that’s not what drives me. My mission has become more clear as I’ve ventured farther into the music world, and that is to become a well-connected member in the community so that there are always music projects I can be a part of.

We’re so lucky to live in a world today where you can send musical ideas to peers with the click of a button, and I hope one day I can make myself a guitarist AND producer/engineer that can hear things in my head, or my client’s heads, and be able to grab those ideas and bring them to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ryangilmanmusic.wixsite.com/ryan-gilman-music
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryangilmanmusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanBGilmanMusic

Image Credits

Sarah Elizabeth
Arnaldo Esquivel
Brian Watkins
Wilson Archibald