We recently connected with Sean Lambert and have shared our conversation below.
Sean, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
Being an artist/ creative has so many benefits to me, mentally speaking. I consider all the aspects of what I do as something creative, from improvising solos on stage, to collaborating on other artist’s music as a writer, to making the smallest adjustments on a song’s mix, and even replacing/ rewiring the components on an organ. Using my senses in conjunction with my brain on anything musical gives me the serotonin boost I crave. For 3 years I worked for 2 different companies at the same time as a production assistant/ AV Technician while also working in kitchens, being in school, and freelancing as a studio musician. Honestly, I don’t mind the hustle if I’m engaged in the line of work. I couldn’t ever sit down for hours and toil away at something that doesn’t interest me – it wouldn’t benefit myself or anyone around me. As long as I’m in tune with the people around me and learning/ experiencing new things. I’m happy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Wow, I wouldn’t even know where to begin! I guess I could say that my serious start in music was pretty early on around 7 years old and I kept growing and expanding with the changes it brought into my life. I am so enamored by the process of music making, from the theoretical aspects to the emotional evocations that it can inflect in the soul. Primarily, I offer my services as a Saxophonist/ woodwind gun for hire and a songwriter – I’ve been doing it since I was 15/16 years old and do it full time for people in waves. To compensate for the low times as a freelancer I work as a live sound engineer, AV technician, and overall nerd with a soldering iron. I think being able to do these things full time as a 22 year old has been a lot of grinding and networking that I can attribute to my younger self doing. It’s a pretty random/ crazy life I have led, which has opened the door to big opportunities like playing/ writing for groups that have opened for Rick Ross/ Snoop Dog, have toured across country/ traveled internationally or even doing lighting for Jobros and lasers/ SFX for Tame Impala. It’s wild. To give you some insight to how busy my schedule can get: One day I went to my cooking job at 7am and left at 3pm to go to an hour long photoshoot at 4pm to then run sound at a church sermon/ performance at 5:30pm to finish at 8:30pm to play a show downtown from 9pm-1am. Days like this have built a great reputation for me and the work ethic that I have with the professionalism I carry. I can burnout and have before, but with each time I learn how to handle each burner on the stove, the more I get to sit back and enjoy the ride.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
So I recently packed my whole life up in my 2015 Kia Soul and moved across country from San Diego to Nashville! I am actually starting from square 1 out here (maybe 2 or 3 since I knew a few people before moving out here). As I’m meeting new people, I’m realizing how far I’ve came as a service based freelancer. It’s been so easy connecting with people out here and adapting to the scenery of Davidson County. I haven’t made waves yet over here, or even been seriously trying to get to work, but it’s been nice seeing all that this new city has and finding my home base out here before I start putting my nose to the grindstone. At this point in my life, I’m really asking myself what my goals are and looking deep into the intent before I completely start bursting my energy in all directions.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Two books in particular: “The Book of Five Rings” and “Effortless Mastery”. Both provide similar information (but from different perspectives) on learning anything quickly and maintaining a great mindset while putting what you learn into practice. I read both of these books in high school, roughly around the time that I wanted to provide serious freelance services as a musician. “The Book of Five Rings” is a series of texts written and compiled by the legendary sword master Myamato Musashi – it delves into the comparisons of different crafts and how it is all similar to the mastery of the sword. At face value, it is the five different steps of discipline to master the sword. However, these can be universal analogies for any craft/ practice. “Effortless Mastery” is a book written by a jazz pianist by the name of Kenny Wherner, which gives different meditations on the practice of music and the perspective of how to listen/ play it. Both books I would highly recommend!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://express.adobe.com/page/7MJ4UBPx9VDbN/
- Instagram: salmakessounds
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004266935094
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/sRWOaEBxAa8