We were lucky to catch up with Sean Malkasian recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sean, appreciate you joining us today. 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.

Obsession is key in how I approach difficult things. What it takes for me is just the urge to make music and listen to music. Listening can be just as important as practice. I wouldn’t call obsession a skill, it can be a blessing and a curse. If I’m pursuing something very difficult I have to obsess over it. The obstacle and difficulty of it makes me obsessed; and the loop continues. Also, being humble is key. There is so much to learn and so many musicians who are working and discovering in real time. You have to stay open and fluid for new information to come in and for that info to turn into inspiration and come out.

Sean, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The main thing I am most proud of is my commitment to this relationship with music. I’ve gone from playing 4 nites a week for 2 years straight to a 3 year drought in performing in front of people. Despite financial hardships I’ve been able to persevere as well. Artistic endeavors require resources and most of my life I’ve never had many resources to grow. The only thing I’ve had was my willingness to continue despite writing and performing in a vacuum. From using my last dollar to pay the toll over the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia just for an open mic, to selling equipment so I can get the next piece that will have utility for the current project, I’ve always made my situation as productive as possible. Also, I’ve had many jobs that were not friendly to the musician lifestyle or pursuit. I was a butcher by trade for years and almost cut my thumb off, losing partially mobility. When I first moved to Colorado I played with a cast on my thumb.
My favorite artists are the ones who keep going regardless of attention, money and circumstance.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think right now we are in a creative drought and that is mainly due to our incentive structures. There used to be a path and ecosystem where new music could be discovered, nourished and eventually exposed to an audience. Now that infrastructure is more focused on immediate returns on investment. This leaves all growth up to the artist who has limited time, resources and relationships. Any creative or burgeoning endeavor needs time and resources to flourish. I think we have a top down problem with investing in new ideas because of this risk averse mindset. To do anything new, fresh, original you must be willing to take risks and even fail.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started playing music at age 10. I took private lessons, received scholarships and grants and toured. I’ve made records with one microphone in my bedroom as well as in Atlanta with “industry” producers. I’ve taught lessons and was fortunate enough to be taught by players from Parliament/Funkadelic, Percy Sledge band, and Al Green band. I’ve never stopped playing, performing or recording. I’ve been doing all this for 23 years and don’t have much to show for it. Understanding that I may not even ever produce any results was crucial. It made me realize it doesn’t matter what others think. This personal relationship with music is the accomplishment. Its a blessing to have something to dedicate your life to.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.linktree.com/malkasianmuses
• Instagram: instagram.com/malkasianmuses
• Facebook: facebook.com/malkasianmuses
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQpaUAbOnSWe7xwji7jfYrQ

Image Credits
Sami Auster and Terrel Bailey