We recently connected with Stevan Miller and have shared our conversation below.

Stevan, 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.

Shaker tins clang against polished metal. The steady hum of conversation is drowning in the music and anticipation that fills the air. Hands keep waving through the crowd eager for attention. You glide to your ingredients without a second look, seamlessly connecting cuisine and conversation all while churning out cocktails like a drum solo. Negroni. Rinse. Clean. Repeat. Filthy Martini. Rinse. Clean. Repeat.

This orchestrated chaos has been part of the heartbeat of my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In the beginning, I was an actor in need of a new obsession and the world of wine and spirits subsumed my other passions. I have always allowed myself to follow my muse. It is similar to the idea of Joseph Cambell who called on people to follow their bliss. But for me, my passions are not always blissful. Late nights, no mornings, and ensuring that the needs of others are put before your own. So muse seemed a more fitting adaptation. Like a siren calling me out to sea, I dove head first into the spirits world and I have never looked back.

Fast forward to March 11th, 2020. An eerily quiet St. Patricks Day in Chicago. The world was about to change. I had just finished recording 5 episodes of a video series that was going to highlight the world of Bartending. I had met with some of my mentors, role models, and friends. I was following my muse wherever it took me. Wayward Muse was born two days before the lockdown.

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

I have often said restaurants raised me. It’s a quick way to end any awkward conversations about my upbringing. It can be difficult to share but I think context, like a well-placed vineyard, is key. My life began on the rocks. My father’s life was taken from him by his best friend when I was two. My mother battled with grief and drugs for eleven years, before the loss became too much for her to bear. She left us on a summer day when I was 13, finally at peace. I got my GED and was emancipated two years later. At 15 I made my way back to Tucson, where my cousin Niko landed me a couch to stay. It was at this point that restaurants began to raise me.

Hospitality is the art of helping others. Over the past 15 years, I have learned to create memorable moments by pouring my love and knowledge into the things that I serve. My reward is seeing the light of surprise take over a guest when they sit at the bar and take their first sip. Along the way I have had the good fortune of becoming a decent barista, Sommelier, and an award winning Bartender. I find the most fulfillment from designing neighborhood focused beverage programs and using my media platform to learn from brilliant guests.

The company I created has had to pivot and change as it has grown up during the pandemic. It is, at its core, a hospitality business. Wayward Muse creates visual and audio media focused on connecting its guests to the everchanging and evolving world of food. What began as Brian Walker filming and me interviewing bartenders had to change and adjust for the pandemic and the changing compass of our industry. So now I create a thoughtful and balanced podcast that looks to find ways that we can better serve and help each other. On the Rocks by Wayward Muse, has opened many doors and let in a bounty of knowledge into my life. I am thankful that I got to create it.

It is not easy to change. I wanted to make visual media about cocktails and culture, but having the courage to realize that the best way that I could serve others was to focus my voice on conversations centered around bettering the world of food and beverage is one of my proudest professional moments. Because of this, I was able to record an episode with someone I had long admired, Sean Sherman. He was recently named to the Forbes 100 list and has been pivotal in returning the voice of indigenous cuisine back to the American landscape. Never be afraid to change. Follow your muse.

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

My professional journey began with one end in mind: To create innovative, hospitality driven spaces. Each place I have worked, and project I have created is centered around that goal. I have gotten to learn from some of the most prolific restaurateurs in the world. Being able to shadow luminaries of our industry which has informed how I would foster and create my own Hospitality Group. I am thankful for the opportunities I have received and the lessons I have learned along the way. Being able to watch Rick Bayless stear the ship through a pandemic was a masterclass in compassion and business acumen. I have also learned what not to do. Your duty as a leader is to support and build up the people who have chosen to work with you. They could always work somewhere else. How are you helping them? How are you growing your community?

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

If I am not developing a bar, or speaking to people who are much smarter than me on the podcast. I am reading (or playing chess). For personal growth, I recommend: Any books by Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now) and Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich).

For beverage, I would recommend: The Tea Sommelier by Delmas Miner, The Wine Atlas by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen A. Page, and Meehan’s Bartenders Manual by Jim Meehan

For Hospitality and Business: Setting the Table by Daniel Meyer, and Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

Shakespeare. I try to have one play to return to while I continue to grow. “No, time, thou shalt not boast that I do change”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yourwaywardmuse.com
• Instagram: @waywardmuse_media
• Other: Podcast: https://www.yourwaywardmuse.com/podcast

Image Credits
Brian Walker