Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steven Esposito. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Steven, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
Sometimes? Are you kidding me? The prospect of a consistent, stable income in THIS economy, living in Los Angeles? In a lot of ways that’s GOALS. I think a lot of people have this idea that creatives are just so “other,” so different, so separate from the way the world works, so engaged in the realm of inspiration, spending multiple hours a day in a full or partial trance. It’s just not the case. We have the same basic needs as everyone else and feel the need to meet those needs the same as everyone else. We might be inspired, but we are also practical. In fact a lot of the songwriting/song creation process involves structuring esoteric, poetic, sensational ideas into something that fits the format of a song. We are masters at taking the obscure and making it palatable; a skill any and every employer would greatly benefit from. The problem is, we don’t want to apply our skills to just any employer who offers benefits (though we would love that). At the end of the day, creatives create because we love to create. We believe, on some level that art is worth creating, and has a purpose to fulfill in the world we live in. On some level, an artist who creates and releases a song has left an imprint on history that won’t go away. Could they say the same if they worked a 9-5 in a cubicle answering emails and approving budgets? We’d rather be in the studio vibing with other creatives. Life is short. Personally I’d rather be broke and creatively fulfilled, than wealthy and bored outta my mind…
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve always sang and been a musician. I played the saxophone through college, and sang in every choir imaginable (jazz, men’s, gospel, chamber). I was raised in the church singing, playing keys, leading youth group bands, and leading Sunday morning Praise & Worship in mega churches. Being queer made that difficult for obvious reasons, but eventually (long story short) I found myself in LA mid pandemic, and heavily engaged in a writers/producer group honing my skills as a writer and producer. I learned how to record crystal clear vocals in a regular apartment, and how to take a regular life occurrence and turn it into a catchy hook. Now I have my own studio space, slightly better gear but the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that the most expensive gear can’t take an average song and make it great. If you want to release a great song, then first and foremost write a great song. I always say I am first and foremost a writer. I thrive fine tuning songs to make them polished. Then comes the recording/engineering/ production. A great song with minimal production will thrive over a mediocre song with overproduction.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I chose this question to answer, not because I have a clear cut answer to it but because it’s such an interesting, multifaceted question. I think the quick answer is to say that the best way society can support artists is to provide the financial support they need to survive. And I don’t necessarily disagree with that. Artists are not like everybody else, and don’t belong doing the same jobs as a lot of other people. Artists die in side jobs, even if they take on said side job to support their artistic endeavors. I don’t think there is an easy answer to this question in capitalistic America. In America we value productivity, and results. For an artist, those aren’t metrics we naturally care about, so to a certain extent a creative’s goals are inherently at odds with how our society works. Creatives value soul satisfaction. Society values dollar values. And I’m not gonna be the one to reconcile the 2 here in this interview lol
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think I’ll just point out the most obvious rewarding aspect of being a creative in that you get to create. It’s difficult to describe, but the feeling of when you finally find the right lyric with the right melody, and pair it with really good production… It’s magic. Pure and simple. The goal is to create something true and authentic, and that sounds really good. Any reward after that is bonus points.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stevendoes.com
- Instagram: @stevendoes_
