We were lucky to catch up with Tolan Shaw recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tolan, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Writing and performing music was always just a thing I did as an “extracurricular” activity. In high school, it was playing in high school rock bands. For my senior project I recorded a full album with my band, and that was my first taste of writing and recording my own stuff. The summer after graduating high school and before college I joined a band that sort of changed my trajectory in music, and gave me a taste of what doing it professionally could look like. We practiced in our parents garages, and played out in all the clubs and venues in San Diego. And even though we were too young to hang out inside the venues, we’d play our set and then sit outside to listen to the other bands. We won a “best new artist” award at the San Diego Music Awards and got a small taste of what some local success could look like. I think it was at that point that I’d gotten the “bug.” I went to school for Spanish and International Relations at the University of San Diego, but I was always playing gigs (with a band and solo, once I’d gotten my first acoustic guitar), and writing, practicing, and thinking about music. It was pretty expected after graduating from college that I would first try my shot at music, and here we are 12 years later!

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

I am a songwriter, artist, and producer based in Nashville Tennessee. I spend my days writing songs for my artist project (under my name), for other artists, and for “sync,” which is TV shows, ads, films, or any type of media that needs music underneath it. I’m also a new dad with a 1 year old daughter, and an avid traveler. I’m originally from the beaches of San Diego, so a lot of that sunshiney beachiness comes through in my life and music.

I think what’s most exciting about this job is that you never know when you are going to write something that truly touches people or goes on to have a life you never expected. It’s a mysterious and unknown phenomenon that nobody can truly predict. I’ve had songs I never thought would do anything turn into very cool situations, and ones I thought would change my life do absolutely nothing. But that spark of hope is there in my mind before every session.

While I started as primarily an artist who played shows, wrote songs by myself, and toured just me and a guitar, my life and job has morphed a lot since moving to Nashville, and as the music industry has changed. I now wear a whole lot of hats: I’ve toured solo for my project and as a backing member of a bigger band. I’ve produced songs myself or been the artist. I’ve written country songs, rock songs, pop songs, reggae songs, kids songs, stock music, and everywhere in between. I’ve had songs in TV shows, ads, movies, and many user generated videos. I’ve written custom songs, recorded demos for songwriters looking for recordings of their songs, done session guitar or vocal work for artists, and made content for music brands. Once I modeled for an amp company. Live gigs have taken me to Thailand for a wedding, on a river cruise on the Danube, and to a songwriting camp in a French castle. While I’d love to solely be a songwriter, most people I know in music have to wear many hats these days to make a sustainable living. Luckily I very much enjoy that every day is different!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is definitely the lifestyle it allows, and the ability to sit down every day and create something from nothing. It’s about tapping into unexplored territories within oneself and collaborators, and translating those ideas into tangible forms that (hopefully) resonate with others. Plus it is just so incredibly fun to commune with all sorts of different people on different journeys to create, day in and day out. I can set my own hours, spend time with my family, take vacations whenever I’d like, while still maintaining my goals and creative inspiration. Ultimately, it’s the satisfaction of bringing something new into the world and the hope of it making an impact that makes the creative journey so fulfilling.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Artist’s Way and The War of Art. Both dive into art as a craft, unlocking creativity, and showing up for your craft day in and day out. I’m very into books like this or stories from other creatives, breaking down creative process. Both of these books boil down to “showing up” and “persistence.” The joy from this job is definitely not about the end result or the reward (or I would NOT still be doing it haha), it’s simply about the journey of creating. And the more I show up for my art and my craft, the more of a “flow state” I am in and the easier and more fun the job is.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tolanshaw.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/tolanshaw
• Facebook: www.twitter.com/tolanshawmusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/tolanshaw
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/tolanshaw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tolanshaw

Image Credits
All photos by Ben and Mallory Holcomb at Huckleberry Creative Co.