We recently connected with Trent Ingram and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Trent, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

My earliest memories as a kid are of watching the VHS of Garth Brooks from 1992 called “This Is Garth Brooks”. I still don’t know where my parents got it from but I would watch it multiple times a day, every day. I had an outfit that looked just like Garths, cowboy hat and all, and a dollar store plastic guitar and I would perform right along with the video. I knew every word to every song and fell in love with the way Garth made country music come alive, especially through a live show.

That dream of being like Garth Brooks never went away and I knew I wanted to spend my life connecting with people through country music.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a country music singer-songwriter. I am originally from a (used to be) little town in Utah called Bluffdale where I started out writing and playing at fairs, country dance venues, and city events. Eventually, I made my way to Nashville where I have since released 4 singles with 2 more coming and tour the U.S. with my band.

I have always felt that true “western” country has been wildly underrepresented in country radio and that there is a major part of the country that can’t relate to todays country music. I am working to bring a western influence to southern rock and telling the stories of the way of life that myself and a majority of this country still live without losing that honky tonk type drive that keeps you dancing.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

There are funny questions you get asked a lot when pursuing a career in music or any creative career, I assume. They are questions like “how long do you give yourself?” or “do you have a backup plan?”. Essentially, these questions are asking “when do you actually start living your dream?” and “what if you fail?”. People project their limits on you because they can’t conceive themselves going the distance to make a dream come true in a competitive field. Dreamers see failure differently than most people. We have the capacity to be told things like “no”, “it can’t be done”, or “you’ll never make it” over and over again and never give up. In fact, it has the adverse affect on us. We are motivated by it and keep on knocking until the right door opens. We understand that we only need one “yes” and will move past all of the “no’s” until we get it. That is the difference between those that make it and those that don’t, in my opinion.

In country music, people on the outside assume that you’re either Garth Brooks playing to sold-out stadiums or playing in the street for tips, no in-between. In my case, what people didn’t understand was that I started living my dream the second I turned my car east and started heading to Nashville. To me, in that instant, I was following the hallowed footsteps of every other legend before me and from that moment on, I was living the dream. From my first experience playing at a writer’s round to my first headlining gig, every step is thrilling and exactly where I want to be.

Creative types want to experience it ALL. We thrive on the ups and downs. Every time I have been passed over for a gig, a performance didn’t go right, or I straight up fell flat on my face have all been part of the dream. They turn into growth, experience, and stories. Every single part of the journey is the dream and we just pray that we get to keep living it every day.

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

Stop asking for free stuff. If you want to support an artist, buy their art. Pay for the merch, download the music, share their work with other people. Far too often I am approached by a friend or family member that wants a free hat or shirt, but they never come to the shows, never play my music, and don’t even give my social media content a “like”, let alone a share.

If you truly want to help an artist in their career path, the absolute LEAST you can do is jump on their socials and give them a follow. If you want to take it a step further, like and share their content online. I would venture to say that every creative type nowadays needs to have a social media presence to be successful, so help them make that happen. From there, act as if you were a true fan. Come to the events, pay full price for merchandise, tell your friends and coworkers about them. You have no idea what a huge impact that has and how much that truly. means to artists and creators.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.trentingram.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/trentingrammusic
• Facebook: facebook.com/trentingrammusic
• Twitter: twitter.com/countrytrent
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrDyuBhoBNuGJ5Ey_nvKdGQ
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1fl90BayHlcUFD9YXngN6h

Image Credits
Alyssa Flake – Flake Fotos Heather Carpenter – Artisan Imagery