We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Arjun Singh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Arjun below.
Arjun, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I am always learning, and have become a believer in the adage ” you don’t know what you don’t know. ” Whether sitting at the piano, trying new things on my computer, or simply pushing myself to find and study music from both past and present which I haven’t heard before. It all adds up and it all counts. Eventually something always comes from following my natural curiosity so it is a habit that I have simply tried to nurture and which has stuck.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Music has been my passion since childhood and I have been producing music for quite some time. It’s the only medium where I felt I could be my truest self. It’s something I would do even if there was no financial reward. For me personally, my creative process is quite structured and unexciting. I’ll have some vague ideas in my head, and then I’ll spend several hours trying to see whether they can work or not. If they don’t, then I’ll just pivot to something else until I get stuck and can’t create anymore for that day. If I get lucky and have some ideas or concepts which I think are okay, then I’ll narrow those down as goals to develop further and finish by a certain time, and finally – turn them in.
My original exposure to the proper music industry was through a national program known as iStandard, in which I both competed and appeared. It opened some doors for me and from there I embarked on a path of working with artists off and on from different areas of the country.
Today my current focus is more on composition and music for background, under the guidance of Don Dinapoli whom I was an alumni of through the iStandard program.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In complete honesty I don’t truly know. The best I can try to genuinely name is maybe one, which is to approach music with not just an open mind but with open arms. This is one thing I have always tried to remain cognizant of, as well as to always feel like forever the student. Music and art is so diverse, and the people involved come from so many walks of life and so many different narratives. It is truly a representation of the world culture. I have been very fortunate for the friendships which have come my way through music. The friends from this journey which I am lucky to have today, truly represent the rich culture of this mosaic which we call the fabric of life.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
They taught me kindness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arjunsinghjohar.com
- Instagram: @arjunsinghjohar
Image Credits
Betsy Finn
