Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rich Holly. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rich, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I attribute my resilience to two things from when I was growing up. The first is that there were a couple of bullies in my neighborhood, and I had to learn to stand up to them, which was not easy at first and didn’t come naturally to me. Thankfully I had a friend who knew how to stand up to them and he was a great inspiration to me as I determined not only how to stand up to them, but to fully understand that I could stand up to the bullies as well as overcome them and shut them down. The second is that my parents trusted me and allowed me to experiment with how I spent my time. I certainly failed many times (like needing stitches after failing miserably to craft the body of a guitar from balsa wood!). They taught me that it’s normal to fail and yet you have to get right back up and keep going. Failure is not the end, it’s part of the learning process!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Following an extremely satisfying 43-year career in the arts (primarily music) in higher education, I retired from my most recent university position in order to focus on making music. I’m performing with four groups and recording drum kit and percussion tracks for other artists. I am also an arts consultant, assisting artists and arts businesses in selecting and meeting their goals, and consulting with university arts departments to better meet their mission. I serve as a member of three arts organizations’ boards of directors and continue to get great joy from helping others. Feel free to learn more at richhollymusic.com.
I started playing drums when I was six years old, learned piano and guitar shortly after that, took violin, bass, clarinet and voice lessons along the way, and earned my degrees in percussion performance. Virtually every day I remind myself how fortunate I was to have the music teachers I did, always encouraging me to try new things and seek additional teachers.
One thing that stuck with me, and which to this day I encourage others to incorporate, is that you cannot do just one thing. Sure, there are some world-class artists who do just one thing, yet many of the artists even at that level have something else they do (own businesses, run a foundation, and so on) and which they are very good at. If your entire focus is on one particular style, branch out to other styles. Every artist today needs some business (finance and marketing, for sure) background. Volunteering broadens your network in ways you likely can’t even imagine.
I recently started an arts-related Etsy shop. Having met thousands of people in the arts over the years, it became evident to me that we are not doing all we can to celebrate our love of the arts, so let’s start doing that! If you’re an artist of any medium, or know one, and would like the world to know about your love of the arts, start broadcasting that passion and love! https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtsyMerchStore
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Choosing three qualities from among dozens is not easy! Yet if readers get a solid grasp of these three, I believe they’ll find it easier to navigate their movement throughout their career:
1. Be truthful. Be truthful to others and, just as importantly, to yourself. When you start to get good at something, don’t get too egotistical about it. When, at age 81, the world-famous cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he still practices four to five hours each day, his response was “Because I think I am making progress.” We all will always have more to learn, more skills to hone, more ideas to incorporate. Be truthful to yourself and keep learning and improving. Being truthful to others – and admitting your mistakes along the way – will go a long way toward others believing in you and trusting you and willing to be lead by you.
2. Be curious. The world is a gigantic place, with an uncountable number of thoughts and ideas and wonders to experience. If you are a visual artist, learn about art styles from a large variety of the world’s countries and regions. If you’re a theatre artist, learn about playwrights (and read their plays) from around the world. Musicians and dancers can easily witness their art forms via online videos, and studying with artists from around the world will broaden your knowledge and skills even more so.
But don’t limit your curiosity to only your art form(s). I’m confident you can find at least one area of history that holds interest for you. Nature and all its glory. Pets and their quirks. Fashion design. Astronomy. There is no shortage of subjects to which you can aim your curiosity!
3. Work on communication skills. In particular, writing and speaking. I suspect several readers are not fans of public speaking. Yet as an artist there will be times when its necessary to promote your own work and public speaking will be one of the best ways to do that. Take communications courses, work with a tutor, or practice with your friends if need be.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I remember being overwhelmed at my elementary school concerts, and having to leave the stage due to anxiety/stage fright. After two years of having to leave the stage, one day I told myself “I can’t keep doing this!” and I forced myself to make it through a concert, which led to the next concert being more comfortable, and the next even more so.
I became overwhelmed from stress at the start of my second semester as a freshman in college. After the second week of the semester, I dropped two classes and signed up to take a six-week course in Transcendental Meditation. It worked wonders for me! While I don’t practice TM each and every day any more, I do practice it on occasion and what it truly taught me is that it IS possible to relax and that I am a better person when I am relaxed.
The other thing that can be overwhelming on a regular basis is looking at the end goal of a large project. I frequently had students become anxious immediately if I assigned them a twelve or fifteen minute long piece of music to learn. In those cases, don’t focus on that you have to learn 3400 notes, 872 rhythms, 18 tempo changes, 148 dynamic changes, etc. Instead, think of large projects and assignments the same way you walk – one step at a time. Split large projects into many smaller projects, and perhaps even split those into even smaller micro projects. Work on attainable goals, not anxiety-inducing goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: richhollymusic.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.holly.10/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richholly/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rhythmrich
Image Credits
Rich with Lunna: Robin Harris Rich Holly head shot: Jay Orbik Rich drum circle Talley: Becky Kirkland Rich Quadrivium 2017: Robert Davezac Rich Quadrivium Woodstock Show: Robert Davezac
