Meet Derek Adams

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Derek Adams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Derek, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter Syndrome is an amplified anxiety caused by hustle culture. When you went to school, each year you graduated, that gave you a mile marker of your learning and abilities. When we go off on creative adventures there aren’t mile markers like that that tell you you are out of the apprentice stage or that you are indeed proficient. Sometimes if you are doing something further out there in the creative realm it can take years for positive feedback to get back to you. Social media just make you feel like you aren’t good enough, or that you have already failed. In the end you have to come back to your art and figure out why you do it. Once you have that figured out, figure out what validation would you need to accept you are doing the thing. Do you already have it? Most of the time its been there all the time, just get everyone else out of your mind and concentrate on YOUR art.

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Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Hello, I’m Derek Adams, known as Duckman or DuckmanSD out in the greater world. I have a bunch of creative ventures that are all going in tandem and i wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m a veteran, a dad, a husband and a dog lover. Ok here is a short list and description of my creative ventures and my focus currently

Adams Baking Co
My wife and i started a cottage bakery from our home and we make sourdough breads and focaccia, cookies and cinnamon rolls for a local farmers market and soon delivery. We started this venture because we had always worked for others and never actually owned the business that we put so much time in on. I am trained as a chef, I graduated Indiana University of Pennsylvania Culinary School in 2001 and worked at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in the bakery where i found my love for baking.

Duckman Army Games
I absolutely love video games and always have. In 2015 i was diagnosed with Epilepsy and lost my license for a year as i got treatment from the VA. In that time to stay sharp as i was testing different Epilepsy medications i decided to try game development. 2 years later i released my first game on Steam “Darkest Wave” a retro shooter with an 80’s aesthetic. I recently released a free mobile game on the play store called “MarbleCrak” and i have some more on the way!

Shaft Studios / DuckmanSD
This is the musical side of my life. I have a small recording studio i built in my garage. Capable of recording a small live band or live sampling. I am a synthesizer nerd and i love all aspects of creating music. I have over 50 released albums on Bandcamp and streaming platforms as DuckmanSD. I perform in a mashup group called DuXplosion that is a comedy/humor based fun ride (often NSFW). I still do a couple DJ gigs a year as Duckman also.

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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?

I think the biggest thing of all is to train yourself to finish your projects. Everything doesn’t have to be a banger but it gets depressing being surrounded by things that aren’t done. If you are writing a song, finish it. Start another. That’s how you grow. Do the entire process start to finish. Then repeat.

The second i think is to allow yourself to enjoy and be childlike in creation. Being an adult is lame and if you can grab a couple minutes a day of pure joy just making noise or whipping something tasty up. Do that. You don’t have to monetize everything. That noise or bread can just be for you and that’s wonderful.

Third one is discipline. There’s no way around having self control being important in your day to day. I’m not saying drill sergeant level chaos, but rather you know what needs done, do it.

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Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The Last Lecture – Randy Paush
The last lecture Randy Paush gave to his Carnegie Mellon class. He had terminal Cancer and instead of doing a lecture on Computer Science he presented “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” An incredible presentation on seizing every moment and overcoming obstacles. I can’t suggest it more, there is also a YouTube video available of the lecture. Its incredible.

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