Meet Ana apolumni

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ana Apolumni a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ana , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

As a musician, safeguarding my creative spark is crucial. For me, creativity manifests in two main ways. First, there’s the spontaneous creativity that strikes unexpectedly, like when a lightning hits you. You might be in the middle of doing something when suddenly a lyric or melody comes up in your mind. These moments are precious and fleeting, so I always carry a recorder and a journal with me to capture ideas as they come. If I don’t catch it quickly, it will simply disappear and I might forever lose this spark.

However, such spontaneous moments are rare. More often, creativity requires effort. I’ve developed a habit of sitting down and pouring all my thoughts onto paper for at least 15 minutes, or playing the piano aimlessly until something clicks. This year, I’ve started journaling regularly, which has been incredibly beneficial. Writing down my thoughts helps me sift through the noise and often leads to new ideas for songs. It also helps me to stay true and honest to myself, which hugely contributes to me being true in my art.

Beyond these practices, staying curious about the world is also essential. Inspiration often comes from outside, so I make it a point to have aimless walks around the city, listen to my favourite artists, travel, and read as much as I can. As a creative person, I have to be always thinking and reflecting, cause that’s where all the ideas come from. If you start doing things on auto-pilot, you don’t really listen to yourself and then the creative spark just disappears. So any practices that help you stay grounded also contribute!

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?

I’m an independent musician who goes by apolumni artist name, and I’ve been making music for almost four years now. It’s amazing to realize how much time has flown since I started this journey!

Although I don’t have any formal or classical music education and my background is quite different from the music industry (I’m a growth product manager in tech), I’ve always had a deep passion for music. When I began exploring music composition and songwriting, everything changed for me. I realized that making music is my true calling, and now, I can’t imagine my life without it.

I would describe my music as a blend of alternative pop and chill vibes, with a soft vocal style that feels like a warm hug. It’s slow, dreamy, and reflective, both in sound and lyrics. I emphasize the “warm hug” feeling because I want my listeners to feel understood.

Writing songs allows me to express emotions that are difficult to describe. Sometimes, “feeling anxious” or “being happy” don’t fully capture what I’m going through—that’s where music comes in for me. As an artist, I constantly reflect on my personal journey and aim to connect with people who feel the same way. I strive to capture my listeners’ attention and immerse them in the music, making them feel understood and connected to what they’re hearing.

I’ve released several singles, and I’m now at a point in my career where I feel ready to tell a more comprehensive story. This fall, I’ll be releasing my debut EP, which I’ve fully produced myself. I wrote this record while figuring out who I am as an artist and a person, accepting my flaws and insecurities, and embracing my true calling. It’s going to be an experimental, honest and captivating listening experience.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I guess there were three things that helped me the most:

1) The ability to notice the beauty in little things:

When it comes to making art and being creative, it’s usually the little things that spark the most ideas and inspiration. It can be developed as a habit, but it can also be lost if you don’t nurture it. So, it’s important to remind yourself to slow down and look around. Embrace the small moments and details instead of just moving on auto-pilot.

2) An experiment-oriented way of thinking:

This mindset is actually a side effect of my full-time job as a product manager, but it makes everything easier if you treat each step/project as an experiment. For example, I’ll send my song to a radio station and see if it gets picked up. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t mean I failed—it just means I need to try something else. This approach helps maintain a positive view of things and encourages continuous learning and adaptation. It’s also something that helps building a sustainable career in music.

3) The skill to rest and recharge:

This was the hardest thing to learn emotionally. Getting quality rest without comparing yourself to other successful musicians is crucial. Engaging in activities that restore your energy, like doing yoga, going for a walk, or spending time alone, hugely helps to avoid burnout. It’s essential to find what truly recharges you and make it a regular part of your routine.

For those who are just starting, I’d say the most important thing to remember is that you and your path are unique. Your art doesn’t have to be to what others want it to be, no matter how big or successful they are. Don’t rush yourself, and always take good care of your mental and physical health. Your well-being supports your creativity!

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The biggest challenge I’m currently facing is being my own manager, producer, and strategy developer. As an independent musician, you have to be many different things because you don’t have a record label backing you with financing. For a small indie musician, this means juggling even more roles since you rarely have a team or a budget.

This challenge isn’t just logistical—it’s also emotional. I struggled for quite some time, hoping to find a label to sign me and back me up. I dreamed that once I got signed, all my struggles would end, and I’d live happily ever after as a successful musician. However, this mindset created immense pressure and ultimately stifled my creativity. When a label rejects you, it can feel like your career is doomed, causing your self-esteem to crush.

I realized that I wasn’t taking responsibility for my own career; instead, I was waiting for someone else to do it. Ultimately, even if a label does sign you, there’s no guarantee of a happy ending, you still have to work hard and be in control of what you’re doing. This was a huge insight for me—the best thing I could do was learn how to truly be independent.

I love making music and feel like it’s my calling, so why should I give up if a label doesn’t sign me? Why should I give control over my dream to someone else?

To overcome this, I’ve been learning more about the various aspects of being an artist. I started taking production classes to learn how to make my own instrumentals, reading more about the visual aspect of being an artist, and experimenting with my social media presence. I’ve set up a simple website for myself and am trying different marketing each time I release a new record. These steps are helping me gain the skills and confidence to manage my career independently and keep my creativity alive. This way I can support my career not depending on a label signing me (or any other things).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://music.apolumni.com/website
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_apolumni/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolumni
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-580752105-510875569

Image Credits

Dariia Migalova