We were lucky to catch up with GKO recently and have shared our conversation below.
GKO, 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?
Creativity is nurtured. It’s not something you can turn on or off. Creativity is the state of flow in which your mind, spirit, soul, and heart are intertwined to create, whether it be something beautiful, intrusive, or mediocre. The result is not what matters: the practice and process of being engaged in a craft is what counts. However, how do we enter this state of creativity? How do we stay in it and keep it breathing? For me, the only consistent way of keeping creativity alive is through inspiration. When you’re an artist, you’re always looking for inspiration. It could come from appreciating a carefully crafted coffee cup to a stroll through your neighborhood park. The thing is, we’re constantly looking for things that give life meaning. We must believe that whatever we’re observing or experiencing that gives us goosebumps or that cliche light bulb is worth exploring.
So, you want to be creative. My advice? Say yes to that lingering “should I” thought: should I go to that museum? Should I eat at the restaurant even by myself? Should I fly to Japan and try a katsusando for the first time? Say yes.
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 artist based in Los Angeles. My medium is piano, and I’m a Neo-impressionist: I explore the possibilities of color, sound, and emotions through the acoustic piano. Like my upcoming tour in October, all my shows are improvised. I get to play a selection of my originals and cinematic masterpieces and write songs with the audience live. I love the spontaneity my style brings and the joy it brings to people worldwide.
This upcoming tour is exciting. It marks Part 2 of The Moon Tour, a series of shows exploring the many stories and mysteries of the moon. The show will just be me, the piano, and the audience. Tickets are currently on sale on my website: https://www.gkopiano.com/.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Being observant, attentively listening, and having perseverance are the three most vital qualities in this artistic journey. If you want to improve as a craftsperson quickly or advance in your career, you must be observant. I started playing piano seriously very late (age 21). I didn’t have enough time to reach 10,000 hours before my mid-twenties, so I had to practice smart. Instead of just pure drilling, I would ask to observe lessons between a master pedagogue and a prodigy at Juilliard. I took voracious notes, recorded their lessons, and implemented their techniques in my daily routine. In less than three years, I got to the professional level.
However, being observant isn’t enough. You have to listen. You have to be open to anything and be wise enough to take in or reject any advice coming your way. Be responsive to feedback, and you will grow. Be tuneful to trends, and you might catch a wave. Listen to those who are more successful than you, and you might gain some insight quickly.
None of this matters, though, if you don’t persevere. You must have the discipline, hunger, and passion to persist. Mamba mentality, in any field, usually wins. In this game, it’s the ones who were brave enough to go on that have a chance to get to the finals. For my first tour in 2021, I got to play in 10 different cities. On Instagram, everything seemed like clockwork, and I was a rapidly emerging artist. However, behind the scenes were over 200 cold emails, dozens of hours of phone calls, and weeks of meetings, which led to those ten shows—nine months of work led to 2 months of touring. And at that point, I had already practiced 19,000 hours of piano.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
I wish I had more time to focus on new music and artistic projects. As an independent artist, you’re managing yourself. That means you make and produce all your tours, bookings, travel, contract negotiations, recordings, merch, design, social content, and more. I’m eternally grateful that I have fans who support me enough to keep the party going, but I wish I had a larger team around me to work on the business and management side to free up my time to be more creative. I feel my music can be more impactful, more explorative, and take more risks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gkopiano.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gkopiano
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@GKOpiano
Image Credits
Daniel Pahlen
Isabel Morales-Detková
Paul Sun
Wei Chi Chen
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
