Meet Dylan Parra

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dylan Parra. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dylan below.

Dylan, 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 feel like creativity is something you can’t really control but instead you can influence. It’s within you, something you feel, typically influenced by something you’ve felt, something you’ve done, something you’ve seen, someone you’ve met, something you heard, or even an experience you had. And so when I feel like I’m at a stopping point with my creativity wether that be writers block, being uninspired or maybe I just don’t feel that spark like I did before I try to simply just put myself out there somehow. For example: go to a show, collaborate with a fellow artist, jam with that friend you’ve been wanting to jam with, listen to that record you’ve been putting off or even if it’s not “art” related you could take a walk (I find exercise helps a ton), go on a trip, go out and experience life and just maybe you’ll come back with that spark again.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m Dylan, 29 years young, born in Naperville, IL but raised in Palm Coast, FL with a passion for being creative and bringing art to life. I’ve been playing music since I was a kid. My father, Rey Parra, was in a well known band called “Sacred Warrior” so I was very fortunate to grown up around the music scene.

I play Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keys, and Vocals. I also write, record, arrange, & produce music and live performances for myself and others. I’ve played with multiple Artists including: Future Nature, Jeremy Ryan, Jawberry, Love Culture, Huan, K.utie, flo.wav, Alex Peramas and more. I am the co founder of the Flo.wav Music & Arts Festival in Palm Coast, FL which did 4 incredible years. I also have many years of experience in Graphic Design & Web Design under the name “Living Color”.

I have been working endlessly to bring something fresh and new to the art scene. As a young driven artist my goal is to help contribute to the endless opportunities to create art. Bringing people together and closer. Art is beautiful in all of its forms. And it’s better if we do it together. Let’s collaborate!

Kindness is key. And it’s free. Don’t forget why you do it.

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?

– An important quality I’ve learned over time is simply being kind and working hard. I’m not saying allow people to walk all over you but just be more real, honest and understanding to people and watch how much quicker your surroundings start to change for the better. Especially as an artist, our job is to create art that people enjoy and feel comfortable in so why diminish that by casting any negative shadows.

– An important skill I’ve learned is professionalism. The longer you are in the art business, or any business, you will see how far something like acting immature or acting as a professional can make or break your trajectory. Again, Kindness is Key. And so is hard work.

– An important piece of knowledge I would give is not allowing the power of comparison to take over your plans. Especially with social media. Comparing yourself, your success or non success to someone else’s isn’t healthy and will only diminish your passion to pursue your purpose.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Lists, Calendars, Exercise and Prayer are some of the things that help contain me when I’m overwhelmed. Make a list and take it line by line. My scatter brain can often be a mess so lists and calendars really help me organize that. Exercise and Prayer really ground me and bring me back to Earth when my head is in the clouds. Find the little things that help ground you and make it a point to run to them when in need. As long as they aren’t hurting your progress.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Stephen Helfrich
Icaro Horta
Chad Fenner
Jo Lapinski
Dylan’s Mom

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