We recently connected with Mark Cross and have shared our conversation below.
Mark, 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?
Staying creative isn’t always easy. I try my best not to force creativity when I’m not feeling it. I do, however, have a few things that keep me motivated to stay creative. I like to walk or jog 3 miles 5 days a week. I feel that being away from my phone and pushing myself physically helps clear my mental headspace. Sometimes I can get too stuck in my own thoughts. I think we all fall victim to that from time to time. Like feeling stuck in a box of ideas. Seeing someone else’s approach to similar goals helps me get out of that box. Working with other artists is incredibly inspiring. Collaborating has pushed me to educate myself on recording, performing and writing. And, it’s fun getting together with other like-minded people.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I love writing music and inspiring others to work towards their passions. I try to have an infectious sense of friendliness and optimism. There is no better feeling to me than cultivating a new idea and seeing it through to completion. Music is so cool. It isn’t a tangible item. You can’t physically grab a song or melody, yet it still exists and influences the world. It’s a creation from thin air. People hold special songs in their heart. A song can bring back good and bad memories just like a picture can. That is what I ultimately strive to achieve. To create music that moves the listener and feels relatable. I try to write lyrics that resonate with the listener and bring a sense of introspection. Having built my home recording studio up, I plan to release a lot of new music that portrays my creative ideas as accurately as possible. Having the home studio allows me to help other artists flesh out their ideas as well. I also love to BBQ. So, chances are when an artist comes over to record, we’re also doing some grilling! I’m not sure when this interview will go live, but I’m hosting a music festival at Enegren Brewery in Moorpark, CA, at the end of July, 2023. I’m beyond honored and excited to perform some of my new songs and provide a stage for other artists to showcase their talents. I also have a new Those Animals song “Step on the Line” dropping August 25th on all streaming platforms. Keep your ears open for it!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Having the patience and passion to keep learning and accepting that I am not where I want to be in terms of success, but can get there, is a quality that has helped me along my journey. Finding my “tribe” that continuously supports me has been a key component in keeping me inspired. That includes my friends, family and music colleagues. To anyone that is early on in their passionate pursuit, my only advice is to accept that you can get better and keep trying to get better. Everything else will fall into place and nobody can hate on you if you’re consistently pursuing to better yourself. And, when you have haters, that’s when you know you’re making ripples. All the greats have had an equal amount of hate as they have love from other humans.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I wear a lot of different hats. Aside from working a 9-5 desk job, I write, produce, do my own booking, managing, social media, play in other bands and coordinate events, to name a few. I can get very overwhelmed very easily. Going back on a previous topic, I find exercising outside a great way to step away from my phone and critically think about my next moves. When I can slow down my thoughts, I have a much easier time organizing them in my head. They don’t seem so mountainous that way. I can imagine them one step at a time. Like a staircase. I need to take one step at a time, I can’t jump to the top step. I think everyone has their own strategy of slowing down their thoughts. A piece of advice my girlfriend shared with me recently was “things are happening for me, not to me”. I find that saying to be so true. All these things are happening as a manifestation of my dreams and I am grateful they are happening for me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoseanimalsmusic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thoseanimalsmusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTI5Rh2r6ypbdrhNFsK9Ziw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thoseanimalsmusic
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3uVPi2q2w8anNcwEzSh7AV?si=CXi6AFfwQpClUR_s6IsWXA
Image Credits
CT Photography Co. Marc D Photos. Matt Villa.
