Meet Doc Van Etten

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Doc Van Etten a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Doc, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

When I was a young child from the moment I can remember, I lived with my grandparents and their big block house, along with my dad and mom and my two sisters. My sisters were older and my dad was always gone for work.
At the age of six I contracted polio which put me in the hospital for a year, in a polio -ward with many other children. I was paralyzed from my neck down, I could only turned my neck my arms and legs would not respond to my brains commands. I had to be fed intravenously through a tube placed in my forearm. It was at that time that within my own mind I knew there was only one person who can get me out of that hospital bed, and that would be myself through prayer and determination.

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?

As a veteran musician, (started playing slide trombone at 6 years old, just before the polio hit me) and I started to write songs around ten or eleven years old. I remember the first band I joined, it was called ‘The Six Packs” and I had to get my Social Security Card to be in that band. Who would have guessed back then that that first band would put me on a life long journey of songwriting, producing and become the author of seven books.
A multi-instrumentalist, I have learned a lot about human nature as I performed across the U.S. on flute, guitar, and drums. I record and produce under my own Musical Ministry Records label, and Exquisite Noise Records label. My albums Back from the Dead, Help Us, Nu-Religion, and Raining Darkness reflect a fearless “Take no Prisoner’s” approach to creative evolution.
I believe I bring that same spirit into my writing — from my I-IV-V Music Technique series to novels that expand this artistic universe of mine, like the fiction book’s; Cascade Warriors — a tale of courage and brotherhood set in the Pacific Northwest — and Jack of Shadows, a darker psychological journey exploring redemption and the battle between light and dark forces.
Recently, I’ve brought my creativity to children’s literature through the Ruffy the Mouse story and coloring book series — In heartwarming adventures like Ruffy, in the Ballerina, Ruffy, in Freddy the Crow, and Ruffy, in Buster the Bunny. Blending music, imagination, and moral lessons together in fun reading story books,

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?

Looking back, I’d say desire, passion, persistence, and curiosity have been the driving forces behind everything I’ve done. Passion kept me creating the desired affect of the art I was creating at the time. most importantly you must continue to push through the ups and downs of the daily struggle in life; persistence taught me to finish what I start, even when no one’s watching; and no one will probably ever hear the song , or read the story. Curiosity kept me trying new things, and learning — new instruments, and trying out new ways of telling stories. My advice to anyone starting out is simple: have that driving hunger within your soul to experiment, to learn from other’s, and surround yourself with people who inspire you, and never doubt yourself or lose sight of why you started creating your art in the first place.

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?

If I only had a decade left, (which could be true!) I’d spend it creating like there’s no tomorrow, just like I already do — writing, recording, and bringing my stories to life. I’ve chased the muse my whole life, and I will keep doing it right up to my last song, my last movie idea, and I’d pour it all into my books, and the kids’ stories. So that something real stays behind when I’m gone. Art outlives us — that’s the legacy I want to leave behind when I’m gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Facebook: Doc Van Etten
• Youtube: Old Men Sing Channel