Meet Arın Aykut

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

Arın, 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?

Everything in life is a piece of creativity. All the visuals, sounds, and movements. The key is to see well, examine closely, and embed them in your memory. Because when the time comes, you need to retrieve these from memory and use them artistically, drawing inspiration from them. Therefore, the primary requirement for sustaining creativity is to always be open to your surroundings. I believe that anyone who is sensitive to the world and nature, and who is an active observer, will not struggle in this regard.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My journey in music began at the age of eight when I started playing the piano. I was later accepted into the conservatory’s piano department, where I received a comprehensive education that spanned 12 years, from secondary school through university. After completing my studies in 2015, I pursued a master’s degree in conducting, first in Turkey and then in Poland. My passion for music led me to London, where I obtained a second master’s degree in film and TV music composition. Currently, I am a PhD researcher at the London College of Music, specializing in film music composition. My research explores innovative methods for integrating polyrhythmic, polytonal, and polymetric techniques into non-linear film narratives.

In addition to my academic pursuits, I actively compose music for a variety of projects. I’ve recently completed a feature-length soundtrack album, which is now available. As a freelance composer, I collaborate with various companies, including Hans Zimmer’s initiative Bleeding Fingers and Extreme Music, contributing to both short and feature-length independent projects.

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?

For me, it comes down to mastering an instrument, thoroughly understanding orchestration and its nuances, and of course, having a solid foundation in music theory and technology while staying open to new ideas. I believe that building a career in film music composition on these principles will always lead to growth and improvement. As someone who has graduated from both piano and orchestral conducting programs, I felt incredibly confident and fulfilled when I first stepped into this profession.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

This is entirely due to my family’s influence—their teachings, the experiences they provided, and later, the space they gave me to develop my own. They instilled in me the importance of being active, disciplined, respectful, and responsible. The rest was up to me, applying these principles in my own life, observing the differences they made in both personal and professional settings, and working on them. I believe I’ve overcome all the challenges so far by working hard, dreaming big, and doing everything possible to achieve those dreams, all while striving to maintain both mental and physical health.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arinaykut.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arinaykut
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arinaykt
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg5-A91sgizowQmnSEx_JRA
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/12HRTzoaepKDUtLLk3kUPG?si=2B7ra_fwQ0qdTcmWfVqG9Q