Meet Brian Kruzan

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

Brian, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I have imposter syndrome just answering this question! Collaboration, whether in a corporate or artistic environment, has been instrumental in helping me combat imposter syndrome. When I was younger, I used to put people on pedestals. I believed there were certain people who just “had it together” and knew all the answers. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had the privilege of being in rooms with leaders, executives, and creators who didn’t know everything and relied on others for guidance and decision-making. I’ve also collaborated with musicians who have grown gradually, made mistakes, and kept moving forward, just as I have. I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t felt some form of imposter syndrome or insecurity about themselves or their work. Maybe imposter syndrome never fully goes away? I think the key is learning to accept it and continuing to show up in the spaces where you want to be.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a musician. I’ve been passionate about both consuming and creating music my entire life. I love how certain songs can evoke deep emotions and instantly transport you to a specific moment in time. The idea of contributing to the universal collection of songs is something I find incredibly special.

I’ve dabbled in songwriting for most of my life. In 2020, I released a few solo tracks. In 2021, I began collaborating with my friend Paul Vinsonhaler, who primarily composed music for film scores. After some conversations, we realized we had similar goals and decided to create a band project together. We started working under the band name Susurra. Our collaboration has been smooth, with a solid writing flow. I typically send him a rough demo as the foundation, he refines the music and production, and then we head into the studio to polish it up. It’s been exciting to blend my pop influences with his cinematic, experimental style.

We released an EP in 2022, and in 2023, we followed up with a full-length album titled Whisper Like I Can Hear It. Right now, we’re in the writing phase again and getting close to completing our next project. This set of songs is the most energetic work we’ve done, and we’re really excited about 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?

Without a doubt, the first is approaching your craft with a “quantity over quality” mindset. I sometimes listen to old demos from 10 years ago that I thought were amazing, but they were awful! That said, I’m biased, but the most recent song I write is often my favorite.

Collaboration is another key factor. I’ve never released a piece of music that didn’t involve at least one other person. For me, finding the right collaborators has been essential to producing my best work.

Finally, be authentic. You can’t control how many people will listen to your work. It could be the greatest song in the world, but that doesn’t guarantee it will reach a large audience. Create what you would want to consume. Even if only 10 people listen, there’s a sense of fulfillment in knowing you’ve put something out into the world that genuinely represents you.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The book Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy has significantly influenced my songwriting process. For those of us who tend to overthink and overanalyze, it’s a fantastic guide to help us stop taking the process so seriously.

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Image Credits

Andrew Fleming took these photos, and I have full permission to use them.

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