We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dan Castle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dan, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
The process of creating is in itself the end. Embracing that idea is very liberating. When one needs validation and monetary success from their creative output that can prove to be very debilitating to an artist. Los Angeles is a city of extremes. Some barely scrape by despite having several menial jobs while others find incredible success through their creative work and output. The more money they make, the more they make for those who work for and with them, so the cycle repeats itself to voluminous effect. That can be very intimidating to live around when one is trying to create something authentic from within oneself.
As an independent filmmaker I’ve made a few films but none in Hollywood system. I found inspiration for my stories and the resources to make them in other countries, Australia, Mexico and France as well as here in Los Angeles. My stories and the subject matter of my films come from what I would like to express or showcase rather than being primarily driven by a commercial, audience-first approach. Hollywood of course works differently. Everything is made with the intended audience in mind. Budgets, content, and marketing campaigns are all driven by strategies centered around reaching and profiting from the intended audience. The business of Hollywood drives the artform and output not the other way around.
In terms of being creative and pursing my own work I have a sense of freedom, and being free is very important in the creative process. By being outside the Hollywood system but still living amongst it and knowing some of the key players I have seen what success and failure in the entertainment industry can do to a person. In my story, Dark Sunset, one the key moments speaks to the idea that the damage success in Hollywood can do to a person can be just as dangerous as failure. I’ve seen it up close and personal. Many in the industry and those pursing a way into it all rarely like to think about the dark side of having one’s image put up on billboards and the disorienting wealth that can come with it. But it is a slippery slope for most. I have found a lot of creative inspiration observing it all from the sidelines.
It may seem strange but by embracing and seeing the darkness on the edge of all the bright lights of Hollywood I have found creative resilience. Many people feel the need to live in a bubble of toxic positivity as a way to manifest success. In the short term that may work for them and bring them moments of happiness. But I find seeing things clearly for what they are, the good and the bad, to be far more satisfying creatively and healthier while living in the town of make believe.
On a practical level since writing scripts and books and making movies can be very heavy lifts that take many years to fully realize, I think it is good to diversify on a creative level and do little things on a regular basis to keep the creative flow going. I draw, play music, take photos, coach acting, write short stories and also compile jazz study guides all as a way to stay productive in-between the bigger projects I get involved with and remain inspired to see what I will create next.
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?
I have worked in film for a couple of decades. I made the Australian feature film Newcastle and during covid I completed an ultra-low budget film called Can’t Be Undone, set in Hollywood. More recently I published a novelization of my script, Dark Sunset, and a compilation of Jazz Studies based on my lessons with Dennis Sandole.
Dark Sunset is my take how the Hollywood system exploits those who come seeking fame. I originally conceived of it as a film then decided to turn it into a novel. Rather than having to cast specific actors to tell this universal story on the dangers of Hollywood I let reader’s imagination visualize what happens to poor Jimmy as he gets roped into a psycho-sexual nightmare that leads him astray.
My jazz lesson compilation is a study guide for any serious student of Jazz. Dennis Sandole was a legend in Philadelphia who taught for decades. The lessons I compiled for the book represent the first half of my six years of study with Dennis. There is no limit to what a student can derive from these exercises and they theory that goes with them. So, I hope over time the book finds its way to some eager students.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As a teenager I was lucky to study jazz guitar and theory with Dennis Sandole in Philadelphia. Sandole taught John Coltrane, Pat Martino and many others. He was a master and a great mentor. Through my studies with Dennis I learned a lot about jazz but I learned more about persistence, dedication, discipline and curiosity. Nothing about Dennis’s approach to teaching led to immediate results. Dennis was not interested in developing mimics who could replicate someone else’s genius. Dennis was all about developing the unique voice and talent of the individual student. So gains came slow but when they came they were deep.
I kept all my Sandole lessons and would revisit them from time to time until in 2015 when I took a deep dive back into his lesson plan. I started at the beginning and worked my way through each lesson.
Through my reapproach to Dennis’s lessons I ended up writing a jazz piano score for my film, Can’t Be Undone, and writing a compilation of the first half of my studies with Dennis. I am currently working on the second and final compilation of his lessons.
By remaining in the mindset of a student I kept myself open to discovery and was able to grow as a musician in ways I did not anticipate before reengaging with my Sandole lessons. To remain vital and engaged creatively an artist has to continue to challenge themselves and keep delving into the unknown. There is no final destination or resting place when it comes to artistic growth. Many become complacent, bored, disengaged and content with their ability once they achieve a certain level of success but the true masters keep growing, discovering and creating beyond their current capacity. I recommend to everyone who pursues a creative career to remain inspired and dedicated to learning and growing. There is no end to what can be learned and accomplished.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I think it is very important to have great teachers and mentors in life. And by great I also mean healthy. There have been too many stories of people taking advantage of their position of influence on others but if you can find a mentor in your field of study they can be a great guide. If you can’t find a person in your circle then lean into some great writers or teachers through reading and research. As I mentioned before, I was lucky to study with a true master, Dennis Sandole. His approach to teaching Jazz Theory and also his demeanor and the value system he ascribed to have had a lifelong impact on me as an artist and also as a person.
Persistence was Dennis’s favorite word when it came to what was required of anyone attempting a life in the arts. Of course, it applies to anyone pursuing anything greater than themselves. There are countless obstacles along the way of actualizing anything. Some are external factors and others are internal. But by maintaining a committed, disciplined approach towards one’s art and life, a strong sense of character is formed. A heathy, balanced perspective comes in handy when challenges come up. There are just as many challenges that come from being a success as from not. Having a strong and healthy sense of self and a commitment to one’s art helps to keep things focused on the positive and on the gifts the process of living a creative life can offer. I think it is wise to find great teachers who you can trust and who know what they are talking about on many levels.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: sdancastle
- Twitter: dancastle
- Youtube: sdancastle
- SoundCloud: Dan Castle & French Kiss
Image Credits
Dan Castle
