Meet Dillon Vanders

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

Dillon, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

Honestly it’s not very easy to keep your creative flames burning in the digital society we live in. It’s incredibly easy to become distracted, and lose your day to the vampiric devices that have become all consuming. I think for me, what seems to always reinvigorate my creativity is having a deep connection to nature. Having a profound appreciation for the natural world. There’s infinite inspiration in the beauty and chaos you can find in nature. So for me, the best way to keep my creativity alive is to simply go outside and take a look around.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve been a solo singer/songwriter for about 5 years now, after stints in many different bands in different genres. Hard Rock, Alt Rock, Desert Rock, Pop Rock, all kinds of stuff. After burning out on the endless band drama, I decided to return to my roots and go back to storytelling and songwriting. This has been the most fruitful and exciting period in my music making journey thus far. I’ve met and played with some great people. I just released my second record, “The Dark American Night” which is available on Bandcamp!

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?

I think it really just boils down to being true to yourself and being uncompromising. Always trust what your gut initially tells you. The more you let outside opinions dictate the direction you take, the more the work will become convoluted. Just learn to trust your instincts, don’t pay any mind to “industry norms”, and you’ll create far more interesting work that you’ll likely be more proud of.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The number one obstacle facing me and I think a lot of musicians is the major shifts in the music industry, mainly streaming and how destructive it’s been not only to the industry itself, but the art form writ large. Musicians and performers are expected to invest huge sums of money on recording, then just give it away for free. Not only that, they’re expected to churn out mind numbing content on social media that often has nothing to do with your music at all, and rarely translates into actual listeners. This is why I released my last record exclusively on Bandcamp. I think it’s time for artists to hold more agency in their work, and move away from the current streaming model.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Linktr.ee/DillonVanders
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Dillonvandersmusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dillonvanders?si=5_AA3RP8eDIwZavj
• Other: https://dillonvanders.bandcamp.com/album/the-dark-american-night?fbclid=PAb21jcAM_9KRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpwysRhfoFoanrksOozqofQ2p677pJZasTg4jlSXLBL88y453gc4wm3P74h48_aem_sp2ALFjJrG7p63Hh90npcA