Meet John Daues

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

John, 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?

I am resilient because I have been a depressed MF for some time! You ever have that feeling that things aren’t making sense, your job/school/path isn’t going anywhere, and you’re letting life pass you by? Well, I’ve felt that way my whole life! It wasn’t until a few years ago, that I jumped into the deep end with music prod, and discovered another side to life. Before that, I was used to having bad days, never having fun, and feeling unfulfilled. But once I got some serious music progress going and knew I was onto something, I grabbed on and never let go! I bought in to a new life that had the potential to be awesome and cool. I knew that it would be hard at first – but being challenged is NOTHING compared to being depressed! I could feel myself “leveling up” with every musical task, every accomplishment, every new guitar riff or production trick…and I was totally loving the feeling! Along with the journey, came lots of personal development, learning how to stand up for myself, speak up when I need to, and create a community in which I can thrive. So now, when I have to be “resilient,” I embrace it – I’m the best me I’ve ever been, and the challenges I face now, usually mean really exciting things are on the other side of them! ! !

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’m John 🎸🛹😎 I make punk rock songs in indie cartoons and also just for fun. I like to sing and play guitar and bass, and I really really like James Coney Island (these guys paid me to be here in JCI gift cards). Mmmm cheese fries. My BrAnD 🤪 is pop punk, alternative rock, sometimes nu metal or something??? And then like 90’s / 2000’s vibes, let’s go to Blockbuster and rent Majora’s Mask and never get past the beginning, PIZZA PARTY AT RYAN’S HOUSE!, whose sippin on that Cactus Cooler amirite?!?! But yes all of those vibes are me and what I do, plus sharing the fun and awesome creative work of the “cartoon people” that I work with!!!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

One quality was complete dedication. I was about to turn 30, I was nowhere in life and it totally sucked, it was rock bottom – I had nothing else to lose, I went all in on music, I did not care what I looked like or came of as to other people, including my best friends and family. So that was important, because I wasn’t afraid to put the time in, and make changes in my personal life to make way for more music.
A second quality that mattered, was being a complete freakazoid when it comes to work ethic. When I’m into something, I go really hard XD and I was so into this music career grind, that I worked incredibly hard, I literally fought for it. I would make these insane 20-30 point to-do lists every day, get through all of it, tons of music stuff, but even personal growth as it would come back to helping with the music – I was running a mile a day, eating really healthy, quitting alcohol and playing a ton ton ton ton TON of guitar. Prior to this music journey, I managed to complete a master’s degree in sociology…that took me five years, but I would say that I studied exponentially harder, and covered so much more content, in the two years that I initially studied music production as if I was making up for lost life, and also as if my life completely depended on learning this information.
The last quality, was that I had already completely lost before. I was engaged and it didn’t work out and I spent a lot of formative years in that relationship. I got a degree I didn’t use. I spent a life living “Plan B” and felt like a B-rate person. I had already known this utter defeat. So I don’t forget it. I remember that I was there, and I am aware that other people might be there. If it wasn’t for this really killer dude, Hunter Bass, another music producer in indie animation out there, I would not have gotten that initial music education. Hunter was an old friend who showed up BIG TIME and offered to teach me for literally hundreds of hours, for free, to help turn my life around. It is the single greatest kindness another human has ever given to me. I might not have turned it around if it weren’t for that boost. So I recognize the value of that, and it’s my mission, to not let other people live the way I did, if I know that’s what’s happening to them. You don’t have to live on Plan B. Plan A is crazy and scary and will make your parents act all funny, but you will blow their minds in 3 years when you are happy, successful, and have inner peace. You will prove all those people wrong. It will be weird and really hard, but it will pay off 1000x over. I KNOW this is true, so it is my strength that I know it, and I will tell it to the world if they listen to me!

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am looking to collaborate with any and all cartoons, movies or shows, or musicians, so long as my vibe fits with their content, and most importantly, their content has an overall good message, that is grounded in the kind of morals I want to share myself, and also ISN’T LAME! Lol. If you are a nice person who loves art, music, or nerd stuff, and you genuinely enjoy the process and meeting people, we are gonna hit it off! If you are a total narcissist even though you have 4 million subscribers…aw man I’m really busy this month! Haha XD but seriously I am down to look at just about anything creatively, I will do a project if it’s a good fit, and I’m pretty open and honest about what I can or can’t do!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Melon Collar 🖤 photoshoot by Nadine Parker – www.scruffymuttstudios.com 📸🐶

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