We were lucky to catch up with Liam Fox O’Brien recently and have shared our conversation below.
Liam Fox, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Confidence and self-esteem were not inherent personality traits for me. They took time to develop and continue to grow. The younger me had to develop a sense of self-worth through finding what it was that brought me joy and allowed me to express my creativity, while earning a living. Since finishing high school I had tried several different career paths (fashion designer, rock guitarist, poet, mixologist to name a few) before discovering that music composition and sound design were the mediums that I found to be most fulfilling and endlessly fascinating. Honing my skills in each of these pursuits and discovering my own creative voice eventually led to a sense of confidence in my own abilities and potential.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
After studying audio production at SAE Institute and learning how to use a recording studio, I had an inkling that film scoring might be the perfect role for me. It would allow me to spend my time immersed in my 2 greatest interests – music and cinema.
My first real career path from age 16-22 was that of a guitarist in a touring rock band (The Scare) signed to EMI Australia that retired after producing 2 albums & 3 EPs and regularly playing 250+ shows per year in Australia, The UK and Europe. After that I wanted more freedom with music than what the “verse-chorus-verse..” songwriting format would allow for. Film scores have always captivated me in ways that contemporary music does not. I am passionate about storytelling and I see the role of a film composer as something like an ambient narrator that subconsciously guides the viewer deeper into the imaginary world of a good story with subtle emotional cues and accentuations.
Sound design is something that I discovered in my relentless pursuit of original timbres with which to create compelling music.. I have always wanted to compose music and design sound effects that no one has ever heard before. As much as I like to play with traditional instruments, I love immensely, the process of building my sound pallets from scratch using found sounds, home-made instruments, field recordings, modular synthesis and AI generated sonic events. Authentically original timbres that can be used as sound-design/effects or moulded into melodies, chords, harmonies, beats etc.
Over the past 7+ years I have scored and written original music for 16 short films and 4 feature films as well as countless commercials, podcasts and various other content formats. I regularly produce sound effect and music sample packs for one of the world’s largest sound libraries, Splice. I am currently in the process of building my own original sound effect and music samples library that I want to release in the summer of 2024 and continue to grow.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Openness, work-ethic, ego control.
Creativity is a delicate and complex super-power that needs to be perpetually nurtured and developed. It can never be taken for granted and should always be evolving. To be truly creative requires open-mindedness and the will to learn and try different approaches to channeling and launching new ideas. You need plenty of cognizant bandwidth to allow original thoughts to appear and to grow/play-out in your mind before putting pen to paper (pick to string, finger to key etc.).
Once you have a good idea gestating you need a strong work-ethic to stay on task and not succumb to distractions or negatively reprioritizing necessary tasks that could lead to tangible results. You have to give the idea the right amount of attention and commitment to do whatever it takes to bring it to life.
It is crucial to learn how to control your ego in a healthy way, so as to not let it get in the way of good ideas. It’s all about balance because ego can go both ways- If you don’t believe in yourself enough you risk abandoning potentially great ideas out of fear and if you think you’re top shit you might become close-minded and unwilling to receive valuable input.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always in search of new collaborators and creative partnerships. My dream is to work with directors, videographers and podcast producers who have a strong vision and want to create beautiful, memorable, inspiring and original work.
Whether it’s a feature film, short film, documentary, series, podcast, commercial, pneumonic (sonic-branding), I want to help bring moving images to life with music and sound design that will blow minds and generate powerful emotional responses.
My website LIAMFOXOBRIEN.COM showcases some of my previous work and personal history.
Anyone with ideas to discuss or projects in the works, that are in need of original music and/or sound design, can contact me directly at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: liamfoxobrien.com
- Instagram: @liamfoxobrien
- Other: https://liamfoxobrien.bandcamp.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6762266/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Image Credits
Will Davidson Adrian Mesko Brian Higbee
