Meet Marcus Brodin

We were lucky to catch up with Marcus Brodin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marcus, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

I was running up and down the hall stairs at my father’s house in the small village of Moliden, gathering items for a three-month backpacking trip. In my mind, the most important things to bring were my notebook and blank sheet music paper. I envisioned finding inspiration for my big album debut. Visualizing the unknown ahead made me so inspired that I wanted to start writing immediately, but I stopped myself to save paper for the journey. My goal was clear: I wanted to find something worth writing songs about.

I had been experiencing writer’s block for a while and desperately needed to overcome it. This would be the band’s first album, and it had to be good. The pressure was immense, mostly from myself. In hindsight, the biggest problem was the anticipation; I saw the songs as a reflection of who I am, rather than the other way around. With the upcoming trip, I saw an opportunity to write something bigger than myself.

With a backpack and a ticket, I went to Asia. I met many people, encountered inspiring art and culture, and heard the most interesting stories of my life so far. Despite all this, I couldn’t write anything down on paper.
On the way back home, during a twelve-hour flight, I was full of experiences but struggled to remember anything from the trip. I gave up the idea of writing songs about what had inspired me and just wanted to reminisce by myself for the entire flight. Sitting without a phone or anything to hijack my focus, it was tough to just stare at the seat in front of me. It was boring. Determined to be stubborn, I tried concentrating on my memories, and after a couple of hours, I could replay them crystal clear in my mind.

I found myself in a very agile state of mind and realized how I could play around with thoughts and imagination with unbounded freedom. I brought out pen and paper and started to just write—not intending to create a song, just words and sentences that felt good. This resulted in several pages of fragments that later became five songs.

What I learned from this experience with writer’s block was that chasing creativity is a skill. I learned how hard it is to force it. Of course, you have to; it is not effective to sit and wait for the moment. However, it is important to find your own way to set up the creative workbench. For me, on the plane, I had the luxury of having zero distractions for a long time, which helped me enter a creative state of mind, allowing me to “let my brain free.” After that, I tried to train myself to find that state of mind faster, and that is still an ongoing project.

It is the distractions that are plentiful—the environment and your feelings are, of course, important.

But what was blocking me before was also the high stakes of writing the first album. Additionally, my mindset of doubting my own thoughts and feelings, believing that great art could not come from me, was a significant barrier. Today, I am trying not to doubt myself and just focus on entering the creative zone and creating.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Growing up along a gravel road in a small village in northern Sweden, life offered few distractions. In the quiet and solitude, I had two passions: ice hockey and the guitar. The guitar became a steadfast companion, a source of comfort, and a means of expression. Whenever emotions needed an outlet, it was always within reach. Each night, before sleep, I still imagine the fretboard, and in my mind, tones and chords resonate until I fall asleep.

I have never really had a goal in life except to be happy. I pursued a career as a chemist after studying life sciences at university. Though my career choice was chemistry, I have always practiced music in my spare time. Currently, I am playing bass guitar in a newly started progressive rock band and writing experimental pop music with a project called Tjetjenien Sunrise.

Recently, with the same music project, we have started to write music about ordinary life along the gravel roads in northern Sweden, trying to capture the people and the culture. A new song will be released soon.

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?

Being curious, humble, and respectful—these are the three qualities that come to mind at the moment. Nothing is more important than the people you have around you. To succeed in your goals and tasks, it is easier if you have fun along the way with others.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

I have been trying to write a new album in a different genre for quite some time now. The main obstacles are time and performance anxiety—the more time that passes, the higher my expectations become. Working a full-time job consumes a lot of time and creativity. Creative work is something that takes time; it just has to be accepted.

However, I have been trying various solutions, such as writing small fragments every day and piecing them together into a final product. Alternatively, my usual approach is to eliminate distractions and enter the creative zone for as long as possible. But I try not to be too technical about it—music should be fun and free. Creating something that’s a little “out there” is also a fun and interesting approach.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tjetjeniensunrise
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/track/3Dd0Lnaoqi27sWq5GUE0bb?si=58d6501576d04148

Image Credits

Andreas Östemark