Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Reno Staples. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Reno, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.
I beat writers block with brute force. It’s easy when an idea just pops into your head. The song writes itself. But when that doesn’t happen, I open my computer and force myself to get something down. An idea can always be tweaked later on so I entertain anything no matter how silly or derivative it sounds at first.
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?
I’m primarily a guitarist. I’ve been playing and writing for over 10 years but I dabble in whatever interests me in the current moment. I operate as if I don’t need anything to really work out, I just enjoy the process. When I wrote the first, “Cheer Up!” album with my brother, we got distracted and started working on a short screenplay. Is it any good? I have no idea but I think it’s cool and it was a lot of fun writing it.
A key component of my stuff is that I create all of it. This isn’t very uncommon anymore since modern technology makes everything (except developing the social skills to recruit people for help) so easy. I do all of the writing, mixing, mastering, graphic design, video editing, and whatever else I can convince myself is necessary.
The newest thing I’ve created (with my likeminded brother), is the new Cheer Up! album, “Welcome to Cheer Up!”. People compare it to a weird Paramore, or happy Mars Volta, or heavy The 1975. So indie pop with a little math rock influence. Indie pop for guitar guys, I guess.
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?
3 qualities I’ve most benefitted from most are my curiosity, creativity, and drive. Curiosity lets all of the learning not as daunting. You’re researching and analyzing these things because you genuinely want to know why something works or sounds a certain way. Creativity is self explanatory but I’ll add that it is something that can be developed. I give the same tip to everyone who wants to start writing music.
1. Open up you DAW(digital audio workstation) if you don’t have one, download a free one.
2. Put in a song of your choosing.
3. Transpose every melody on whatever instrument you play. If you don’t play an instrument, use a free midi piano vst.
This is a really hands on way to develop your ear and see how melodies and songs are structured. You can even take it a step further and match tones, or sounds if that interests you.
Lastly, drive just lets you persevere when stuff doesn’t work.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed I break down what my current task is into smaller more manageable tasks. If I’m in a situation where I can’t do that, I jump to another interest to take my mind of the overwhelming stuff.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/88fingersedboy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/88FingersEdward
- Twitter: https://x.com/88fingersedward
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@88FEATEATEEFFEEE
- Other: https://88ferecords.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-cheer-up
https://88femerch.com/
Image Credits
Jim C
Alix Pitney
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
