We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Payne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.
Hi Ryan, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I’ve been knocked down more than I can count in my 35 years of living. During that time what has helped me get back up was my faith in God and knowing I was being prepared for something greater. It was knowing that every heartbreak, rejection, failure was all just a redirection to my highest good.
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 was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Since I was a kid I’ve always been an artist jumping to one interest to another. It started with drawing anything that caught my eye (people, ninja turtles, cartoons). I then became obsessed with the Power Rangers and at the age of 5 started taking Taekwondo lessons and eventually earn a first degree black belt. Music became my next obsession. I started playing the Alto Sax after discovering Kenny G and every shower became a singing concert. When I finally moved out of my parents house at 18 I bought my first recording microphone and started making music. My brother and I fell in love with making music and starting making rap mixtapes together. We eventually met other artists from Cincinnati and formed a rap group called the Dub C Boyz. We got our first gig at a festival in Cincinnati. I was so nervous. The performance went amazing and the crowd loved us. During the performance I felt so free and knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Shortly after I enlisted in the United States Air Force for six and a half years. During my time in social media started taking off. I then started making comedic sketches on instagram. I still made music but was more interested in making funny videos. When my time time ended in the Air Force I used my free schooling benefits and moved to LA to attend The New York Film Academy to pursue acting. After two years of training there I graduated. I was so excited to start my career in acting and then Covid hit. This shut down the whole industry and acting jobs were scarce. So I then chose to enroll into another acting school called The Strasberg Institute where they taught Method Acting. This school was an artist’s playground. I fell in love with acting even more and they had singing classes. I was nervous to take the singing class because I’ve always had a fear of singing in front of people. I took the class and it changed my life forever. It unlocked a piece of me that I forgotten and by the time I left the school my passion for music was reignited. I bought a new mic and started recording music again. Living in LA became too expensive and I could no longer afford living there. I was willing to live in my car just to continue pursuing acting but my family convinced me to come home so I did. I felt like a failure coming home not accomplishing my goals but it was the best thing that could ever happen to me. My time back home gave me the space and time to release my first single “Raise The Vibration” on all streaming platforms. In the year of 2022 I released 4 singles and a collaboration album with my brother Ace Payne called “Good Vibe Music”. I changed my stage name to Sol Star Shaman and am currently working on my first EP. All my music can be found on all Platforms (Apple, Spotify, Youtube).
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?
1. Be Adaptable – Sometimes the picture in our head on how things are supposed to be or look like can keep you stagnant. So when things don’t go your way, you have to learn to adapt and go with the flow trusting that things are always working in your favor even when it looks bad.
2. Embrace Your Uniqueness – Don’t waste anytime trying to be like anyone else. Your super power is being authentically you. No one on this earth can do what you can do. Your path will no look like anyone else’s. So don’t compare your life to others.
3. Do what you love – Life is too short to waste doing things you hate. If it is your passion do it to the best of your ability and the love will be returned. The only way you can fail at anything is if you quit.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The book that changed my life forever is “Letting Go” by David R Hawkins. This book really helped me navigate how to deal with my emotions and how to release the negativity that no longer serves me. It gave me a new perspective on how to see life. It taught me how to go with the flow of life and not force anything. It taught me to accept where ever I am in life and know I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Finally, this book taught me to slow down, not let life rush me and get more present.
Thank you Bold for the opportunity to share my story. I am so grateful!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @iam_ryanpayne & @Solstarshaman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SolStarShaman
- Other: TikTok – @solstarshaman Sol Star Shaman on all streaming platforms (Apple, Spotify, Youtube)
