We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydny August a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sydny, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
The first thing that comes to mind is giving yourself the ability and grace to take breaks. Your brain, creativity, and antenna has a chance to reset. I don’t think of it as being lazy or unproductive since it’s all part of the process. I like to find little creative projects outside of the studio–browse Pinterest and put together mood boards/visual collages for future photo/video shoots, edit marketing videos for upcoming music releases for socials, put music playlists together on Spotify, read self-help books just to name a few.
Ultimately, time management and finding what works best for yourself…which may not work for the next person (it’s a personalized process). What’s also important to me is surrounding myself with creative people, but not just any (creative) person. Energy and vibration are integral in my creative process. I’ve had the same small team for almost a decade (shoutout to Castle, Piper, my family, Mama G), we all inspire each other in different ways. Find the people you want to grow with (your path should gravitate you toward these people), challenge each other, and remain open to different perspectives.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I write, record, produce music and perform at various local venues in Chicago! I’ve gravitated toward this little artistic world my whole life, for as long as I can remember. I grew up as an artist, being expressive and tapping into vulnerability, which isn’t easy as a human, but music makes it an outlet to connect and relate to other souls.
I love my process of recording (it’s never the same) and transitioning the songs from studio to performing live. It gives me the opportunity to connect face to face with people, entering a space of community, those who want to listen, feel, love, sing, let go, experience. I always keep the mindset of leading with love, whatever you do, however you go about your days.
My latest Valentine’s Day project ‘333’ is available on all platforms; expect a fun 4/20 release ‘ROTATIONS ii’. If you’re new to me and my music, stream anything Sydny August to get a sense of who I am and the growth throughout the years. ALSO, if you’re in Chicago, I usually have spontaneous shows so tune in with me on social platforms!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Passion, consistency, and open-mindedness.
I used to record myself singing and playing covers on the piano, posting these videos to YouTube (thinking the Justin Bieber method would work for me…not knowing that everyone’s path is different). Invest in yourself. I wrote original songs with a microphone that plugged into my Mac and I recorded myself on GarageBand with YouTube beats to then post on SoundCloud (not knowing about the world of mixing). I met my engineer Castle a few years later who shared a piece of his world and taught me how to use ProTools and track myself. I then transitioned to recording through an interface into ProTools; you’ll learn as you go and see what works for you and your process. I find that recording myself is most efficient because I experimented and eventually found my groove; I also love recording with Castle at Coda Room in Chicago because we have an unexplainable camaraderie that I feel can’t be replicated, we work well together and share a vision bigger than ourselves.
My advice would be to keep recording and experimenting as an artist. I like to think of myself as a scientist. Don’t limit yourself, you’re an artist for a reason. Make time to develop yourself, see what you like and don’t like. Think about who you are, the type of artist you want to cultivate; who are your fans/what do they do/what do they look like? Go to venues and local shows, immerse yourself in these spaces and network!
There will be times where you feel like you’re creating for nothing, or nothing is happening after putting in so much work and time. But if you have this true passion and keep working on it, you will be guided to exactly where you’re supposed to be.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents promoted creativity for me and my sister growing up. Both of my parents are also creatives so we were constantly surrounded by music and art. I found myself in every sport from ballet to basketball, performing and taking classes from piano to voice recitals. We had the opportunity to attend a Montessori school before attending high school which brought and taught me a lot about independence, diversity, growing and learning at your own pace. My parents continue to indulge in their own creative outlets which brings me a lot of pride, joy and inspiration–shoutout to them <3
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sydnyaugust.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sydnyaugust
- Twitter: https://x.com/sydnyaugust
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/missaugust
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sydnyaugust
Image Credits
jared avalos, Elexis, Christian Loggins, Mason Burch, CROWNSOHEAVY
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