Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tom Galloway. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tom, 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?
Constantly keep your eyes and heart open for inspiration. Inspiration hides in everything if you look with the right perspective. But sometimes the hardest part for me in keeping creativity alive is just getting that initial ball rolling. A lot of times when starting something new, whether it’s a song, a whole album, or even a random task, it can sometimes feel very overwhelming. I’ll find myself procrastinating and overthinking something that hasn’t even begun yet. Sometimes I just have to force myself to start the process and then trust in the dynamics of that process. Once I’m in the midst of the creation it usually unfolds easily.
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’ve been writing songs and playing music for well over half of my life. Although the music business these days is rougher than ever, I can’t imagine my life without music and songwriting as a way of expression. You can find all my music and collaborations through my website www.tomgalloway.net. Last summer was my most recent album release- Wreckage which was actually originally recorded almost 10 years ago with the band, Mama’s Love. Unfortunately we never got around to finishing the record, as the band slowed down and the hard drive got thrown into a box, pretty much forgotten for years. During the pandemic, with only time on my hands, I recovered the hard drive and got to thinking. Long story short, we salvaged parts of this old recording while also recutting some of the instruments and vocals with the Nashville crew. So what you get from this record is a unique blend of sounds and players from the past and present, a freaky time machine for me, and closure for these songs that finally got released on record.
Also look out for the project Allen & Galloway, you can find our first single, Front Beach Road, already released on all digital music platforms but we look forward to releasing a four song EP this fall.
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?
The “need” to create, confidence, and persistence.
I’m constantly struggling with these. The passion for me is creative expression in many forms, but having the conviction and confidence to put yourself and your art out there is a whole other thing, and then having the persistence to keep pushing forward even if you feel like you’re getting nowhere. There’ a mentality that has to be harnessed, I guess it goes back to trusting yourself and the whole creative process
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. This book changed my mindset completely. Picked it up during a rough time in my life and I’ve probably read it about 5 times now. I will usually open up a page daily just to get my head where it needs to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tomgalloway.net
- Instagram: instagram.com/tom_galloway_
- Facebook: facebook.com/tomgallowaymusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl-GDIaBfAGSLuY6iM3miYw
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1J8GIbXpUAbXjNGE9Fl5of?si=RHe4WI6WSE-WzlwRyO58pA
Image Credits
No credits needed!
