Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Troy Higgins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Troy, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I find things that inspire creativity in the world around me. New and innovative music, art, film, etc… always inspires me to create. I often admire people that are looking to push boundaries and try something out of the ordinary within their art. Surrounding myself with other creatives is important. It can also be something as simple as a morning walk, or greenery in the spring, an early morning cup of coffee, architecture in the neighborhood around me, the way the sky looks, an article of clothing, or imperfections in the world around us. Creative inspiration isn’t really something that can be forced for me, it’s something I have to encounter organically.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a music producer, artist, creative content producer, and audio engineer born and raised in San Diego. I go by the name of “goodboytroy”. My creativity and inspiration to pursue music started at a very young age — I grew up on a record collection of 90s thrash metal, early Sabbath, and 70s rock. I remember being a little kid sitting on the ground digging through my dad’s records and just being mesmerized by the incredible artwork you’d find those old metal album covers. Lots of rich color and attention grabbing (sometimes shocking) art. Really cool shit. I began listening to a lot of music and playing electric guitar around 7 years old. I’ve been able to translate the aggression and aesthetic of my early metal influences and curate them into a modern day sound of dark, yet soulful productions. I would say a lot of that early metal stuff stems where my inspiration comes from for projects I work on now.
Fast forward to today and I’ve been working in music and audio professionally for about 10 years now? I’ve since moved to Silver lake, Los Angeles. I produce my own music, develop artists around me, and do quite a bit of work in sync music and audio for brands, T.V shows, commercials, and movies. I also produce a podcast and work in podcasting with an agency. To put it in plain terms — I LOVE audio. The way humans perceive audio is fascinating and beautiful all at the same time. Any time there’s an opportunity to enhance any sort of art audibly or visually through audio, I’m in.
Recently I’ve emphasized my focus on developing brands through sound design and music. Audio is a crucial part of brand identification and image — music and subtle sound design can truly bring a brand or company to life. From composing the score for brand visuals to capturing minute sound details, (rustling wind, distant birds chirping, street traffic, bacon sizzling in a skillet, footsteps on a gravel surface). I work to handcraft every sonic detail in post production to completely immerse an audience and embrace the vision of the brand.
I’m currently in the process of launching a website where I showcase all of the work and partnerships I’m doing with different brands, shows, and advertising Agencies. goodboytroy.com is set to go live later this year. You can also follow me on socials and streaming platforms (goodboytroy) to hear my latest music projects and newest artist collaborations,
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One quality that comes to mind is my tendency to hyper focus on things. It’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing in the way that when I’m zoned in on a project, almost nothing else going on around me matters. A curse in the way that… well… I ignore or procrastinate other important shit going on. I have a knack to become completely immersed in my projects and grind away at them to the point of what I like to think is finished.
Another skill or practice is consistency. If you consistently pursue something everyday, whether it’s art, music, or whatever… one day… eventually, you’re going to be a lot closer to where you’re trying to get rather than turning back around. So might as well keep going, right?
The final quality I like to preach is don’t lose sense of your inner child. Remember the young you? The one that had so many hopes, dreams, and aspirations? The one who hasn’t had their mind influenced by the harsh realities of this life we all live? Hold on to that person. This quote by Rick Rubin always grabs me: “As children, we experience much less interference between receiving ideas and internalizing them. We accept new information with delight instead of making comparisons to what we already believe; we live in the moment rather than worrying about future consequences; we are spontaneous more than analytical; we are curious, not jaded. Artists who are able to continually create great works throughout their lives often manage to preserve these child-like qualities.”
The best advice I can give to anyone trying to pursue art or music, or really… anything, is to just put yourself out there. You never know who could be listening or watching on the other end. If you output something meaningful and of value into the world, someone will notice. And with a little bit of luck, the right person will notice. Keep working, improving your craft consistently, and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable by putting your work out there.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Good question. Often overlooked and EXTREMELY underrated: Collaboration is our BIGGEST tool. I think that if you surround yourself with cool people doing cool stuff, you’re almost always going to be better off than doing it by yourself.
If you have an idea, brand, or business and are looking to bring it to life audibly, I want to collaborate with you. Contact me if you’re interested in the ways audio will establish and elevate your brand identity. Contact me @ [email protected]
I’m also always open to collaborating with new artists, other producers, videographers, graphic designers, and musicians to make cool stuff 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website:goodboytroy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodboytroy_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-higgins-679858187/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodboytroy_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/goodboytroy
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/goodboytroy
Image Credits
ONLY the Black & White photo is Zairre Wright (@dezairre)
