Meet Adrian Michael

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adrian Michael. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Adrian, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
This is the million dollar question a lot of the time for me. It’s hard to want to keep going when everything seems so saturated with people that are just like you, attempting to scale the same mountains as you and say that they “made” it. Not only that but you have the economy, the strains of living, and a future you’re trying to mold in a time that feels less controllable than ever. I’ve seen my fair share of trials, some by my own mistake, others by other people and some just out of my control, but I would always tell myself that no matter what I did, I couldn’t leave this earth knowing I didn’t try.

Trying is the least you can do and that takes courage. Its scary but when you’re at the end of your life, I believe that no matter what regrets you have, its minimal and you can say you gave it your all. That’s what gives me the resilience, that idea of staying true to yourself and having the courage to try all the way to the very end. To get there you HAVE to fail and sometimes a LOT. That’s ok, I’ve failed more times than I care to admit but it made me all the more resilient for it.

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?
Currently, I’m a freelance drummer/creative currently based in Seattle, WA. As of right now, I’ve currently picked up the hobby of remixing video game BGM! I often practice drums to game soundtracks because they offer crazy rhythmic patterns that you can add to your arsenal of grooves and chops but one day I decided to actually just start remixing/re-imagining said tracks. That by far has been the most fun activity for me right now. When I’m not remixing, I’m playing gigs as much as I can since moving here from LA. If you like video game remixes (of all genres) you can check out my YouTube channel: Iplaythings. If you also would like to hear the drumming work I’ve done you should give my amazing trumpet player a listen: Hannah Ureste! Being able to be her drummer has been amazing and I’ve gotten to learn and play with some real heavy hitters.

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?
There are 3 REALLY impactful things that have impacted me:

1. Time management: If you do not have good time management it can lose you opportunities, create subpar work, create complacency and cause unnecessary stress. Manage your time accordingly for the things you care about most and give it your all. It seems so minor but I think this is absolutely imperative to creating solid work ethic. I’ve also made this mistake more times than I care to admit.

2.Learning Business: Most of us creatives dream that our passions not only fulfill us but would also love it to provide a solid income. When I started out, I was still under the impression that talent and hard work will win you an audience alone. That isn’t so much the case anymore as there are so many people who are just as creative as you who have access to independent tools and exposure via the internet. There is only one unique version of you and learning how to show the world that and gather your tribe requires a lot of backend work but its worth it when you finally get the hang of it and see results.|

3. Taking things too personal: THIS one is so hard but definitely a necessary adjustment I had to make. I mainly speak for myself when I say this but it can be so hard to separate your identity from the things that you create. We often put hours, days, months and even years into a piece of artwork no matter the medium. As a result of the effort we would expect a nice response. A lot of the time that isn’t the case, and when your work isn’t met with the praise you thought you’d receive, it’s all too easy to spiral into negative or let the ego take over.
Not everyone is going to like what you do, sing, or have to say, its the nature of the beast and understanding where your lane or people are can make this a lot easier. Sometimes we aren’t someone else’s cup of tea and we have to learn to be ok with that.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
The idea or thing that has been most helpful to me in overcoming challenges and building skills is learning how to pivot. A lot of the time we a singular goal and have the impression that in order to get to that goal, there are or is a few specific routes one HAS to take. Well, what if none of those routes are yielding the results you desire? You then need to pivot, switch the approach and still be within the vicinity of your goal. Sometimes, doing something indirectly can yield more positive results as opposed to just bulldogging your way in. Simply put, when you run into a wall (or back into one) learn to create angles and you’ll open yourself to new possibilities that can yield the results you desire.

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