Meet Jonas Wald

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jonas Wald a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jonas, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
While I do consider myself an avid creative, for my whole life, keeping up the pace that I do can honestly be exhausting and I’ve been burnt out several times over the past few years. Though I wonder in those moments how I can keep this whole creative thing alive, I find that what gets me out of the funk is my continued exploration of new artists and other media. I heard the sentiment somewhere before, not exactly like this, but something to the effect that everything is a copy of a copy. Without this great creative work, we wouldn’t have this other great creative work! I find that to be a very true idea, and I am always hungry for new sounds or new concepts to be inspired by. As someone that started out as a punk rock musician, you might find it funny to hear I rarely go back to it these days, despite being in an alt. rock band. Maybe some of that soft stuff I’ve been on will started rubbing off on my project, who knows! You find inspiration in the strangest places, even if it doesn’t directly relate to what you do specifically. There’s tons of out-there influences in everything that I do, from my art, my individual songs, or whole concept albums.

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 front a project, called Killium, which I started in my bedroom in 2017. Around 2021 I finally got a band together to bring it to the stage. It’s sort of been my creative journal, where I throw whatever I feel in the moment at the wall to see what sticks. While it started as a punk rock thing, it’s starting to move in an alt. rock direction, and I expect even that to change and evolve over time. Or dear lord, I hope it does! The only thing that I’m certain won’t change is that the themes center around catharsis, healing, hurting, and emotion. I’ve coined the current phrase “Hooks, doom, and gloom” to describe it for now, or at least our second album, “Manifesting Flies”, which I put out on October 13th, 2022 (Friday the 13th!). While I write all of the songs, as the project is rather personal, I am grateful to have my bandmates along for the ride to fill out the music beautifully. When we play live, I’ll man the bass while Kyle Krawczyk takes the drums, and Ryan Manson shreds the lead guitar. I’m currently nearing the completion of my third album, and am starting to see the seeds of the fourth as I work more closely with my bandmates.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Perseverance, hunger, and curiosity. Perseverance is important to overcome the nay-sayers, to boldly brave the storm to your own destination rather than staying back and never exploring the avenues you might find if you conformed like the rest. A hunger for more always helps as well, to stay satisfied is to never improve or evolve! Consume all that which ignites desire with in you! Curiosity is great too, as it will help you to not stagnate. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new, you just might find a new, unexpected muse.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Allowing me the ability to pursue the things that interest me. That freedom is essential. They very easily could have snuffed me out early on, but they’ve been very encouraging of my creative interests since I was a child doodling nonsense. It’s taught me that it is important to leave room for yourself in your life. Even if this whole go at a creative lifestyle doesn’t go as I’d like, I will always make time to create and make art, even if its just to please myself. Because I am important. I would hope everyone else can feel the same for themselves.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Jonas forest portrait by Jonas Wald and Cali Young. Live band shots by Madison Rease.

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