Area: Musician

  • Brandon Goff

    Brandon Goff

    “You’ve done it when everyone else knew you couldn’t do it, and it turns out you could do it all along.”

    Interview

    Transcript

    Emma Plutnicki  00:00 

    So, to start, what do you do for work, and where are you currently working from?  

    Brandon Goff  00:06 

    I mean, I do a lot of things to be fair, but I’m a professor of Music Industry in Florence, South Carolina, at Francis Marion University, which is obviously going to be the biggest chunk of what I do. But my, you know, my background’s as a composer, a producer, and an engineer and a performer does a lot of different aspects to being a professional musician, and you don’t always do just one. And I’m one of those people who do all those all the time. 

    Emma Plutnicki  00:27 

    Amazing. So how long have you been working as a professor, and then how long have you been doing all the other things? 

    Brandon Goff  00:35 

    I’m from Memphis, Tennessee, and I’ve been teaching on a university level since, oh my, it goes way back. I first started a Rhodes College, which is a really nice liberal arts school in Memphis, and then I moved from there to probably started teaching, you know, around 2003 2004 so it’s been a minute. Yeah, it’s been a while. Then I went to, like, around Nashville, at a place called Lambuth University, and then I came here from there, and I’ve been here since 2011 so I’ve been in South Carolina for like, you know, proper, 14 years now.  

    Emma Plutnicki  01:11 

    Okay, so what is one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina, specifically, as opposed to in Memphis or Nashville?  

    Brandon Goff  01:22 

    Well, you know, I do. I—anybody who works in the creative, especially the music industry, is going to love Memphis and Nashville. These are two, like, major hubs of music industry. But along with that, from an academic standpoint, meaning from in the in regards to the education portion of what I do, it’s fun working with students who don’t have that grandiose expectation of someone who’s growing up in Nashville. I mean, these in the talent pool, it’s a misconception. People always think, well, everyone’s so talented in New York, London, Nashville, they’re always just like, let alone actually, mathematically, no, they’re not. They’re just surrounded by an industry which really kind of draws that talent out. So, one of the beautiful things about South Carolina, that I love is the talent pool is thick. It’s just as the talent pool is just as big as it is anywhere else. But there’s just less exposure to it, less exposure to your opportunities, your potential, to chances you can take that you don’t realize you can because you’re not in one of those big music hubs. And I do, I really do love that. Actually, I do. I do enjoy that a lot. 

    Emma Plutnicki  02:26 

    Yeah, that’s amazing. So, has South Carolina had any unique influence on your work specifically? 

    Brandon Goff  02:34 

    I mean, of course, yes. I mean, it would do, wouldn’t it? I mean, it’s the, I don’t feel, musically? How would I—there’s a, it’s a different—you know, I’m from Tennessee, in Memphis and Nashville. Everyone’s a musician. That is the thing that everyone does. You probably have an uncle who’s a songwriter. You might have another uncle who works for a record label, who’s like a, you know, a talent scout. And I kind of, I didn’t, honestly, I didn’t realize the rest of the world wasn’t like that until I moved here. When I moved to South Carolina, I was like, Oh, this isn’t like the major industry. This isn’t what everybody does. And so, in being steeped in a non-music focused culture is going to obviously be influential. There’s a complete different music culture here. There’s a different kind of nightlife culture, a different culinary culture. And so, I’m constantly stealing, like, little, you know, snippets of sounds and lifestyles and putting them in songs and putting them in, you know, pieces and stuff like that, which I think is as well you should. 

    Emma Plutnicki  03:37 

    Yeah, I love that. So how would you describe the local professional community within South Carolina? 

    Brandon Goff  03:45 

    In regards to music professionals? You know, again, you’re not in—there’s not, there aren’t a ton of recording studios. There aren’t just a ton of, you know, production houses and things like that. There aren’t a ton of publishing houses. There aren’t a ton of things like that. There are a few here and there and around. It’s more competitive getting into those spaces because there are less spaces for people to access. But one of the biggest, we’re still a big production state, in large part because we do, we still have a lot of arts funding, and we have a lot of massive churches that run big productions. So, I’ve had a lot of students who go work for big, big churches here in South Carolina who have productions that are equal to that, of, you know, equal to that, of like, a large performance venue. And we do have large performance venues, you know, Myrtle Beach, the coast has a lot of that stuff. Even Columbia has a few things like that, Green Velocity, nice stuff or something. A lot of students who have internships up there and stuff like that. And it’s just, it’s going to be, your churches are massive, and they have a massive production budget, so a lot of students will go work for the big churches, and a lot of students that’s like, that’s kind of what they want to do, because that’s like, that’s how they got into music this lot of in the we’re in the Bible Belt, so a lot of the students are picking up musical skills, and the gold concepts in church, and then end up wanting to go back there and kind of work in that church as a worship leader or as a production leader or something like that. 

    Emma Plutnicki  05:10 

    Yeah, makes sense. Very cool. So, within a creative career, it can be difficult to define success sometimes, because there aren’t always clear expectations. So how do you define professional and personal success within your career? 

    Brandon Goff  05:26 

    Oh, how you, know what I think—I tell this to my students all the time. Yeah and I suspect that depends on your personality type as well. But when I was quite poor, grew up very, very poor and actually I was not, I was not a high school graduate. I was a high school dropout. I dropped out of high school and got a job at a factory. And so, you gauge your dreams and your expectations of success on the reality around you. So, as you accomplish something, you then gauge, well, my next level of success will be that. And so, like, at that point in my life, I was like, you know, my dream is to work inside a place that has air conditioning, because I was working at a factory that had no air conditioning in the South, so it was hot. So, but then as I, as you move forward, like, Oh, I just, I just wrote a song. So I want to write 10 songs. And you, so each one of those little accomplishments is a success of its own, but ideally, and you find contentment and what you’ve accomplished, but you also, it’s fun to see how far you can push what you can do. So, you’re always looking for a new kind of success, but then recognizing the success that you had as you move through it. So, I mean, if you’re a full-time musician anywhere, you are mathematically successful because you’ve done something that’s difficult to do. You’re making a living off of a craft, art, a passion that’s very few people get to do that, and so that’s already successful. But even if you don’t do that, even if you’re just someone who’s actually sat down and written an entire album worth of material, and that’s not what you do for a living that’s still incredibly successful, because very few people have the patience and the skill set and the focus to accomplish that. So, there’s success can be found in so many different avenues. And I think it’s important for—I always tell this to my students, to recognize that and to reward yourself emotionally and psychologically for those successes, regardless of the monetary outcome that you might receive. 

    Emma Plutnicki  07:28 

    Yeah, that’s a great way of framing it. So, did you have any fears going into this career, or were you…? 

    Brandon Goff  07:35 

    I mean, I was too stupid to be scared like I didn’t know. I didn’t I mean, I didn’t know I had then that’s, that’s a benefit of youth, isn’t it? Like, no, I’m gonna, I mean, I’m gonna do this because I don’t know that I can’t do this. And it’s amazing how when you don’t know you can’t do something, that you kind of put your all into it, and all of a sudden, you’ve done it when everyone else knew you couldn’t do it. And it turns out you could do it all along. So, you’ve kind of got to the ignorance has its role there some level. Or, you know, unabashed arrogance helps as well. Because I’m going to do this no matter what, I’m just going to push through it. Just stick to it, even if you know you can’t do it, just convince you commit yourself you can. 

    Emma Plutnicki  08:18 

    Yeah, and was that something that you just found within yourself, or were there people along the way giving you advice? 

    Brandon Goff  08:25 

    I mean my undergraduate, you know, actually, my undergraduate degree is in music composition, so it’s not even music industry. Music industry is a lot of what I do, but that was just the nature of being a musician in Tennessee, where there’s a massive music industry. And I got into the music industry because I was one of the first people who was using computers to produce music, and so studios would call me to come do that kind of work, and that just opened the door for me. But again, I wasn’t, it wasn’t part of a grand plan. I was just, again, I was poor. I was, it was day by day. I was like, Okay, I need, I’ve got to eat tomorrow. So, I’m going to do this gig tonight. I’ve got to figure out how to make this happen. So, it was a constant. There was a constant, just a, you know, piece by piece by piece by piece by piece, and you kind of work it, work it out and make it happen.  

    Emma Plutnicki  09:10 

    Yeah, makes sense. Can you recall any times when maybe a mentor or professor within your degree maybe gave you some good advice, or even the worst advice you’ve ever heard? 

    Brandon Goff  09:27 

    I mean, I say advice, perhaps not advice so much as just support and belief. And that was very meaningful for me when I was, when I was an undergrad, you know, I had a professor who thought that I was very, very bright, and therefore gave me a scholarship to learn a new piece of software that the university had acquired. And that software turned out to be a thing called Pro Tools eventually. So, I was one of the first people who knew how to use this particular software thing called Pro Tools. And so that particular belief and my ability to do that changed my life dramatically. And then, when I was doing that PhD, my PhD professor just really loved my music, loved what I did professionally, and as such, would often, he was a very, very famous composer, would bring me along, would program my works on big concerts across like Europe and from Turkey across, you know, through France and such. So that gave my work massive exposure that I would not have gotten, if not for a particular professor who saw something in me and really, really took it upon themselves to push me forward, if you call that advice. But it was yeah, no, but it was both those, both those episodes were very, very life changing for me. 

    Emma Plutnicki  10:46 

    For sure, and with Pro Tools being really life changing in your life, would you say, or, I guess, could you describe a time or a project that you’ve worked on that has been very meaningful to your life? It can be a significant, I don’t know, project or piece that you’ve performed or written, or just anything that you feel has had a significant impact on your life and has really showcased your creativity. 

    Brandon Goff  11:13 

    You know, it’s funny, the most popular piece that I have, and it was not. It was never intended to be this way. I was, I was relatively new to South Carolina, and I’m a guitar player. I play lots of instruments, but my guitar is kind of one of my main instruments. I would do session work in Nashville as a guitar player, but I’m a composer. I’m a writer. And so, the concert band director said, Hey, Dr, Goff, we would love you to come in and play perhaps an electric guitar concerto, which is where you have, like, a large concert band or orchestra and with electric guitar as a lead instrument. And so, I thought, okay, great, I’ll let me find a piece that will be good. And so, I searched and I searched and I searched and I discovered that there were almost no electric guitar concertos that are in existence. I was like, Okay, this doesn’t really exist. So, I said, Hey, how about I just write a piece for you guys that you did this for me and for you. And so, I did this. It’s a piece called Full On Rumble. So, it was like, and I actually made it. I wanted to make it kind of tongue in cheek, if you know that phrase, I wanted to make it kind of like, I used all of the over the top guitar techniques from like, the 80s and 90s. They’re all like, all the, you know, the big hair guitar players would play, from Led Zeppelin to AC DC to Van Halen, all the, I threw it all in there. It’s kind of a kitchen sink piece. It has like every little nuance in it, kind of poking fun at, like, the absurdity of guitar solos and stuff, yeah. But everyone loved it, and it’s become, by far, probably 80 to 90% of my professional work is traveling the world, playing that particular piece with other orchestras and concert bands all over the place. I’ve done it in the past two or three years, from London to Portugal to Germany to Istanbul, all the way. It gets performed all the time. So that one piece, that one little weird thing where I was like, Well, I can’t find that piece much better. I better just write one, that was that, changed everything, that opened so many weird doors that’s still a lot of what I do is just manage the distribution, publication and performances of that piece. 

    Emma Plutnicki  13:13 

    Very cool. You said it’s called Full On Rumble. Full On Rumble 

    Brandon Goff  13:16 

    Yeah, F, U, L, L, on Rumble.  

    Emma Plutnicki  13:22 

    All right, I’ll have to check it out. And so nowadays, what does a typical work day look like for you? 

    Brandon Goff  13:29 

    It’s, I’m, unlike most musicians, I guess I don’t know. I’m regimented, because I have to be. And it’s taken, yeah, I mean, everyone deals with this. I guess you discover over time what times of day you’re better at certain things. Because when I first get up in the morning, that’s not the only time of the day that I have the mental acuity to like, to do all my invoicing and to send, like, do all my communiques emails, like, I’ve got about an hour and a half where I have the I have the emotional wherewithal to sit down and, like, okay, because I don’t, I don’t relish that. I love creating, I love producing, I love teaching, I love performing. But all of that is tethered to, like, if I’m doing the music for TV commercial, I have to then invoice that, and then have to go through and like, you know, I might have to do all kinds of clerical work behind that, and then send off demos to other places for public publishers. Yeah, it’s like, tons of legwork. So, I have an hour and a half of morning legwork. You have to do that every morning. Just get all that stuff done. And then I’ll always, always put in about 30 minutes of just practice. And we can practice guitar, or could be practicing composing. It is just like, just like exercise, which I do as well. But I do that because it just keeps your brain engaged. You know, 30 minutes a day goes a lot further than five hours one day a week. So, I always do that. Then all my classes are always in that little mid-day chunk, and then I do a lot of production work late in the afternoon, a lot of like mathematical studio stuff I go through and take pieces I’ve worked on and start working on new mixes for them, for release and things like that. Yeah, I know those, the times a day, like times a day when I am most effective for those arenas. If that makes sense. 

    Emma Plutnicki  15:11 

    Yeah. You have to know yourself.  

    Brandon Goff  15:15 

    Yeah, you did. It takes a long time too.  

    Emma Plutnicki  15:25 

    Yeah. So how are you able to, you know, balance work and life, and just keep your creativity at you know, just keeping it alive, because it can be hard, you get bogged down and other things. So how do you keep that work life balance? 

    Brandon Goff  15:31 

    Oh, wow, that’s man, that’s enough. You know, work life balance. And these are generational concepts. When I was young, I don’t know that anyone ever really discussed work life balance. So that was the kind of, I’m sure we had issues with it. We just hadn’t figured out how to name it and, you know, manage it. So, if you do something that you really, really enjoy, if it’s the kind of thing you would do, whether you’re getting paid for it or not. That is a beautiful, beautiful thing, but it’s also rife with its own challenges, as you can imagine, because you’re never really off work, and that’s one of the biggest challenge for me, is to disengage with what I’m doing and find a way to tune it out, you know, after, say, 8pm so that I have a shot in hell of sleeping, which is my dream scenario where my brain isn’t frantic at 10pm and like I’m asleep before to 2am I’ll be great, difficult to do, because it is you do what you—it’s what I’m thinking about, whether I’m working on it or not. Like I often, like, in the summers, when I have the rare weekend where I can, like, not do music and go mow my lawn, I’m like, wow, that was amazing. I went and mowed a lawn, and I’m done, and I’m not thinking about my lawn now, like, I like that. I like that. You can put something to bed. And as a musician, you rarely get to do that. You’re just, it’s always doing and you have to. I—so I’ve called it work life balance, so much as just because you love music. And music’s everywhere. So, every time I turn on a Netflix show, there’s a piece of music in there that I’m like, Oh, I could steal that idea. I could do—and so everything’s research, so it’s difficult to pull away from that. So, I’ll often listen. I’ll often dive into, like, some sort of talk radio, because it has no affiliation to my career whatsoever. And it just kind of helps bring me, pull me away from that, that whirlpool of creativity. 

    Emma Plutnicki  17:38 

    Yeah, that must be hard, because music is everywhere, and it’s just part of life. Which is good and can also be challenging. But you’re right. As we just wrap up, are there any, is there anything else you’d like to add, or any questions you wish that maybe I asked that I didn’t? 

    Brandon Goff  17:58 

    I don’t think so. Thank you. That was a really nice selection of questions. I mean, it’s, my colleagues often call me—they say he’s kind of workaholic, he’s kind of hyper, and I am kind of hyper, and I can’t appear to be a workaholic, because I do love to perform and I love to write and I love to write and I love to produce. These aren’t all the same thing, but there’s absolutely no reason you can’t pick one of those things and be that. Be that thing. One of my best friends is one of our piano faculty here, and he’s just a concert pianist, and that’s all he does. But, and that’s a beautiful thing. If I just performed, I think I would lose my mind because I want to write as well, but I also love being in the studio and like, you know, stacking guitars and laying things in and making a nice product, that’s my particular passion. Is that diversified approach to a career, but it is by no means I don’t know what I would even suggest that to every student, because that said that it’s a challenge, and that’s it. That suits my personality, that suits the way that I work, pretty well, but I suspect it’s not the best fit for most people. I suspect I’m a minority in this that that arena. It’s hard to say. 

    Emma Plutnicki  19:17 

    Yeah, hard to find a balance, but amazing. Well, I’ve loved hearing your story, and thank you again for taking the time to speak with me. Last thing is, do you have anybody that you think would be great for us to interview another professional in the creative space? I could give you some time to think also and shoot you over a nominations link.   

    Brandon Goff  19:43 

    Yeah, please do. I know a lot. I know a lot of great creatives.  

  • Mahoganee Amiger

    Mahoganee Amiger

    “Just love yourself and talk to yourself nicely.”

    Mahoganee Amiger works in Beaufort S.C., is an interdisplinary artist in the field of music and has been a songwriter for over 30 years. Mahoganee incorporates poetry and photography into her music to produce a form of visual art. 

    Interview

    Transcript

    00:02 | Lexi 

    So first, we’re going to start, just give a little introduction of yourself. What do you do for work, and where are you currently working from? 

    00:13 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    So I am, well, I’m an artist. I am an interdisciplinary artist in the field of music. Music, Music is my primary discipline, and I have been a songwriter for over 30 years, and I incorporate poetry and photography to my music and makes me a visual art. 

    00:43 | Lexi 

    That’s, that’s amazing. So is that like your full time job? 

    00:49 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Yeah, it is. 

    00:50 | Lexi 

    That’s, that’s amazing. So how long you said? 30 years? 

    00:54 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Yes, I’ve been in music 30 years. How long I’ve been full time in music? I would say, let’s see. I had my last corporate job in 2010 I believe, yeah, somewhere, somewhere in there. 

    01:21 | Lexi 

    That’s awesome. Yeah. Okay, so what is- Wait, where are you based in? 

    01:28 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    I’m in, I’m in the lowcountry. I’m in Beaufort, South Carolina, in Beaufort. 

    01:32 | Lexi  

    So what’s one thing that you love about working as a creative in Beaufort? 

    01:40 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    One thing that is so I live on Saint Helena Island, and specifically I am a Gullah Geechee woman, right? This is Gullah Geechee land in Saint Helena Island is so important and pivotal in our community, and it’s a very special place, very spiritual. And so being a creative it is, in my opinion, it is a very magical portal, yes, that right, that I can tap into, and because I allow myself to be open to that I I am never, not creative. Yeah, I am never, there’s not a dry spell. 

    02:31 | Lexi 

    That’s awesome. That’s amazing. So with your, what is your you said that, of course, your heritage is tied to South Carolina. How would you describe the local creative community there? 

    03:00 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    There is a very powerful and strong creative community here on Saint Helena Island. And also, because I my my branches, you know, reach out into, you know, other areas I am able to… I live here, right? I work here, I create here, but I’m also able to reach out, literally to people all over the world and create. And a lot of people are interested in South Carolina, in the lowcountry, and the delegatee culture. And so I’m able to, I’ve done tours, you know, people have wanted to come here and visit. And my husband and I have actually, you know, put an itinerary together and really introduce people to the low country of South Carolina, to the Gullah culture.  And it’s a magical place. And people are, you know, very, very interested in it. Now, it’s a hot culture. 

    04:05 | Lexi 

    Yes, that’s such a, that’s such a beautiful thing to be able to do for others, because I feel like South Carolina does have so much to offer. You just kind of have to reveal it to people, and so you do so much creatively, how would you define both your professional and personal successes in your creative endeavors? 

    04:36 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    So the interesting thing, I believe they’re one, right? They’re just woven together, because being a culture keeper or cultural worker and all of my artistry is tied to my culture and who I am in. It’s about South Carolina. It’s about. The culture. It’s about my African heritage, so it’s personal. Is professional? Yes, right? Because when I, when I walk in, I am whether it is a professional setting or personal setting. I walk in as an artist. Yes, I’m able to just, you know, share from that perspective. So they’re, they’re definitely woven together. 

    05:25 | Lexi 

    Yeah, that is very true. So what was your biggest fear when you decided to pursue your career professionally? 

    05:41 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    You know, I have been singing literally all my life, since elementary school, and I have always done it afraid, you know, like my friends would like, I’ll give you an example. So elementary school, I believe this was fourth or fifth grade, my teacher walks out of the class and they’re like, Okay, can you sing us a song? Can you sing this song? So I go up and I sit in my teacher’s desk, and I don’t know where we got these glasses from, but I had on I put on some glasses like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder. So to block out everybody, because I’m I’m nervous, but I’m still excited to do it, yeah, and so I think, through, through high school, I was very afraid, but I always did it, even if I had to turn my back to the crowd. So there was the fear of, I think, just being in front of people, you know, and sharing something, but the love for it really just it outshine the fear. And I think I’ve just always been able to walk like that, and until I just got to a point where now I’m nervous, I’m not fearful, the nerves are always going to be there. But I get past the nerves usually in the first, you know, couple of lines of the song, and then, and then I’m in it.  

    07:09 | Lexi 

    Yeah, I feel like that’s amazing. There’s, I feel like there’s so much that people can take from that. I feel like that’s a really good piece of advice, just to get out there and just do it. So, right, yes, do it afraid. That’s that’s a really, really good piece of advice, because I feel like fear holds a lot of people back sometimes. So can you describe, for me, like a defining moment in your journey, like was your particular project that you did that made a significant impact on you, or something that you’ve done that you believe really like showcased your creativity and talent. 

    07:53 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    I think what sticks out the defining moment, really for me, embracing myself as an artist and really embracing myself right like and what I mean by that is being able to look in the mirror and love who I see was when I moved back to South Carolina, and this was also in 2010 and I’m from Summerton, South Carolina, which is about an hour and maybe 15 minutes away from Beaufort, South Carolina. And I never knew about the Gullah Geechee culture. Growing up like it was. It was not taught in school. But once I moved back here and I started to learn about the culture, and it was as if I gained a superpower, yeah, right. The more I learn about my heritage and my culture, the more I learn about myself, the more I learn about my parents, you know, my siblings, just my ancestry, yeah, the more powerful I am. But moving back home was the starting point for that, and it just, everything else just opened up. And it’s been, it’s been an amazing journey finding myself. 

    09:20 | Lexi 

    Yes, that is amazing. And I know, I know there have been so many movements, especially like along the coast, to bring awareness to the Gullah Geechee community. And I think that is like, I think that’s just wonderful. Like, it can bring, it brings so many people together. And I think that’s just just an amazing thing. So what was the best and worst advice you’ve ever received? 

    09:48 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    You know, that’s an interesting question, because I don’t hold, I don’t retain bad advice. Yeah, so I’m not really like i. Really have to think about that one. And you know what? I think something that I remember was trying to play small and having people tell you that you’re not good enough, or you’re that the person to be in the spotlight. And what I mean by that is, I’ve been in music groups where I because of the way that I look, because of my physical attributes, I will not the one they wanted to be, the lead vocalist, and so for somebody that might crush them, you know, and it might stop them on their journey from pursuing their dreams, specifically in music, right, and in the arts and in something in the public. But for me, I just decided that, okay, that means I need to be solo on this journey, and I’m going to have to be my own advocate, right? I’ve gotta be my cheerleader. And but that’s one thing that sticks out. They were trying to put me in the background, and I was like, nah, nah. That’s this is not going to work for me. 

    11:22 | Lexi 

    Yes, yeah.  I feel like that is just something that it’s an amazing piece of advice. You just gotta Well, not that specifically, but just learning that there’s always going to PP be people that are trying to hold you down, but you just gotta move past it. Can’t, can’t surround yourself with those people. 

    11:48 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Yeah, so the other half of your question was some of the best in life. Yes. And I don’t remember who told me this, but I know I’ve heard it somewhere, and it was to when you get up in the morning and you the first thing you do is you go and you talk to yourself in the mirror, right? And you give yourself these affirmations. And it’s something that I have. I do throughout the day. I don’t write. I don’t just do it in the morning. Whenever I need to give myself a pep talk, I just go and I find a mirror and I talk to myself and because I am with me all day long, right, all the time, and So just always feeding yourself positive words. Positive affirmation is some of the best advice that I got, and I hate that. Can’t remember who told me, and I’ve heard it over and over again, and I see it often, so it’s just, it’s something that I would always tell people, yeah, just love yourself and talk to yourself nicely. 

    13:02 | Lexi 

    Yeah. That is, honestly, like, I do believe that’s one of the most important things you can do, because you are stuck with you for forever. You gotta love yourself. So can you, like, walk me through a typical workday, like, what does your process look like, and what’s what do you expect of yourself, just on a daily basis? 

    13:28 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Right now, as an artist I am in a fellowship, and that’s also some some good advice that I would share with people, anytime you can find an opportunity to be in a cohort or fellowship or something that is really going to help you grow as a human being, as an artist, as a community leader, I would look for those opportunities because they have been very instrumental in my growth, just as a human and and as an artist and one so how my days look now. I am in a cohort, and we have meetings every month. We also have to work on a project, so and so that is also along with, if I’m having to rehearse for a show just got through writing and recording project for Zora Neale Hurston, so it’s not just one thing. I don’t have a nine to five, so my schedule is kind of different every day, yeah, and it’s but what I’ve learned is that time management is something I need to really, really work on. And as an when you are an entrepreneur or an artist and we’re. For yourself. That’s the that’s the thing that we have to work on the most, because we don’t have the the nine to five schedule where, you know, we we have to create some sort of schedule for ourselves. 

    15:13 | Lexi 

    Yes. So you said that you kind of find that you’re professional and, like personal times are, like, woven together. Like, your creativity, do you try to create a work life balance? Or are you able to maintain, like, keep those two life separate? Or do you like having them join together? 

    15:41 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    It’s all joined together because my husband is also my partner, my business, my partner in music, my partner, my my partner in life, and because we are both musicians and both creatives, it is. It’s an interesting thing balance, because there is no, you know, like I said, there’s another nine to five schedule. And my husband is a music producer and a sound engineer, so he could be working on a particular composition at 3am right? I’m sleeping. If I hear the music, I’m going to wake up. And this has happened, and lyrics have come to me immediately, right? So I get up, yes, I’ve either recorded them on my phone or I, you know, write the lyrics down. So it’s in the creative world, you have to get it when it comes. 

    16:50 | Lexi 

    Yes, right? So, yeah, go ahead. I’m sorry. No, you’re good. You can continue. 

    16:58 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    So the the, that’s why I say the balance is we make it work. Yes, the best answer I can give you is that it works for us because we make it work. And when, when the creative waves come, you have to answer to that call, and then, you know, life moves around that. 

    17:23 | Lexi 

    Yeah, so what are some habits that you have that you think would be beneficial for others, wanting to get into music, wanting to get into storytelling, just get into a creative field? 

    17:42 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    I would say, always capture the idea when it comes whether that is audio right, or whether that is writing it down. Make sure you are always in a learning mindset and just wanting to grow and always get better in your craft. And that’s why I recommended the cohorts and fellowships, any type of professional development that you can do that first helps you as a human being, and then second, it helps you to better yourself and your craft. Those are things that I, I think, have been the most important to me, especially in the growing phase, and just always be willing to learn and grow. 

    18:42 | Lexi 

    Yes, I think, I think those that’s an amazing mindset to begin like at all times in your life. So do you have any questions that you wish that we asked you? 

    18:57 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Ah, I couldn’t think of any, that’s a really good question. And we didn’t even get through all the questions, right? I cannot think of any question that you shouldn’t have asked me, and I’m trying to think of something that I really want to leave with. People go ahead and ask me the last question, and I’ll marinate on that one for a minute. 

    Think of something that I wish I had thought of. Here’s, here’s one thing, not a question, but something that I will share. And because there’s so much noise on the internet, right, and a lot of times, people are emulating what they see, I would really tell people to dig deep and be your authentic self, because that is where the magic is, and that is what really will make you excel, because now you’re able to stand out when you dig Deep and you really find who you are and what you love, the passion and the purpose I feel will really elevate you in that authenticity, but just being yourself, and that may mean being by yourself for a little bit. You know, being away from people, being away from the noise, and not looking at anything online, because sometimes it’ll feed into your creativity. It’ll feed into who you are, and some, some self reflection time alone, just dig deep for who you are, and that’s where the light is, that’s, that’s where you’re going to shine. That is what I want to share with just everybody, just and it’s, it’s, it’s a simple phrase, be you, but it’s really a big phrase, be you. You know, yeah, that’s, that’s what I would leave people with. 

    22:45 | Lexi 

    That is, I think, really, really beautiful advice. I think that’s really amazing. So many people could learn from that. But thank you so much for your time. I’ve really enjoyed this interview. I think that you’re going to give so many people a lot to think about, a lot of good advice. And yeah. 

    23:15 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Thank you, Lexi. Of course, I appreciate you taking the time to you know, to do this, and I love that you’re actually doing it, and you made me think of something else, because not just Gullah Geechee people, but really all people. Every every place has a dialect, right? Right. Every place has, you know, people speak differently. Words are said differently. Words mean different things in different cultures. And I want people to hold on to that, you know, because we try, not we, but the world will try to take you out of you.  

    You know the world wants you to sound a certain way. The world wants you to look a certain way. But it all really comes back to again, who you are, what you how you grew up. You know that playing might be in your voice. It may be Jamaican, right? It may be Patwa, it may be Southern, it may be whatever it is, but that’s the thing that makes you you. And I wish that someone had told me that instead of No, I need you to speak proper, you know, I need you to do this, and I need you to look this way. And all they were doing was stripping away, you know, pieces of me. And so when I got back home, I began to, you know, those scripts, I began to put them back on Me. You. And really just become myself and but when you when you said about, you know, learning people’s stories and sharing their voice, it’s like the voice can actually, actually be literal, right? And it can be your speaking tongue, and the world will try and strip that away from you. And I, and I wish that we can hold on to whatever our ancestors did, you know what, whatever our parents did, and allow that to always be a piece of you. Take the other stuff, but just keep, keep that for yourself, and it just adds to the magic. 

  • Paolo Gauldi

    Paolo Gauldi

    “It’s a good thing to bring beauty to this world, you know. Like, leave it a little bit better than you found it, hopefully.”

    Interview

    Transcript

    00:03 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working?   

    00:10 | Paolo Gualdi 

    So, I am a musician, generally speaking, and I divide my time between teaching. I’m a full-time professor at Francis Marion University. And I also do a part time job here at the University of Wilmington UNCW and that’s for my teaching in general. And then I am also a performer. So, I play piano and both as a soloist and chamber musician, which is collaborating with other musicians. And I play regionally, nationally, internationally, depending on, you know, the opportunity.  

    00:46 | Emma Plutnicki 

    So how long have you been doing each of those, the teaching, the playing? 

    00:51 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Well, for many, many decades, I’m, I mean, I don’t know if you need to run 50. I started when I was, I started teaching when I was 16. So, we’re talking about privately, of course, but and then also, very shortly after that, I started performing, you know, full concerts and everything now, in terms of what my current positions, I’ve been at Francis Marion for 16 years, and the UNCW I think maybe seven, eight years. I can’t remember when I started my part time job, but, yeah, my concert. I mean, I played concerts my whole life, pretty much.  

    1:26 | Emma Plutnicki 

    So, at UNCW and at Francis Marion, what are your official job titles? 

    2:44 | Paolo Gualdi 

    At Francis Marion, I’m a professor of, I think in music, it’s called something like that. But I’m, yeah, focusing on piano, but I also teach other classes like ear training. I do direct chamber music, sorry, a jazz combo, which is, you know, we play different styles of music, but mostly jazz. And speaking of Francis Marion, yes, this might be interesting, also to you. I also started a chamber music festival every February with both fine grants from the university as well as donations from the community and has been going, I’m organizing right now. At the end of February there will be the 13th edition of this festival. So that’s actually another kind of another aspect of my job in at UNCW again, it’s a very, I’m an instructor. Here I actually am teaching Piano Jazz. And that’s, that’s pretty much the involvement. It’s minimal, obviously, because can’t have clone doing, but it’s okay, yeah. 

    2:38 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Yeah. Amazing. So, what is one thing that you love about working in South Carolina, specifically? 

    2:44 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Well, Francis Marion, it’s a great place to go, I really enjoy it. It is a little complicated for me, because actually leaving Wilmington, North Carolina, as we are talking right now, I mean North Carolina, so it’s a little bit, you know, a nuisance to go back and forth. I, you know, like, but it is really a very desirable job. I have great colleagues, and it’s a great little University with a lot of potential in general. And I do enjoy the fact that specifically, Francis Marion gets a lot of people that are indecisive. So, we get, we don’t require an audition to access our program, which is a double-edged sword.  

    3:27 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Of course, you get a lot of people that should not be doing that, but that discover, you know, the interest in music, and then they pursue it seriously. So, speaking of, you know, discovering, real careers, I have more than one student that had gone to, you know, either gigging in the region or I have a, most recently, a student that opened a Music Academy in Florence. She wasn’t even done with her undergrad degree, and she opened a music school, which is thriving. And so, I really enjoyed that aspect of, you know, that specific job moment. So yeah. 

    4:03| Emma Plutnicki 

    That’s great. And so, does working in the Carolinas specifically influence your work in any way compared to other places that you may have worked in the past?  

    4:13 | Paolo Gualdi 

    I can’t differentiate that I do. I can tell you that it’s mostly aside from the positives of the specific institutions I do love living in the South. I do love living around here for many reasons. And so, I wouldn’t say that there is a detached, how to say, a reality in the Carolinas for what concerns music in general, but definitely it’s special in South Carolina. I have the occasion, for example, to go play and teach at the Governor’s School up in Greenville, so you get really a sense of what’s the future is holding.  

    4:51 | Paolo Gualdi 

    And it’s incredible because, I mean, South Carolina is not specifically, you know, on the top list when it comes to culture and music. General, but aside maybe from the, you know, the spoiler festival in Charleston, which is a big event, and it’s known nationwide, but it is really, there’s a lot of talent in South Carolina, and so, yes, I really enjoy that, that aspect. But, you know, it’s, you know, it’s a specific which, again, it’s, yeah, it doesn’t make my work different in any way, but it’s definitely an exciting context to be working in. 

    5:28 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Yeah, no, that’s really refreshing to hear. So how would you describe the local professional community? You said it’s really, you know, inviting, and there’s a lot of art in Charleston and other places. So how would you describe that community? 

    5:42 | Paolo Gualdi 

    There is a lot of…by the way, as a parenthesis—so, you’ve been…Are you from South Carolina, or…? 

    5:47 | Emma Plutnicki 

    I’m from New Jersey.  

    5:51| Paolo Gualdi 

    Oh, wow. Okay, New Jersey. And how long have you been in South Carolina?  

    5:54 | Emma Plutnicki 

    I’ve only been here for about a year and a half.  

    5:57 | Paolo Gualdi 

    So, I’ll tell you because, I mean, otherwise you would know already a lot of realities. That’s why I’m telling you.  I’m not going to bore you with the details. But for example, yes, Charleston has this. You know, it’s one of the most vibrant cities in South Carolina concerning the cultural environment as a scene, Columbia as well. Columbia has a lot of things. For example, they have this specific piano. They have a huge festival in the summer called the southeastern piano festival. Florence, again, beside the festival that I was telling you, which is small. I mean, it’s nothing, you know, in the nation, not newsworthy. But Florence, for example, has exploded in the last few years, they built a world class concert hall, for example. Then we have also Lake City, which is a tiny little town about a half an hour from Florence, which has this world class gallery, art gallery that brings in incredible shows.  

    7:00 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Years ago, I remember that there was a Goya exhibit for several months, I mean, and you would not expect it, you know, from a tiny little town in the middle of South Carolina. So yeah, and so yes, definitely for what concerns South Carolina, and then, not to mention your school and environment. I don’t know much about, you know, like Coastal, but I know that they’re doing incredible things. And for example, the piano teacher that Philip Powell, I mean, he’s been bringing the fancy names and wonderful instruments that they are. I don’t know if they’re a strain with school, but anyway, I don’t want to get to the specifics of music, but what I’m saying is that there is definitely a lot going on. 

    7:37 | Paolo Gualdi 

     And again, so it’s an exciting, you know, boiling pot, yeah, opportunities, and North Carolina as well. Here in Wilmington, at least, if you are interested, also outside of this, I don’t know if you’re writing something about specifically South Carolina. It’s generally a kind of group of South Carolina professionals… 

    7:58 | Paolo Gualdi 

    But I mean, Wilmington is also very cool, but yeah, the scope of what you’re talking about, so I will know the details, but not amazing. 

    8:11 | Emma Plutnicki 

    So, in your life as a creative, how do you define success, like, how do you define personal success, and then also professional success? 

    8:21 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Well, it’s a very personal standard, right? So, you I really think that within creative arts, for example, you know music and painting, whatever you know like, it is a very dangerous balance, because you have the competitive aspect, which can be overwhelming sometimes, right? You’re talking about being successful. Does it mean winning something, a competition, winning a job, position and so on, versus the capability to be accepting the fact that, especially in in in arts, you’re always improving, you there’s no, you know, goal that you’re I got there now I can see it and relax. It’s a lifetime of excitement if you take it the right way.  

    09:10 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Otherwise, it’s a lifetime of frustration because you don’t feel you’re good enough forever. So success, what is success? It is to have, obviously, this, I think it’s about involvement and engagement, actually, into what you’re doing, loving what you’re doing, being curious.  

    09:28 | Paolo Gualdi 

    That’s, I mean, very important for an artist. At the same time, we don’t live on top of a mountain, you know, like foraging, so we need to pay the bills. And also, you want to find the reality that allows you to, you know, pay the bills, to have a car and all of that. So, I think success is very personal in those terms. But at the core of what we do, yes, we want to make sure that we never become cynical, that we never lose the imagination and the again. The aim for, you know, for beauty in general, generally speaking, I mean, that means, for me, as a pianist, there is an anecdote. I’ll tell you. This is, this might be kind of cute to include. There was a famous cellist, cello player by the name of Pablo Casals. And he was 93 years old, 93 and he was practicing, right?  

    10:25 | Paolo Gualdi 

    And so, somebody asked him, like, So, Mr. Casals, like, why are you still practicing? You’re 93 years and he answered, like, because I think I’m making progress, you know, like it, and it’s somebody that, I mean, we’re talking about the legend of, you know, of cello. And I’m 93 he was still like, you know, like, I’m still going, and I’m looking for, you know, like something. And so, I think that that’s, that as a personal aim goal. It’s the best feeling in the world. So really, like, always being interested and curious and digging deeper. 

    11:00 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Yeah, no that’s a sweet story. Definitely always room for self-improvement. 

    11:05 | Paolo Gualdi 

     A lot of people can’t wait to retire and be done with whatever you know, office job or something, with all due respect, with those, with those you know, but they’re not, we’re very lucky if we’re in the arts, granted that it’s also very difficult. Nothing is easy about that. But you know, did you arrive at 93 that you’re still, still love music so much. It’s really a blessing.  

    11:27 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Yeah, I love that. So, within this career, before you went into the career, did you have any big fears about going into something more creative? 

    11:41 | Paolo Gualdi 

    I had, I think, I was a little bit different as a child, because I knew, before I even have memories of knowing that I knew that I wanted to be a musician. My parents used to tell me that I was when I was three or four years old. I don’t remember. I did start playing piano when I was five, and I knew, always knew that I wanted to do that, and now I have a bunch of different hobbies. I like photography and so on, but I was never intimidated by that. That’s one of the reasons why, actually, I moved to the States. I’m originally from Italy, because I could not really, I didn’t see myself. It was a really difficult situation. So, I had the ambition to do that as a life, you know. But as I said before, you don’t live only playing one concert every six months.  

    12:28 | Paolo Gualdi 

    You need something that is also practical. And so, I came to the States to pursue that. And I mean, I consider myself very lucky that I did. And so, I had a moment, if you were talking about fears, yes, there was, when it doesn’t work out, if things are not really clicking, it is scary, because then you get a little bit discouraged.  

    12:49 | Paolo Gualdi 

    And a brutal aspect about creative, you know, careers in general, it is that, unfortunately and again, not, not everybody likes to hear that you do need to have some level of talent, because you, if you’re not, you know, unfortunately, it’s brutally, brutally honest. So, there needs to be something that doesn’t mean you have to be a genius, but, you know, that’s where you find your position in a specific career. But you cannot expect you’re terrible. You can do it, and then you just like the idea, you know, it’s kind of like when you’re little, I want to be an astronaut. Okay, you know? 

    13:24 | Paolo Gualdi 

     So, a lot of people have thought that I want to be a singer. I want to be, you know, yeah, okay, then when you have to do the hard work, then that’s where you see who really wants to do it. So, when you face challenges in life, then, yes, you get scared. Because I was, I was really scared at what I’m going to do, but you know, luckily, again, I found my way. So that answers your question.  

    13:48 | Emma Plutnicki 

    So, when you face those challenges, are you able to receive any advice from anybody? Was there any advice that was either good or bad advice that really stands out to you? 

    14:01 | Paolo Gualdi 

    In general, if we’re talking about that kind of challenge, then definitely there needs to be more, more than just inspiring, more practical advice. In general, I was kind of following, how can I say, Well, I mean, yes, some of the teachers who basically, you know, generally speaking, it’s very important to have a mentor, somebody that guides you, a professional that was basically what you’re doing. Also, you’re bringing, you know, a little bit of perspective of people that had the experience of older people, older, you know, individuals that had decades of experience, and then they had, you know, down moments and up moments and success stories and all that. When I was in Italy, I was about 22- 23 I had no idea what to do.  

    14:47 | Paolo Gualdi 

    I tried every avenue, and it was not looking good. As a matter of fact, I was looking at alternate careers because I was, you know, because I was not living in LaLaLand. And, I mean, I wanted to be independent, and then eventually, through some of the connections that I had, I found my way to, you know, back to the States and to what basically became my home for the last 25 years. So, it’s been a while, a specific connection, I mean, a specific piece of advice, the one that I can give is basically never give up, really. I mean, it seems cheesy and everything, but you need to learn how to deal with closed doors or rejection. It’s part of the thing. Nobody has, you know, a straight line into a career. I rarely heard that even the most talented, most you know now, the most famous, all fell down. 

    15:45 | Paolo Gualdi 

    They had an unfair situation where they were not chosen, you know, and so on. So never give up, but at the same time, have always, you know, like a kind of a reality check, because once again, if you keep going and you’re, you know, 10 to 20, years into this career, and it’s not clicking. 

    16:03 | Paolo Gualdi 

     Maybe that’s so but in general, you know, like always take the especially in our career, it’s, it’s a given that you’re going to get some, you know, moments where, like, oh, I suck, you know, like, or nobody likes me, or what am I doing? And then, if you really love it. Just keep going and eventually, you know, you don’t have to be, you know, the Van Gogh of the situation that he never sold the painting in his life, but it is, you know, that’s why I’m telling you. It’s the best profession in the world, but it’s also one of the toughest to, you know, to find your spot. 

    16:36 | Emma Plutnicki 

     That’s definitely great advice. And has there been a particular project in your creative journey so far that has really, like, showcased your creativity, or has just made a significant impact on your life? Can you think of anything specific? 

    16:54 | Paolo Gualdi 

    It’s very specific. Okay, so in general, since I’m a performer, basically my main thing is as a performer. It’s now, I don’t know how much you know about music careers. You have very many. How can I say identities as a musician? So, you can be more academically prone or pedagogically prone and so on, right?  

    17:16 | Paolo Gualdi 

     Specifically, for me, I’m very interested in, I mean, I did write a dissertation for my doctoral, you know, studies, which I wouldn’t, would not recommend to anybody, unless you want to fall asleep at night. But, no, but, but as in projects, I can tell you, as a performer, I am a, not an advocate, but I’m really close to the music of Franz Liszt, who was a romantic composer. So, I brought a lot of my future concert music. Sometimes I gave lectures about his music. And he is a very well-known composer now that I’m bringing unknown musical figures to the audience. But there is an under, how can I say, underappreciated as a composer for certain aspects. So, I would say that one of my best, again, contribution would be for the music of Franz Liszt.  

    18:10 | Paolo Gualdi 

    And also recently, I have just recorded, for example, the music you might be interested in this. It is, it is a trend of the last few years to really rediscover some music that was neglected because of issues of race, of gender and so on. I do have a trio that we’re actively playing and performing, and we recorded just this. We released this, released two trios by Clara Schumann, which was the wife of a very famous classical composer, Robert and then Fanny Mendelssohn, which was the sister of the most famous Felix Mendelssohn. So, we are basically those two gigantic figures of music which were neglected just because they were women, right?  In the last few years, has been brought back all of this beautiful music. Finally, I would say because they were unfair, you know, because of society, the stigma and all that. So those two things, maybe, you know, are among the many things that I’ve done in life. So again, I’m not a painter. It’s not like, you know that I did a series on whatever, painting landscapes or something, but some composers are, again, especially from Franz Liszt again. And then lately, these two women composers that we recorded, and I think it’s a nice thing. So, yeah, 

    19:30 | Emma Plutnicki 

    That’s great. So nowadays, what is your typical workday like? What kind of is expected? 

    19:37 | Paolo Gualdi 

    This is one of those things that another reason why I really love my profession, because we don’t have, you know, oh, this nine to five, you know, kind of thing, generally speaking, yes, I am involved for the greatest part of the week at Francis Marion. Then I came back. And usually, I teach on Fridays. Here in Wilmington, and in between, I practice, I practice.  

    19:59 | Paolo Gualdi 

    And so, it’s a very movable schedule. Weekends can be either, you know, like we have some I have some periods where I have no weekends free. I’m always practicing, rehearsal or traveling and performing, and then all of a sudden you have, you know, like 20 days free. Okay, great, you know. So, our schedule is completely, you know, changing, ever changing. So, yeah. 

    20:07 | Paolo Gualdi 

    I practice when I can, especially as a family man. I have a daughter, wife and speaking of being also, I would say pragmatic. I practice when I can. 

    20:44 | Emma Plutnicki 

     Yeah, so how are you able to kind of create, how do you create that work life balance where you’re able to have your personal creativity and then also have your profession? 

    20:57 | Paolo Gualdi 

     This is another personal thing, I think that also it depends on the amount of work you want to take on and the ambition I did much more when I was much younger, in terms of so I’m not going to, you know, 100 concerts and then travel all year. I will miss my family. I will neglect my family. So that’s very important to me to be present. And so, it is a very personal and a very fine balance, yes. 

    21:27 | Paolo Gualdi 

     I would say that if you’re a young and ongoing, you know, artist or musician or whatever, it will be much more you’re going to be more involved. You have to invest in it, all right? You have to go for it. You can be lazy about it. Then as you grow, I mean, hopefully again, the excitement stays, as I said, I mentioned the 93 years old cellist, but at the same time, you have to find a little bit more balance, like you say, you have to make choices so you become more selective, also, of what you want to be involved, rather than, you know, just take anything.  

    22:01 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Yes. Always. You have got to learn how to say no and be more. And you know, at 50, if somebody comes to me and says, like, always going to be very important to your career, I’m saying, okay, thank you. Now, I’ve done that. You know the freebies, like, they call it them so many times when you’re very young, and it’s good to be up there, even if you’re not making any money. And just sorry, I’m very brutally directing my senses. It is like that. So, you have to invest in being visible, networking and all that.  

    22:34 | Paolo Gualdi 

    And sometimes, you know, you’re so, yeah, it is. The struggling artist is a real thing, you know. But then once, once you find your balance, I mean, at some point again, especially if you have and especially if you know, financially speaking, if you are reached, has an acceptable position, then you know, you can say, Okay, I cannot do this because blah, blah, blah, my daughter is having a ballet or whatever. And no, I mean, so I think it’s a, it’s very personal, but I chose, I mean, I think that is very important to me to live also a normal life. Otherwise, you’re going to be, you know, this very egocentric person that thinks of my career, my life, and that’s not me.  

    23:18 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Yeah, no, that definitely makes sense. 

    23:23 | Paolo Gualdi 

    Because I’m not criticizing, I’m just saying everybody has to find their balance.  

    23:28 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Yeah, no, for sure. And okay, just as we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to add, or do you have any questions you wish I might have asked that are missing? 

    23:41 | Paolo Gualdi 

    I don’t know… now I’m getting—you put me in a spot. A couple of advices that I give to my students, so maybe something that you can translate into something interesting to your audience, that to be, especially if they’re students, to be relating, networking. Be kind to each other. I always say, like, you might, you might be each other’s boss in 10 years, for example, in terms of music, you know, I give an example, like, Okay, you’re a guitarist, and he wants to be, I mean, I don’t know an engineer, sound engineer, or something like that. So, he might have a studio in 10 years, a recording studio he wants to hire you, but if you, you know, be misbehaved or treat him like you know, horribly. So anyway, so make sure that you network with your nice people.  

    24:34 | Paolo Gualdi 

    I have, I personally, even nowadays, a lot of my commitments come from networking, from networking that I did when I did my master’s degree or my doctorate degree, the trio that I just mentioned a few minutes ago, that we recorded, those women composers, two people that I met and started collaborating with during my doctoral studies. So, for example, this is the school. It is an incredibly useful environment for networking, which is essential in creative hours. And the other thing, again, one day, once, once. You know, that’s why I was mentioning very quickly about the music festival.  

    25:16 | Paolo Gualdi 

    They’re organized. It’s not my money. I am very grateful to the institution and donors and everything, but make sure they also, you know, give back in a way, you know. So I am actually now hiring musicians, and I’m happy to do it because, again, we have to help each other as a community and so being able to involve others in your project, I don’t know how it will translate in other fields, or branches of the arts. It’s, it’s always very, very it’s a cool feeling that you now are in a position, you know, I’m a little older, and I’m in the position to actually organize music, to make concert happen, not only to play concerts, but also to offer the community in Florence, again, I offer this series of concert I’m very proud of because it’s a beautiful thing. It’s a good thing to bring beauty to this world, like leave it a little bit better than you found it, hopefully. So that’s one of those things that we, you know, creative people, should keep in mind. And again, it translates in very different ways in all of the disciplines. So, yeah, great, I don’t know. I don’t know what else.  

    26:23 | Emma Plutnicki 

    Yeah no, amazing. 

  • Brandon Goff

    Brandon Goff

    “You’ve done it when everyone else knew you couldn’t do it, and it turns out you could do it all along.”

  • Mahoganee Amiger

    Mahoganee Amiger

    “Just love yourself and talk to yourself nicely.”

    Mahoganee Amiger works in Beaufort S.C., is an interdisplinary artist in the field of music and has been a songwriter for over 30 years. Mahoganee incorporates poetry and photography into her music to produce a form of visual art. 

  • Paolo Gauldi

    Paolo Gauldi

    “It’s a good thing to bring beauty to this world, you know. Like, leave it a little bit better than you found it, hopefully.”