INTERVIEW WITH BRYAN SHEFFIELD FOR THE EIY HANDBOOK

BRYAN SHEFFIELD, 32
(Los Angeles, CA)
PHOTOGRAPHER
YEARS IN MUSIC: 10
ON THE WEB: bryansheffield.com
CURRENT PROJECT: Bryan Sheffield Photography
ROLE: Photographer

WHO GOT YOU INTERESTED IN MUSIC AS MORE THAN JUST SOMETHING ON THE RADIO?  My father always had great taste in music. He got me into Pink Floyd and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at a young age. Took me to a slew of concerts. Through middle school and high school, skateboarding got me into “alternative” and “punk” music.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?  I remember smiling and being happy one day in 2004, when I figured out I could live off of my work. Maybe that was it.

WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS WHEN YOU FIRST GOT STARTED?  Happiness and fun.

HAVE YOU ACHIEVED THOSE GOALS?  Maybe 3x a month, I have. 10% of the time is a good ratio, no?

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS NOW? HOW HAVE THEY CHANGED?  As I get older, I think more about sustaining a family, and what I can do for money in 40 years when I want to retire, and not run this fucking race anymore.

DID IT TAKE A FEW DIFFERENT PATHS TO FIND WHAT YOU LOVED TO DO? A few paths. I managed an indie label for five years while I was doing photography part time.

WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO SACRIFICE ALONG THE WAY IN ORDER TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE? Sleep. Good teeth. Relationships. Living in the country.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU ON A DAILY BASIS?  Music and art and love.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SUCCESS HAS COME FROM LUCK? TALENT? HARD WORK?  Luck: 10% Talent: 100% Hard Work: 140%. Don’t worry about it, the numbers make sense.

HOW HAVE YOU MEASURED YOUR SUCCESS THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?  Being able to sustain a career doing what I love to do is success.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?  Being able to make a living doing what you love. Smiling and paying bills.

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS SO FAR?  Oh jeez. I would like to say “no regrets,” but I am sure I have a list of stuff I would love to do over. That is part of learning though: you get better at what you do when you fuck up what you are doing.

DO YOU THINK THE BEST BANDS IN THE WORLD TEND TO GET FAMOUS, OR TEND TO STAY UNDISCOVERED?  Famous. It is unavoidable. If you are good at what you do, people notice and love you for it.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE (as-of-yet) UNDISCOVERED BANDS?  The Hunting Accident, Rafters, Avi Buffalo, FUR, and Neighbors are amazing!

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Read Bryan’s answers to 50 questions about music and the music business in the EIY HANDBOOK, available in print or eBook version at www.earnityourself.com

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