Daily Inspiration: Meet Sean Power

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Power.

Hi Sean, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music always sharpened the point on emotions and feelings I had when I was younger. Sometimes it lit the fire; sometimes, it fed it. Sometimes it kept it from burning too brightly. Performing was an opportunity to get up in front of people and connect, be part of a whole, and create opportunities for other people to explore what it meant to them. The writing was an avenue to express thoughts and probe ideas, solo or with other people, to be told explicitly or poetically, depending on the mood.

I’ve seen Nashville change a lot since 2007, and it’s where I call home for better and worse. These days, I mainly help capture or tease out what other people have to say, by producing and engineering music with them, or creating a video of performances or stories. I have a comfortable, creative studio space and am fortunate to be able to do this full-time.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing up, no one in my vicinity was a professional musician naturally. It was discouraged by many friends and family simply because they thought it was a long shot. After moving to Nashville to tour with a friend who became a signed artist, I got good advice from lots of players and professionals and always tried to watch the failures and wins to get a handle on how to be successful myself. Getting to a place of confidence to take on projects myself (while seeing the talent everywhere) was a big hurdle to overcome. There’s also the more practical task of paying your bills while growing your skillset and investing in equipment to be a better player/producer/engineer. I worked plenty of odd jobs and part-time work to fund buying gear and beer, but I am glad to have pushed through the growing years.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a performing musician, so I still love to travel and gig live when I can. I’m also proud to have combined my performing skills on various instruments with my engineering chops to guide and contribute to artists/singers/bands I work with. I’m the owner/operator of The Hilson Studio, a total production residential studio in the suburbs. In 2016 I branched out into video work, both shooting and editing, giving me the chance to create even more varied content with clients and friends.

I think the unique thing about me is the diversity in my skillset. I built my whole studio and love being able to jump behind a drumset to record a part, help adjust a guitar’s intonation during a session, offer tips to singers on refining a complicated vocal line or lyric, and talk engineering with my many bedroom-studio player friends, or geek out over camera systems and glass. I’m a jack of all trades and hoping to master as many as possible and maybe add a few more before I clock out.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’ve become an avid listener of Sam Harris’ podcast “Making Sense,” which, on its face, has nothing to do with music. I think it’s often an excellent example of how to be specific when making a point / asking a question, how to unpack ideas solo or together, and how to be respectful during a disagreement to avoid spoiling the vibe of thinking collectively. I believe these are invaluable to the creative process; it helps to provide feedback and put yourself in your listener’s shoes to make sure you’re communicating effectively, so we can get better performances and ideas and let our ego stay out of it.

“WorkLife” with Adam Grant has some other great explorations of organizational psychology, which are probably more relevant to corporate work but have given me great insight into what’s going on when I/others are procrastinating or get angry during a project or respond in a challenging atmosphere. Lots of great ideas that can apply!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.TheHilsonStudio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehilsonstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHilsonStudio/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thehilsonstudio

Image Credits
Gabe Ford