Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Morales.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to make music. I’m told that as a toddler, I would often jump up on the fireplace and sing Disney songs to house guests. My dad played in bands around that time too. I would bang on the door while they were having practice, trying to get in and sing with them and talk to the drummer. I learned to play guitar when I was 11 and started playing solo shows at coffee shops around town when I was 13. I played in bands throughout middle school and high school and college and kept doing solo shows too. In the last few years, I’ve found a really fantastic group of musicians to play with, we make albums together and travel across the country. They are much better musicians than I am, which is inspiring and keeps me on my toes. Our 2nd album All That Wanting came out June 29th. Since then, we’ve toured the west coast, the east coast and a bit of the mid-west, and we have a little Texas run coming up in October. It’s still very DIY at this point. I’m booking all the shows myself and we’re sleeping on people’s floors and basically living out of a van, but it’s been amazing. We get to see a lot of the country and try new foods and meet a lot of very kind and giving people along the way. There’s no sleeping and there’s lots of driving and you miss home desperately. It kind of restores your faith in humanity and beats you down at the same time, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are always struggles when you’re pursuing a life in the arts. There are so many talented folks out there making great music and hustling hard. It’s difficult to stand out in that sea of sound and to keep your spirits up. There’s a lot of rejection and failure and people who will openly tell you that they don’t like what you’re doing.. And when you do get a bit of momentum going, there’s the struggle to make enough money to live, to hold down a job that allows you to tour throughout the year as you’re trying to build something. My biggest piece of advice to anyone who is getting into the field is just to keep going. Not giving up is half the battle. Realize that you have to put a lot of effort in if you’re looking for results. A friend of mine once told me that nothing lands on your lap when you’re trying to get into music, you have to go out there and fight for it. Nothing is guaranteed in this field, so try to enjoy the journey and find fulfillment where you are rather than looking too far ahead and putting off being happy until “X” happens. Learning how to process criticism is an important skill too. You really have to learn who you are as an artist so that the negative stuff people say doesn’t destroy you. Design school gave me a thick skin when it comes to criticism and I try to see it as something helpful rather than a personal attack, but it’s still hard to hear sometimes!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Claire Morales – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
One thing that makes me different as a musician is my love for art and the written word. As I’m making an album, it’s really important for me to have a concept and visuals to latch onto as well as music. Lyrics are really important to me and I always pull a bunch of visual inspiration too as I’m writing songs. For our video for No Telling, I did all the storyboards and styling, sets, wardrobe, makeup and I edited it with Alex Hastings who plays guitar in the band. I also design all of our merch and album art. I definitely feel like being a graphic designer influences my music and I can’t really separate the two.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I grew up in a family of artists, and it definitely affected me as a child. My grandfather plays the violin and watercolors, my dad plays guitar and sings, my mom was a jeweler and my aunt paints just to name a few members off the top of my head. Art always seemed like something that was possible and normal and attainable. I started taking drawing lessons when I was six and was always playing songs and learning guitar from my father when I was little too. My sister and I acted in plays as kids and took ceramics classes and my dad and I built this distressed art piece guitar together. There were all kinds of incredible artistic opportunities. I feel very fortunate to have that support from the people in my immediate and extended family, a lot of people never have that and it can make all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://clairemoralesmusic.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairemoralesmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clairemoralesmusic/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ESIFboiX4
Image Credit:
Black & gold photo + tux photo: Vision & Verve, all other photos: Ellie Alonzo
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