Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Lyerla.
Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started playing guitar and piano when I was 10, and eventually learned to sing as well. I attended the School of Rock until I was 18, then went to college for music. Quicker than I’d like to admit, I flunked out. I was scared to pursue my own dreams and struggled for years, but I just couldn’t name it. I didn’t understand why the thing I wanted to do most—and genuinely believed myself capable of—was something I just couldn’t bring myself to do.
So, I followed my stepdad and became an appraiser. I started my own company, of which I was the only employee. Ultimately, my dreams just festered in my mind. I wrote music in the safety of my bedroom all the while, but it was never “perfect” enough to be released. Then COVID came and went, and the real estate market went with it. Mortgage rates climbed, then plummeted. I went from having a day off once every three months to only having work once every three months. The illusion of safety in a “stable” job was shattered. I racked up credit card debt paying my bills and rent (don’t do that), lost my apartment anyway, and moved back in with my mom.
Now I sit in my childhood bedroom remembering my dreams. With all my newfound free time, I started learning to produce and mix music, not just write it. I realized my life did not reflect one that I actually wanted to live. I decided I would let my life suck a little bit until I had built the life I did want to live. I cut off distractions—my old career, TV, games, doom-scrolling—and built a routine and environment that would foster my growth. I closed my business, sold my car, cut my losses, and began the pursuit of happiness.
Until recently, I thought what kept me from my dreams was a combination of complacency, fear of failure, and distractions. I thought I was just an unyielding perfectionist and over-analyzer. But even with my newfound knowledge and lack of distractions, I still struggled to make it happen—even after releasing my first song, “Brand New Day.” I finally realized why my next song has been in development for nearly five years; why I can’t seem to let go and pull the trigger; why I’ve mixed and altered it day in and day out; why I flunked out of college, pursued a career I hated, and why it was so much easier to write music only I would hear: I am afraid I might be wrong.
If I just tried, I could do it. If I showed up, it would happen. The dream is perfect as long as it stays in my head. As soon as it becomes real, my ego is afraid that I might not be exactly who I thought I was. But I can detach myself from the result and keep moving forward. I can only keep growing if I start gaining real experience. After some time actually being present in my dreams, and not just planning them, I might actually become who I thought I was. We all care too much about our dreams, and caring too much ruins all the best things—love, relationships, fun, peace, joy, and yes, our dreams. But life doesn’t end there. In fact, that is where it begins.
Alright, so 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?
One of my biggest challenges has been internal recomposition. I had to look inward to overcome a lot of trauma and beliefs that were passed on to me by others. I have lead a very anxious high stress life up until now and only after deconstructing all that baggage, that I assume a therapist would usually help with, I have found all the things I longed for. So now I am pursuing my dreams and I am the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. Even if the world around me is still trying to catch up. Also marketing is a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be. So I will likely be doing a lot of trial and error in the future but I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how it is for everybody else. I’ve got plenty of ideas and songs I’ve yet to execute so I’m just getting started.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love what I do deeply. I write, perform and produce the music and draw the art work. I am very grateful to be in a place where I can just express my self and create all the things I want to exist that don’t exist yet. I would say my strength is definitely the playing and writing of instruments. I have experience but much more learning to do for singing, drawing and producing.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
There have been SO many lessons learned and I am sure there will be SO many more. But that’s part of the fun. Trying something new just to see what happens and that mindset is something I’ve learned.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ryanlyerla.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlyerla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanLyerlaOfficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryanlyerla
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ryanlyerla
