The Business of Dreams with Makana

What this episode covers

Makana is an award-winning slack-key guitar player, singer/songwriter, and composer, based in Hawaii. He’s performed for presidents and other world leaders and had his music featured on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for The Descendants. When we connected for this interview, Makana was in the midst of a joyful renewal as an artist and human being. Among the topics we discussed in this interview: * His childhood mentorship with slack-key legend, Sonny Chillingsworth. * Playing for a career since moving out at age 19 (over 20 years ago) * The balance between honoring tradition and evolving an art form. * The Big Lie in the music industry. * The intersections of art, activism, and community. * On Kuleana: why rights and responsibility are inseparable. * Why he values freedom over fame and turned down big traditional deals. * On psychological brand management and managing access to his work. * How producing hundreds of songs over the past two years has helped him reclaim a sense of creative play and limitless possibility: “There are no boundaries to what I can create now.” * What’s in Makana’s Artist Survival Kit. * On what happens when you combine mastery of your craft with human connection and vulnerability. * The Business of Dreams: A Primer for the aspiring artist. * Why most artists struggle. * The importance of captivating an audience in the first fifteen seconds. * What’s next: Consolidating control of his art, a full reset/relaunch of his online presence, and putting the final touches on a Broadway musical script. To learn more about Makana, you can visit his website. About The Fearless Storyteller: Intro Song: “Unlimited Love” (instrumental version) by Ethan Freckleton & Lucas Clebsch Follow along on Facebook with The Fearless Storyteller community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/380936465875726/ Wondering if you might be a fit to work with Ethan? Schedule a 10-15 minute chat to find out! https://calendly.com/ethanfreckleton/15min Are you finding this podcast to be a valuable resource? Learn how to support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ethanfreckleton

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