I Am a Musician

Ryan Kulp is a musician

You have beautiful hands,” she said.

It was my first day of 6th Grade. We were shuttled around to the art, band, orchestra, and drama extracurriculars. We were to choose one discipline that would define our middle school career.

One teacher, Dr. Scruggs, grabbed my hands and said I should play violin in her orchestra. I obliged.

It’s been 15 years since that afternoon. Here’s what I have to show for it:

  • Can play several instruments
  • 2,000,000+ views on YouTube
  • Performed 100s of times
  • Recorded 4 studio albums
  • Failed to turn a profit

I could make excuses about why this happened.

Like, my parents’ discouragement. How they lectured me to put music in a little box called “hobby,” and to get a college degree + “real job” instead. 

But while those excuses would be accurate, they don’t change anything.

Next March I’m hitting the studio one last time, to record yet-another-album and attempt to make something of my God-given talent, music.

I’ve had a lot of success in building technology companies, but I will always be a better musician than a marketer or developer. So my heart, and my savings account, says I should give it another go.

As we approach Spring 2017 and the launch of my next album, you’ll notice some changes on this blog and my profiles around the web. I will be getting back to basics, as a musician first, employee second.