#19: Balancing Dual Careers As A Creative w/Gabe Caraballo

Balancing a Full-Time Career Alongside Growing a Creative one is no easy feat and in this episode, John and Steven invited their friend Gabe Caraballo of Liminal FX to discuss how he has been able to grow a creative business from scratch while having a demanding full-time career.

Stay Updated With Our Weekly Ramp-Up Newsletter https://rebrand.ly/hzm0xhq Want To Keep The Conversation Going? Join Our Discord Server! https://discord.gg/AUzsj8hNMH Have A Question You'd Like Steven and John To Answer In A Future Newsletter or Podcast? https://forms.gle/B3q9kJVfyjk5XdM38 Connect With Us https://mtr.bio/slow-and-fast-podcast

00:00:39:05 Guest Introduction: Gabe Caraballo 00:02:37:00 What led you to sound design and post-production while maintaining a military career? 00:05:14:05 On chasing perfectionism vs just having fun 00:06:40:02 What was your audio journey like before joining the military 00:07:41:13 Pro-level results don't result from hobby-level productivity 00:08:50:02 Were you ever discouraged from pursuing audio? 00:10:00:07 At what point did you feel this was turning into a career? 00:11:59:09 At what point did you decide to move on from a "band member" role to purely sound design? 00:16:21:16 What was your first client experience after moving into sound design? 00:17:20:10 How did your clientele shift? From bands to producers 00:19:16:14 It's always going to be better for you to work with a single voice with a vision rather than trying to please the entire band 00:20:16:13 Protect your mental health when working with artists/creatives that display red flags 00:23:12:18 Gabe on Organized Chaos vs Hard Systems 00:24:15:00 The importance of routines 00:25:50:09 Sleep routines 00:28:02:00 Gabe's work on a sound design plugin and how he got that opportunity 00:29:02:05 Sound design terminology 00:29:29:21 Sound design in working with a producer vs plugin production 00:30:34:14 Technical vs Creative work 00:31:39:13 On working with Joey Sturgis Tones creating the Post Production Chaos Packs 00:33:39:21 Notable bands Gabe's worked with recently 00:34:08:16 Gabe's business is strictly word-of-mouth advertising 00:35:59:18 You need great communication skills to stand out from the crowd 00:39:29:18 Sound design is something anyone can do, but you have to be dedicated and creative 00:41:40:15 Every job is a calculated risk and you have to ask yourself some questions at the start of every job 00:43:25:15 Using your "dream board" or vision to filter out all your decisions in business 00:46:23:07 Working with friends and keeping things professional 00:53:43:20 Using our own intrinsic strengths to bring value to our mutual business ventures 00:55:01:17 The importance of watching out for those in your network 01:00:37:18 How to approach people in conversation while being completely genuine 01:04:05:18 Don't be a punisher 01:06:46:16 When looking for an internship(or networking relationship) you gotta ask yourself the right questions 01:08:01:02 How do you balance your life between sound design and a military career? 01:11:47:10 Wrap up