Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Hlavin.
Peter, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The inspiration for my artistic journey began with a walk along “El Camino de Santiago” in Spain, Europe’s most important pilgrimage. My decision to walk El Camino in 2017, a 500-mile trek, began two months before my trip when I received a personal calling to “follow the path.” Prior to my pilgrimage, I had written and produced only one song.
Upon my return, I found myself inspired to encapsulate my personal Camino, and the experiences of other pilgrims who walked the Camino trail, through song. The song lyrics were also shaped by Camino lore and a sense of spirituality encountered on the Camino. My vision was to take the listener on a colorful, soulful and joy-filled journey, musically. To accomplish this, the songs include different genres and themes, as well as unique vocalists. Over the course of the next 18 months, I feverishly wrote and produced over 20 songs.
Today, I find myself with a compilation of spirited and lively journey-related songs that are believed to be the first of its kind in the world. Not only do these songs cross many different genres, but also include a variety of vocalists and sounds… all designed to make one feel like they are on a journey – physical, spiritual, or otherwise. The seven songs contained in EP1 – “Along the Way: The Journey Begins” – serve as the foundation for the “CAMINO PROJECT,” an integrated offering of song, visual art and live entertainment.
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?
Overall, the journey or songwriting and production has been a wonderful and fascinating experience. I am amazed at the number of talented co-writers, vocalists and producers that believed in me and the Camino Project from inception. When I first began this musical journey, I had a lot of “beginner’s luck.” And I needed it as I have no formal musical, songwriting or production experience. Therefore, most of the speed bumps that I subsequently encountered fell on my shoulders because I had much to learn and the learning curve was steep. Fortunately, I am a quick learner and have a background in business management. Also, I had a great team of collaborators who shared in my vision and helped make the musical process a lot easier to navigate.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Journeyman – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am known as Journeyman. I specialize in creating soundtracks that are uplifting, inspirational, and spiritually-infused for any human on a journey – physical, spiritual or otherwise. I enjoy writing songs with motivational messages that are delivered in a blend of genres, ranging from world music and pop to rock, gospel, and country. As I do not sing my songs, I am not restricted to any vocal style, groove, beat or vibe. This works great for the vocalists and producers too – it allows them significant artistic freedom to interpret the direction and feel of each song along with my guidance.
What sets Journeyman apart from others is that I combine my songs with storytelling and artwork. For example, I first tell a brief story before the vocalist begins using my custom artwork as a prop to help convey my message. Further, I often paint on canvas on easel while the vocalist is singing. Thus, fans are provided an integrated performance that stimulates their auditory and visual senses.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
I am very athletic and have spent a significant amount of my energies on sports, including track & field, golf, and tennis. Case in point – I am the reigning high jump World Champion in Masters Track & Field for my age bracket. If I had to do things differently, I would have tapped into my creativity energies much earlier in life. Nonetheless, the discipline, drive and perseverance required to become an elite athlete certainly has carried over into my passion to create music, tell stories and produce art.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iamjourneyman.com
- Email: iamjourneyman@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamjourneyman17
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/iamjourneyman
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