Simon Aks, SWAYE Artist, created a piece called “Connections” for the SWAYE October Issue. Matthew Chen (Founder, Editor-In-Chief) interviewed Simon to learn about his artistic process, inspirations, and goals.
Q. What kind of art do you do?
Simon: I play music! My main instrument is guitar, and I love to play piano and percussion as well. I also enjoy composing and arranging music, as well as working in digital audio workstations.
Q. How and when did you become interested in it?
Simon: I became interested in music when I was very little, as my dad exposed me to lots of different music. I had picked up a guitar one day when I was five; my dad taught me some chords and I started to take lessons.
Q. How do your family and friends play apart in you pursuing your music?
Simon: I’m incredibly lucky to have a family that not only supports my music and gives me the opportunity to learn about it, but actually plays music with me! My dad plays piano, drums, guitar, bass, and pretty much anything else you could give him. My sister likes to sing as well as my mom, so there was always music around the house.
“One of my favorite things to do is to play music with my family.”
Q. Why did you join SWAYE Media?
Simon: I joined SWAYE Media because I thought it would be fun! I’m always working on a lot of music, and even though I’ve been dealing with some hand injuries, I saw SWAYE as a cool opportunity to share my music with other people.
Q. How is music special to you?
Simon: Music is special to me because it connects me with other people, gives me a creative outlet to express myself through, makes me feel better when I’m down and better when I already feel good, and most importantly brings me joy.
Q. What memorable responses have you had to your work?
“One of the best feelings is to have someone react strongly to your music and to touch someone through your art.”
In the past, people have cried which is always moving.
Q. What is your process like for creating a song or music in general?
Simon: It depends; when I am composing or arranging, I take lots of time to think about the moving parts and small details in the music and spend lots of time on it. However, when I am writing a tune or making something up to jam with my friends, I have an idea and I build upon it without overthinking it too much.
Q. Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
Simon: Sometimes I go play music with my guitar teacher and other people he plays with in Golden Gate Park (the group is called sueños);
“The first time I went was very inspiring to me, just playing music with people who are so awesome and creative on a nice day gave me tons of ideas and motivation.”
Q. Who or what are your greatest inspirations?
Simon: This is a very difficult question because I have lots of influences. I would say a few of my largest ones include Joe Pass, Robert Glasper, J Dilla, Grant Green, and Saba.
Q. What is your ultimate goal as an artist?
Simon: My ultimate goal as an artist is to keep learning and exploring music for as long as i can, and to share the joy that music brings me with other people.
Check out Simon’s project from last month: “Connections” here!
Simon’s Social Media links: