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Chris Sunfield’s path from a profession in psychology to turning into an indie recording artist is a story of resilience, introspection, and inventive rebirth. On this interview, Sunfield explored the profound moments that steered him again to music, revealing how private adversities and a deep understanding of human behaviour form his distinctive sound. His EP, Far Away Objects, is a story woven from existentialist philosophies, emotional therapeutic, and a quest for authenticity. By way of his journey, Sunfield gives a glimpse into how inventive expression can rework life’s darkest moments right into a symphony of hope and self-discovery.
Chris Sunfield, it’s a pleasure to sit down down with you to debate your distinctive journey from psychologist to indie recording artist. Are you able to share extra in regards to the pivotal second that led you again to music after so a few years?
Thanks! I went by means of an ideal storm of unfavourable occasions just a few years again. Shut associates died. I made a foul profession choice that I couldn’t simply get out of. I moved to a distant suburb and remoted myself from associates. A relationship ended. And at last, an accident hospitalized me. It felt like all-time low. I used to be a behavioural scientist going through my very own darkish night time of the soul.
The themes in your EP, Far Away Objects, revolve round answering your calling and fulfilling your goals. How did your private experiences affect these themes?
I used to be a songwriter in my youth and dreamed of being a recording artist sometime. I went to school for music however struggled with it so I ultimately switched majors and ended up with a PhD. I grew to become a administration psychologist. Years handed. I used to be snug however regretful. A whole bunch of half-written songs would have ended up in landfill if I had died immediately. Oliver Wendell Holmes has a quote about this – “Most individuals die with the music nonetheless inside them.”
I’d all the time been a fan of existentialists like Nietzsche and Sartre. They wrote about residing authentically and taking duty for realizing our potential earlier than it’s too late. I knew I used to be residing in ‘dangerous religion’. I felt extra responsible as I received older, and as I received farther and farther away from my music.
As a psychologist, how do you suppose your background in understanding the human thoughts has impacted your songwriting and musical type?
It’s powerful to show that off even when I don’t need that angle. Once I’m remodeling my very own points into lyrics, I generally can’t assist however body them when it comes to what we find out about most individuals’s behaviour. I prefer to suppose that my lyrics resonate with some folks as a result of they get to the core of many individuals’s shared however unstated issues. They could go, “Hey, how did he know I fear about that?”
You talked about that you simply returned to music throughout a really darkish time in your life. How did the method of making music function a coping mechanism for you throughout that interval?
Coping with adversity and trauma is a large space in psychology, and there are numerous coping methods, each good and dangerous. I wasn’t feeling superb about myself throughout that point interval. What I wanted was some wholesome self-affirmation by specializing in one thing I valued about myself, which was my inventive abilities. Values affirmations have been identified to spice up folks’s well-being and efficiency.
Additionally, whenever you’re feeling down, you’re much more introspective and vigilant. Your feelings could be inventive engines. As badly as you could be feeling, that’s a lens you don’t wish to waste. In a manner, making music was additionally a distraction. It’s arduous to ruminate in your unfavourable state of affairs whenever you’re attempting to determine get again to the refrain from a bridge or guitar solo.
Far Away Objects is described as a progressive pop polyptych and a cosmological journey. Are you able to clarify what listeners can count on from this distinctive mix of types and themes?
I grew up on AM radio pop music, however I used to be additionally closely into classical music and progressive rock. I all the time appreciated complicated, longer-than-usual items with fascinating modifications. I knew my very own music was going to be influenced by this, and never all the time be radio-friendly or industrial. Rick Rubin, the super-producer, stated ‘the viewers comes final’ when making music. I agree, though that may sound smug. The tune is the star. It’s important to let it emerge with its personal identification and hope that its authenticity will attain folks.
For instance, the tune Anton has an actual string quartet. Eclipse has crickets, an ambient break, tempo modifications, and Morse code (and sure, it does imply one thing). Start has a sax solo and a feminine choir. Some trade folks heard that tune earlier than it was launched and criticized it. “It’s too lengthy. It has an intro. It has solos and too many modifications.” Listening to that suggestions solely inspired and excited me. I knew I used to be heading in the right direction.
What recommendation would you give to anybody struggling to view their traumatic experiences by means of something however a profoundly unfavourable lens?
First off, it’s vital to know that adversity can result in development. Analysis exhibits that the healthiest, most profitable folks have skilled a average quantity of adversity of their lives. I wouldn’t recommend in search of out trauma however partaking in difficult experiences that produce ‘ouch’ moments are good for growth. Second, what’s the silver lining? People who find themselves capable of finding advantages of their traumatic experiences are inclined to bounce again simpler. The Buddhists say that ache is expertise, and plenty of well-known psychologists like Viktor Frankl, Carl Rogers, and Abraham Maslow have highlighted the significance of struggling in reaching life which means. After all, if somebody feels that they’ll’t deal with their ideas and emotions, and it’s affecting their life functioning, then in search of out a psychological well being skilled is warranted. It doesn’t have the identical stigma it used to have.
Antagonistic conditions are issues like some other that may be addressed with good problem-solving strategies, and a number of remedy and counseling concentrate on that. Might is Psychological Well being Consciousness Month all world wide. Google that and also you’re certain to search out assets to assist folks deal with their misery.
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Stream Chris Sunfield’s newest EP, Far Away Objects, and observe his journey on all platforms through this hyperlink.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast
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