Only 20 years old and already living the life of his dreams, that’s Borrtex – very successful young soundtrack composer from Czech Republic whose music was featured in over 2,000 projects all over the world including GaryVee Show, US National Park Service programs, Jay Shetty’s short films and commercial placements for international brands such as Moncler.
As Borrtex is also very active on social platforms, mostly on Instagram – posting content to his 10k followers, we wanted to know a bit more about his lifestyle. How hard is it to find the right barriers between work and personal life? We reached out to him and made a short interview.
Contents
- How did you get into the music industry?
- What time did it take you to realize that music is the right way?
- How did things change for you since then?
- Do you work from home? How does your day look like?
- How hard was it to find the right balance between work and personal life?
- What’s your advice for aspiring artists of any kind?
How did you get into the music industry?
It was a long way! I have always been a huge fan of films and music. I was playing the piano since the age of 6, but never really thought about doing it professionally. When I was 13 years old, I started working for free for one of the biggest film sites in my country. I was making reviews and some additional administrative work such as adding premiere dates, uploading galleries to movie profiles etc. It was my hobby, something I really enjoyed doing. I would watch every film which came out in theaters. Even my schoolmates thought I’m weird, I remember I wasn’t doing anything else back in the day.
Through the process, I got closer with the founder of the site who took me on a trip to Los Angeles early in 2017. I had the opportunity to meet worldwide known film composers, we had a tour around their recording studios and got to know them personally. I met Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard and Danny Elfman. This was a life-changing experience for me. The dots connected, and for the very first time in my life, I started thinking that maybe I can somehow mix my hobbies and start producing soundtrack music. This way, I could do both of the things I love!
What time did it take you to realize that music is the right way?
Not more than a few days. When I came home from LA, I couldn’t sleep. I knew I have to try it. And one month after arrival, I finished my first composition titled ‘Hope’ which went viral the week after release, having thousands of downloads. At this point I already knew this is what I want to do.
How did things change for you since then?
Quite a lot! I have completely fallen in love with the creative process. I was composing all day, all night. I literally skipped classes at high school because of it. I just didn’t have time for anything else. It was bigger than my love for films. This time, I got to be the one who creates it. I was the author of my own music, and the freedom this gave me is very hard to describe. After I graduated from high school, my life became great – I could finally do music full time! And this is the best life I wanted for myself. Traveling around the world, being with family and friends, and making music. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
Do you work from home? How does your day look like?
Yes, I do. I wake up around 8am, I go for a quick morning run, take a shower, have breakfast and depending on my current mood, I either start composing new music or take care of my emails and licensing inquiries. After lunch, I usually create some content for Instagram or make PR for my online media presence, and after that, I just go out and have fun with friends and family.
How hard was it to find the right balance between work and personal life?
It was really hard at the beginning. You feel like it’s all good to just let go and do what you think is the best. I mean, it doesn’t really feel like actual work, but I learned it’s not really healthy for your body or mind to hustle all the time, even though you might genuinely love what you do. It was important for me to create a calendar schedule for every day, so when a specific hour comes by, I know I have to stop what I’m doing and just leave my desk and go outside, relax, be with friends and enjoy the presence. I believe this is something we forget in these days. We focus on chasing our goals, but we forget to live. And honestly, when you love what you do, it takes a lot of discipline not to work and have the needed relaxation, it’s really important.
What’s your advice for aspiring artists of any kind?
Put a lot of effort into your work, but don’t be too hard on yourself. I see that young people often lack patience and they just want everything quickly. If it doesn’t work immediately, they tend to give up. My advice would be to keep trying and if you feel good while doing it, then it might be the right thing. Also, give out content for free at the beginning. Don’t try to monetize yourself when you haven’t even started yet. Put it out for free to see what people think. Get feedback. Improve. Grow. Become better. But primarily be happy and enjoy your life!
Read more about the artist on his official website: https://www.BORRTEX.com/
