Today we’d like to introduce you to Ron Totman.
Hi Ron, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
When I was in the 8th grade, I heard a song called “House of Leaves” by a band called Circa Survive, and it moved me so much emotionally on just one listen that my decision to pursue music as a career had been set right then and there. I wanted to create art and sound that would inspire people and move people, and create a powerful environment for emotions to flourish organically. I wanted to make art.
I attended the University of Utah and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Business in 2017, during which time I studied in the Music & Business Departments, performing in Jazz Ensembles, Solo performances and acting as Captain of the Marching Utes for two years, under the direction of Dr. Michael Sammons and Dr. Brian Sproul. I studied recording arts under Dr. Mike Cottle during this time as well, TA’ing undergraduate courses in Music Technology and recording performances in Abravanel Hall and multiple other venues in the Salt Lake Valley. As I wanted to get the most out of my education, I complemented this by applying to and helping teach percussion & jazz programs at a myriad of high schools in the Salt Lake Valley, including Park City High School, Payson High School, Westlake High School, and Herriman High School, and since then have been hired out as a percussion clinician at many other schools in the area, including the University of Utah itself.
Around the time of graduation, I joined a Canadian Metalcore band called The Parallel and began writing and touring internationally with the group. We signed a record deal in 2017 and released a full-length record called “Weaver”, which charted twice on the Billboard 200 & Heatseekers. This also landed me a write-up in the renowned drumming magazine ‘Modern Drummer’, where I talked about my writing processes and gear with the audience, and premiered a new drum playthrough video for a song we had recently put out. During this time, I landed a job with Artery Global (now called Dynamic Talent International), a Talent Agency that specializes in booking Rock & Metal artists. I went full-time booking bands’ and artists’ tours across the US and assisted with some European tour routing as well.
As time went on, my passion for booking waned and I realized that it was not the route for me, as my mental health and enjoyment of the job began to decline. DTI’s CEO, Trevor Swenson, knew I had been wanting to learn graphics and design, and allowed me the opportunity to step back from booking and work part-time for the agency creating graphics and admins for the company’s bands and other sponsors and projects, where I still work today. I accredit a lot of my success to the opportunities Trevor provided me, and with his help and the connections I had made through touring and recording, I was able to network with some artists that I truly looked up to as a child. This was when my design career really started.
As the 2020 COVID pandemic occurred, I spent my free time further studying design concepts and began creating work for myself and for fun – creating unofficial mock-ups and designs for bands that I really liked and posting them on online forums and social media platforms. I hoped that someday I would be able to create official work for them, but this was fun in the meantime.
The next thing I knew, I was getting messages and emails from so many of these bands, stating that they really liked the work I was making, and wanted to hire me out to create merchandise, tour fliers, album artwork, and more for them. My jaw was on the ground; I didn’t know what I was doing at the time and didn’t consider myself to be a professional designer, especially when there are so many other talented individuals out there who could easily outdo me, but I accepted these offers regardless and spent hours, days, weeks, months – creating designs and working hard on these projects to prove that I could be a capable and reliable asset in the music industry.
This only led to more work, as people would purchase my designs and merchandise on tours, shows & online stores.
Before I knew it, I had enough work coming in consistently to make design a full-on job. I began really honing in on my work and studying harder than ever, focusing relentlessly on small details and drawing inspiration from creators that I really loved to grow into the best artist I could be. Fast forward a few more years, and I formed and licensed an LLC Business called Half Measure, (abbreviated HLF MSR) for my work, and my resume now spans some of the biggest names in rock and metal music, and I’ve found some lifelong friends, inspirational artists, and mentors that have been so selflessly willing to help me grow, connect and thrive in an artistic career environment.
I’m beyond humbled to have the opportunities that I have, and there has never been a day that I take it for granted.
My mission statement has always been to create powerful solutions for innovative & passionate artists, and I try to give back to the community as much as I can, doing Pro-Bono work for newer artists and spreading the knowledge I’ve learned as much as I can, even though I definitely don’t view myself as highly as this write-up may sound. (Imposter Syndrome is a real thing.)
I am forever a student of music and a student of art – never knowing enough and always wanting to learn and improve as both an artist and a human being. I will never be satisfied, and that’s the beauty of it – there’s always more to learn, and there’s no ceiling to your improvements. I strive to mold that into my everyday life, my work, and my relationships.
Be a good person, do art, have fun, and live authentically & passionately.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely NOT been a smooth road. I have experienced more failures than you can count, both in and out of art.
I’ve bombed auditions. I’ve been laughed at. Clients have been disappointed. I’ve been rejected from so many jobs.
I’ve embarrassed myself an ungodly amount, and have been in some really dark spots mentally along this journey. And it still happens today – but I try my best to take those failures in stride, and learn from them so that I can prevent them from happening again. It never gets easier, but your perspective on it definitely shifts.
It’s all about commitment and the determination to grow. You’re going to experience failure, and oh man, it’s gonna suck so hard. But when you come out to the other end of that situation, you’ll have a new perspective on yourself and your work and personality that cannot be gained in any other way.
Failures that take you to the lowest of lows often bounce back in some crazy cosmic way to the highest of highs.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would say I’m known primarily for being creative in the music industry – the design work I make for bands & companies, and the music I’ve created over my lifetime. But above all things, I really hope I’m just known for being a caring friend and human, as nothing is more important to me than my friends and loved ones.
I’d say my specialty is creating merchandise and album artwork for rock and metal bands – I have a strong passion for that industry, and it’s always been where my heart has resided. Recently I’ve been diving more into the Pop/EDM world for design and It’s exciting being able to spread out to new categories that challenge me in new ways.
Something I’m incredibly proud of was getting to work for Anthony Green of Circa Survive; that was a full-circle moment for me as his music was what single-handedly started me on my art journey well over a decade ago. He’s a great guy and working with him and his manager was fun. I’d love to work with him more in the future. I think most of my “proud” achievements are merely personal – getting to work with an artist that I looked at starry-eyed as a kid.
I’m humbled to have had the chance to do work for artists such as Flogging Molly, Angels & Airwaves, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Silverstein, The Contortionist, Rise Records, Emery, and many many more.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson that I’ve learned along the way is to trust yourself. Don’t let failure stop you from doing the things you want to do, no matter how embarrassed or defeated you feel. If you have a passion for it and know how you want something to go, pursue it relentlessly. Trust your ability, even if you don’t think you’re too good at it.
Get feedback from people you look up to and who inspire you. Don’t be afraid to take constructive criticism. I’ve had multiple projects over the years that people said would go nowhere, and wouldn’t get approved or taken, and then they all ended up getting approved.
People told me metal music was stupid and you can’t get anywhere with it, but I was able to achieve some of my biggest personal accomplishments to date writing and performing metal music.
Be you, and don’t let negativity cloud that space or make you doubt yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.hlfmsr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hlfmsr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ron.totman/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rontotman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rontotman
Image Credits
Mark Sands, Alana Lopez, and Alex McFarland
