Meet Jay Morales | Music Producer and Personal Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Morales and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, is there something you believe many others might not?
That writer’s block is a thing.

I believe writer’s block is for those who are unserious about their craft, those who do not understand the process of the mind and creative pursuits.

Writer’s block doesn’t exist. It is a made-up concept.

If I told you to write down 100 ideas in 10 minutes, you’d come up with probably a good 25-30 pretty easily. Then your brain starts to get a little lazy and it wants to stop, it starts to say “oh man, IDK, I’m out of ideas”, but if you stay with the emotional work of the exercise long enough, you will come up with 100 ideas.

You might ask: what is the purpose of this exercise? To train your mind to come up with ideas and stop believing that there is some magic ritual or thing that needs to happen in order to get in the groove, or flow or whatever you want to call it.

There will be some crappy days, no doubt.
There will be days where you come up with nothing, no doubt.
but calling it writers’ block is an excuse.

If we are committed to our work, all we can do is show up consistently and the rest will follow.

Don’t call “writer’s blocks” your inability to stay with the emotional discomfort of coming up with crappy ideas, or not coming up with anything at all.

That is all part of mastering our craft.

Show up every day and do the work.

Commit to it with obsession and learn as much as you can.

Don’t let your brain be the master. Learn to use it, don’t let it use you.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I come from humble beginnings. I was born in Colombia and moved to the US when I was 13. It was a culture shock but I’ve always adapted quickly to my environment. I ended up joining the military out of high school and once I got out I know I wanted to do something creative. I always had an itch for it. I’ve been drawing and creating my whole life.

I joined the military out of high school because my parents couldn’t afford college and I didn’t want any debt. It fed my need for adventure and independence. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about teamwork, family, and discipline.

After getting out I didn’t know what I was going to do. I never thought I would become a producer or a DJ. I thought I would end up being an engineer or a doctor. It was a challenge because as with any immigrant family, parents want stability for you instead of struggle, so they tend to stir you towards typical careers, which there is nothing wrong with them but it wasn’t for me.

I ended up going to school for sound engineering and this is how this whole journey started. I started DJ at my friend’s parties, which led to more parties, and eventually got into the nightlife scene and played at some of the best clubs in Chicago.

It was a lot of fun, but I was feeling very empty inside. I started using drugs and alcohol to soothe insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. That led me to a very dark place for some years, which I am very grateful for now because if it wasn’t for those dark places there would be no light now.

I traveled to almost 35 countries and enjoyed my 20’s to the max. I got the chance to spend some time in Ibiza and DJ there which was one of my dreams.

I think the biggest challenge throughout all these years was understanding myself, what I wanted, and what were the traumas and demons that I was trying to suppress.

We all have some stuff inside of us that bothers us, but that we don’t want to deal with. We put it off, or throw drugs and alcohol at it, or a trip, or a vacation, or wait until tomorrow, but somehow it never goes away.

When I started taking a hard look at myself and dealing with those things through therapy and self-exploration, my life flourished.

I know there is no easy way to get there but to go through it and to want it. There has to be a DEEP DESIRE to do it because it is challenging and emotional. You cannot think your way there, it must come from within.

A few things I learned along the way that keep me going:
– everything is made up
– nobody knows what they are doing
– nature loves courage
– I am not my mind
– I am not my thoughts
– I am a human being not a human doing
– Make shitty art in order to get to the good art.

I want you guys to know whatever it is that you are pursuing in your life, do it with conviction and obsession. It is ok to take detours, maybe you do something else for a couple of years and come back, but don’t lose sight of that thing that fires up your soul like no other. The thing that makes you feel like time stops and you are so involved in it that you forget you exist.

Forget about balance, there is no such thing if you want to become a master at your craft.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to Underbelly for ramen. hands down my favorite spot in town for ramen. We would go to revel revel for a fun night out and go for drinks in la jolla at raised by wolf’s

Of course we cannot ignore out wonderful zoo and balboa park, a must for any visitor.

I love the vibes at the farmers market in OB on Wednesdays, I can never get enough.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to express gratitude to all the people that gave me a chance.

I want to give a shoutout to the altMBA. This is an organization that helped me see the world in a different way and has changed my life and creativity.

These authors also deserve some recognition:
Paulo Coehlo
Robert Greene
Steven Pressfield
Seth Godin
Twyla Thwarp

Website: https://www.instagram.com/jaymoralesmusic/

Instagram: jaymoralesmusic

Twitter: jaymoralesdj

Facebook: jaymoralesmusic

Image Credits
Just a big shoutout to my friends Oleg Bondar who is almost all the pics. He’s been a crucial point in my career.