Introducing Ian Cherry, A Passionate and Optimistic Entertainer within the Industry
In this highlight we turn our attention to actor/musician Ian Cherry. I asked Ian a series of questions, here is what we discussed:
Tell us a little about yourself, where your from, grew up, what H.S./College you attended, etc.
My name is Ian Cherry, originally from a town called Cherry Hill, having attended Cherry Hill High School East, in South Jersey. For college, I moved immediately to New York City, attending Pace University, graduating with a BFA in Acting, the first medium that truly asked me to follow, and see where it would take us; choosing that path was my first real life step into accepting my life as an artist.
What inspired you to be an artist? Early experiences worth sharing?
Before discovering theatre at sixteen, I would have said I wanted to be a writer; at that same time, by myself, after school, I was singing and dancing around the house, pretending I was Steve Miller Band or The Beatles or Pink Floyd or Jim Morrison or David Bowie, blasting my inner ears as loud as the headphones would go. I did not know how to sing at this time. Literally, I was not singing anywhere near the correct notes. I did not know how to sing the correct notes, even with another voice. Theatre unlocked that practice tree; my first show was Beauty and the Beast, a production which featured my cousin as Gaston. I was FISH MONGER, BREAD BASKET, and it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my life, definitely up until that point. I had found the artists in the school, and they were in the thick of a string of really great productions. The one before my arrival was Titanic, and it was tremendous; I saw it; my cousin, GASTON was in it, shoveling coal. How a high school can build and sink a ship onstage… Does that happen frequently? I have no idea. But that was probably subconsciously when I was like, “Yeah, I HAVE to try out for the next one.”
Pace University showed me the practice tree as an actor. It connected me with texts, told me about the truth. I only lived “in the truth” in one or two productions at and immediately after Pace. Aside from those two experiences, I always felt a little phony, going through the motions. But I always did my best: that much was always for sure, was inevitable. I just needed, a little… a LOT… of actual, life experience. I needed to fall. I needed to get back up. I needed to hit some sort of bottom. I needed to discover loneliness. I needed to discover the music which was within me, that was always reaching for the surface, trying to emerge with my own voice in my own kind of rock and roll (still reaching). I needed to discover yoga. Then, I needed to write several books.
Now, I am ready to proceed into acting, approaching texts in tune with my truth as an artist; working with truth, a practice directly related to maintaining my other passions, consistent yoga and meditation, trying to reduce and banish ego from the work (and my life), trying to prioritize others, while being gentle towards oneself. Failing is learning. Taking a long time, prioritizing truth over immediacy, is quite alright.
I began waiting tables and discovered my passion for hospitality though this “survival job,” slowly making my way towards bartending, a skill set which I love using, and ironically, my love for hospitality has led to work as an artist, at the Frying Pan, aka Pier 66, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, where, when commissioned to create a historical tour for the Lightship Frying Pan, I drafted an “indie rock opera” version, and even performed it, more or less as a workshop this past summer; there may be performances every weekend, next spring through summer, so definitely stop by the Frying Pan!
As far as my work as an alternative rock artist, I began recording and releasing work in earnest (on major platforms), coincidentally, but fatefully, the night of a “super moon,” in the very beginning of February, 2018; that was the beginning of a nice wave. This year alone, I’ve recorded and released four albums, which I “had no other choice” than to not wait around, and make each one in my bedroom and release it as soon as possible, in order to get the weight of it off of my shoulders; and I never know when the next song (s) will go through my head and demand to be realized and shared.
To read about my path through recording music at home, follow my instagram, @iancherrymusic, as I will be releasing a handwritten account of my recording history. I will be releasing much more than music (no spoilers), and no matter what form of entertainment you like, there is content coming your way, so follow follow follow!
I may spew a little, every time I urge someone to “follow.”
Why can’t we just make art and have people automatically know its quality, and that it exists?
Why can’t I just make more, and forget about the last thing, and have my finished work market itself? Soon there’ll be an app for your work marketing itself, I’m sure of it; not that I’ll be savvy enough to use said app when it arrives, if it hasn’t already. I’m not in the tech/social media loop, as anyone can see. That said, I’ll take having made another album, or written another book, than having gained another twenty thousand followers, every single time, because otherwise what am I but an avatar, not working with the truth as it relates with me as an artist.
Talk about a time where you have faced adversity/conflict and have triumphed.
Heartbroken, after a toxic relationship, in which I deeply loved the other person, ended, my mind was a mess. I was re-living the same moments over and over again. I was sick of my the re-runs of my own thoughts. At the same time, my dad learned he had prostate cancer (they caught it early, and now he’s better than ever). He introduced me to yoga, though, so I started really going, in order to receive the benefits that up until then I had only heard about. I was not surprised to find equilibrium, a balance to the intensity of my mind, with the intensity of the heat and postures in the heated room. There is no faking the postures, and I could physically not think and get through the intensity at the same time.
My brain was forced to relax, while my body worked to sweat out all my toxins, and release everything mentally. And that’s when I began to experience freshness of mind, learned that it is practiced, made temporarily available through mediation. Since practicing hot yoga three to five times a week, I have written two novels, two shorter “novellas,” four music albums, the rock opera, performed in two plays, and am working on a play of my own as well as several films.
The benefits are endless, and there is always so much to learn. I am so fascinated in digging deeper into postures which I am familiar with, and continuing to learn techniques which I am unfamiliar with. It’s a road I am so glad to have been encouraged to travel, and highly recommend to anyone experiencing distress (and everyone else too, but know that when you’re down, YES YOU CAN reach for the light, learn to practice these postures; and however you feel, the fact that you DO feel is wonderful. You are wonderful, as you are, already, before, or if you never go to yoga, but the postures are there for you if you desire freshness of mind and nice expansive lungs.
What do you believe sets you apart from other artists?
Perhaps the variety of my work. But I do not presume any of my work to be more important than the work of anyone else.
Do you have other interests or hobbies?
I enjoy riding my bicycle everywhere in New York; playing the occasional emotionally-moving video game; absorbing a variety of shows, across all platforms. I enjoy brewing coffee, slowly. I love reading, catching up with friends, going for long runs, and unexpected, directionless days.
Any projects you have out or or currently working on?
“The Music Recording Reflection Journal” will be released soon, on my instagram, @iancherrymusic, with additional material on my near-future website.
I am also working on producing a play/film, based on a satire novella which I wrote, and you can also stay updated on that via @iancherrymusic.
Last but not least, feel free to check out the four albums I’ve released this year, all under the artist name Ian Cherry, on Spotify, iTunes, amazon, etcetera, which I made in my apartment.
In order of release, they are:
The Very Hurricanes — LP
Lo-fi, thirty-song double album. The first release of 2018, and first release on major platforms in general.
IfWeLose — EP
Singer-songwriter-y EP, with a politically charged opening. VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE PLEASE!!!
“If we lose, when they come for everything, be ready for anything.”
Life — LP
Alternative rock.
Headphone Disaster — LP
Alternative rock.
Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?
A renowned author. Musician, who occasionally plays theatrical shows. An actor with a supporting role in a critical darling HBO show, beginning to earn roles, acting truthfully, in films which make rounds at the festival circuits, one or more of which is nominated in some category for an Oscar. A co-creator of undisclosed future platform (no spoilers). Constantly writing, process oriented, never satisfied, to the chagrin of my literary agent who is happy, and although always wanting to close another book deal, tells me I’m doing great and to keep up the good work, which is always rooted in honesty and truth, as practiced daily through yoga, hot yoga, mediation. I use my voice, and mostly choose acting roles which shed light on serious issues; I am the lead in one play a year. My heart is open to love, and I spend more time with my family, starting right now.
What advice can you give to aspiring artists/entertainers?
Practice yoga and meditation. Find a survival job that you love, or the reasons to love your survival job. Put other people first. Write/practice every day. Stay hydrated. Be willing to be very very very very very busy. When you relax, be intent on leaving your passions behind, and completely relax, separate from ambition: laugh, enjoy the beach, the company of your friends, a rainy day at home with your dog, the mystery of a day’s randomness, completely now, removed from your past and future, your projects.
How can we follow along in your journey? Social media?
To read about my path through recording music at home, and get notified about new stuff, follow my instagram @iancherrymusic, as I will be releasing a handwritten account of my recording history, as a sort of instagram-gallery. Even though you see a blank instagram slate, follow anyway! If you are drawn to the music, and are curious about how it was made —or if you just like handwritten things — this gallery is for you. Thank you so much for reading.
