Part 1 of 2. An exclusive interview by frequent Hypebot contributor Kyle Bylin. (read part 2 here)
Pete Orta is the Chief Creative Officer at marketing and branding firm Orta Universal, but is known more famously for the role he played as the guitar player for the Christian rock band Petra. During his career as a musician he was awarded such honors as three Grammy nominations, leading to a win in the year 2000.
Q: Once a band gains momentum and starts firing on all cylinders, they forget that there's a point where they will be stopped and they will need to have something to say. Why is it so important to have a message that reflects your mission as an artist?
Orta: Because the world is looking for something bigger than themselves to believe in. Look throughout history and you will find that the mission has always dwarfed the man. The mission should be threaded through everything you do. It should. Without a message you're as good as a life guard that can't swim. Our responsibility as artistic souls is to resolve the tension in the music of life. Answer the questions that are in our way, and if even sometimes if not most of the time, just relating can create a miracle in someone's life. If your mission doesn't haunt you at night, what you do during the day is just a hobby.
Q: Whether you're The White Stripes, Prince, Brittany Spears, or Bob Dylan, what are the most important lessons to be learned from the mantra "If you can't fix it, feature it" when it comes to defining yourself as an artist?
Orta: If you don't do some deep soul searching and define yourself, the world will do it for you, and you'll find yourself...
fighting their conclusion the rest of your life. You must spiritually dip yourself into the acid of truth and strip down to the bare medal. This baptism will expose every flaw, and leave you naked in the garden of your arena. By nature we want to cover up, but what we don't realize is that the world sees something beautiful. The beauty is in the authentic. People are looking for someone like themselves, broken, flawed but still can defy all odds. Absolute vulnerability is the only way to achieve what I call, a "Pure Brand", the real you.
Q: Why is it crucial that an artist communicates all pieces of brand conviction and drive a belief system deep inside their community?
Orta: Never do anything unless it's a conviction. It won't work! Your mission is like giving birth, and conviction is God's natural adrenaline to dull the pain a little. And I do mean a little. It numbs you through the hard times, and keeps you feeling like a soldier when the world tries to take your heart. If you don't have conviction you will feel every punch of adversity. If you do have conviction, you will fight your way up the ranks to triumph your giant. The world will watch and hope will be birthed.
READ PART 2 HERE.
