Erwin is constantly smiling, he has a whole lot of joy and offers it up to anyone who needs it. He is the man to go to if you need good music recommendations. He is an incredibly good graphic designer and artist (check out his instagram for his art, @projektoranje), and he holds his head up high among the trials he faces, both within himself and in his family. He knows what it means to endure to the end. Meet Erwin.

How has music influenced your life?
Music has influenced my life in many ways. I found it as a source to help relieve stress but to also build character. I use it also to find a way to relax and to reflect on life. From a very young age, I would often listen to mixtapes that my father would make. In elementary I started making my own mixtapes. I couldn’t imagine life without music. I would say it is very well a big part of my life.

Do you use specific things or people from your life to inspire your artwork?
I often find myself looking to others for inspiration for art. I find a medium or design and try and figure out how I could create something similar to my own creations. I would say music inspires me a lot as well. When I listen to certain parts of a song, sometimes ideas start to flow in on future projects. I’m not really sure how that works, but I think its just part of a feeling you get from music.

What drives your passions?
I would say what drives my passions is the journey and end results. There will be art projects that would take me 2-3 years depending on the extent of the project. It’s never a class assignment project, but more of, I want to see what I can achieve with this creative thought. I would work on a project for a month and then take a few months off to gather my ideas again and see what else I have learned that I could implement into the art piece.

How do you stay optimistic a midst the trials in your life?
Trying to stay optimistic during trials is pretty hard. I felt like I’ve been thru some hard ones, but also feel like I’ve put myself in most of the trials. I always feel like there is a way out. But that there is also something for me to learn in the trial as well. I use my friends as a source to help me thru my trials and they have kept me going to finish strong.

Would you consider yourself a brave person? Have you overcome any of your fears, if so how?
I feel like brave can mean different things, depending on the situation. I feel like I can be brave in certain situations but in others, I think it would take a moment of clarity to real grasp and understand how brave I am. I always felt that death was a fear that I had. I didn’t like the idea of dying. But understanding what happens afterwards really help me know that death is just another step. I feel that if i’m living the life to the best of my ability, I won’t have anything to fear.

If you could have one musician (living or dead) perform a concert exclusively for you, who would it be? Would you want to soak it up all by yourself or invite your friends/family?
Picking one musician to have a concert exclusively for me is really hard. There are so many. Also because depending on the artist that I choose, would also depend whether I would be by myself or have family and friends there. I feel like my friends and family would not feel the same way towards and artist the same way I do. But if I had to choose, one by myself, I would choose the XX. I feel that some of their instrumentals have had such a big impact on me. So many great highs and lows to their songs that I feel like I can connect with. But if I had to choose a band that I would have my family and friends come to, it would be First Aid Kit. Only because I have seen them in concert and their voices and so magical. I felt like there was no really big difference as far as voice quality goes from CD to live in concert. But then again It’s really hard to choose one artist because there are so many out there that have impacted me enough to the point that I would love to have an exclusive concert.