#062: What Happens When You Don’t Give Up on the Thing That Won’t Let You Go With Sean Delaney

Welcome And Guest Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Well, honestly, I mean turning 40 is kind of like like the second chapter of my life. It's not like it's not like it's over. So it's like I could be whatever the heck I want to be.

Sean’s Roots And Early Hip-Hop

SPEAKER_02 0:44

I mean, hello and welcome to the For the Love of Creatives podcast. I am your connections and community guy host Dwight, joined by Maddox. And today our featured guest is Sean Delaney. Welcome, Sean. Thank you guys. I appreciate it. I've been looking forward to this. Uh uh Well, we're we're really excited to have you here. There's so much about uh your life that is um my goodness, I I read your story, the 40-year-old rapper, uh, and uh so much of it was like uh getting able to retread my own past. We there's a lot of things that about us that intersect. Um I was uh surprised to see that you were in the Navy at the same time that I was in the Army and uh got to cross into Texas where uh where I'm I've always called home. And um I it was really cool learning about Hudson and uh all of the the cool adventures that you've had. But uh you know you could do a whole lot better about sharing with everyone who you are and what you're about. Why don't you uh just take a minute or two to introduce creatives that might be listening to Sean Delaney?

Autism Advocacy And “Open Your Eyes”

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Sure. So uh yes, my name is Sean Delaney, and uh I've been an artist for over 20 years. Um I've been a writer my entire life. I started with poetry when I was 12 years old. Um always loved English, just had a knack for spelling, and uh just truly, truly love anything that has to do with um, you know, literature and art, and I just kind of fell in love with the entire impact of it all. And um I grew up in Hudson, a small town in upstate New York, and during my time growing up, uh during the 90s is really where the whole hip hop era kicked in, and um it created me as a uh as a as a true hip-hop artist. Um, you know, I started writing songs very early, but rap was my thing, and I kind of uh fell in love with it, and you know, I had a a few groups that we created um together while I was growing up, and uh it was always just uh uh it was always just a staple of my life. Every time I turned around to try to step away from it, like joining the Navy or whatever, the music would always pull me back in. Uh ever every single given point, every time I turned around, the music was right there waiting again. So it was almost like God had a purpose for me, and um, I definitely uh felt that, you know, it was an itch that I needed to scratch for sure. Um so I continued and uh, you know, my big my big break was probably back in 2007 when I created Open Your Eyes, which is a um the first hip-hop song ever written on autism. Uh because besides um being an artist, I've been working in the field of disability for the last 25 years as well. Um and uh one of the songs, you know, like I said, the Open Your Eyes was created based on me being a direct support professional. And the song, um, you know, the song took off. We made a music video out of it using um with permission from the individuals I supported, their families, uh, created a beautiful video that went viral on YouTube and um really kind of created a spiral effect of me going all over the country performing the song and um you know getting it out there for advocacy. And I became a consultant uh for the Direct Support Professional Alliance of New York State. And I was actually one of the 12 members, the 12 founding members of um that alliance to create the three-term definition of a direct support professional, which is really, really awesome. So um with that being said, uh, you know, the music always followed me, and as I got older in life, and there's just a lot to my story, but as I got older in life, I realized that with the ever-changing music industry, it was time for me to pivot. So I think that's where I started to take a different direction, and I created my own genre called American, excuse me, American Floke, which is uh folk music and uh the word flow inside of it. So basically it's all all the music that I grew up listening to, with my father, the classic rock, um, all the elements of eclectic music that I that I love and kind of put it all into one genre to uh create my brand, you know, including my clothing business, which I started in 2008, uh, which is sincerely dedicated. So I've always been an entrepreneur at heart. I've always branded myself completely. You never see me without my double sig or you know anything that I'm wearing. Um I'm a walk-in billboard for my brand, and I just love the fact um that you know being a creative is just something that I'm extremely passionate about. So in a nutshell, I guess that's a small uh term of of what my life has really has been like.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

Well, and you contain multitudes because I mean even with the things that you've shared, I uh uh some of the more touching parts of your your autobiography had to do with how you navigated uh dealing with uh uh well uh the the rich joy that came from a family of choice and of origin. And uh you you you talked about what it was to um uh make your mark and do something meaningful for the next generation. I know that your family is incredibly important to you. Uh absolutely I I look at all that you've done and all the ways that you you give and I mean you didn't even talk about your involvement with the um you have your own radio station as well. Right? I mean you're you're doing we've we've done quite a bit.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

Absolutely. Um I I just want to know have you learned how to clone yourself? I mean, are there five of you or ten of you doing all this?

Branding, Sincerely Dedicated, And Hustle

SPEAKER_00 7:30

I know. I I should have been an octopus in another life, you know what I mean? Because um it just takes it takes so much multitasking to be able to pull this off. And uh I was literally just talking to my wife about it yesterday, and you know, I just wanted to thank her because without her, I don't think that I'd be able to do half of the things that I'm doing so much better now because when I was younger, um, as you know in the book, um, you know, things were a little uh things were a little up in the air, should I say. Um, you know, just wasn't wasn't as um wasn't as ready, you know, to to really take on the world and take on a force like music and really dive into it and um you know, tapping into what you were saying about the radio station, um, you know, shout out to my team, Rush Entertainment, Jim Rushmore and the entire uh family that I'm a part of now, you know, being a marketing manager for that company and really starting to create something bigger, um, you know, is just another kind of cookie in the jar that that you know that I'm a part of. So uh there's other things that I have going on that I get that I can't even talk about, um, which is which is amazing as well. So uh, you know, I just try to I just try to put myself out there, but I try to remain extremely humble and extremely conscious of um you know what the world needs today, and I think that's love and uh the power of words in a positive direction.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

Yeah, I I'm really moved by just the way that even early on you you gave back in in such a big way that I I happened to go and see that open your eyes video. And uh you were able to find it? Yeah. Yeah. You've got uh quite a fan base out there. And so there's uh a lot of people that uh that make it pretty easy to to find your work. Uh and I I was moved by how it was real, it was raw. You had um uh you uh uh put a light on something that a lot of people just kind of uh uh locked away and quietly forgot. And um it was so cool for you to uh provide a platform to show that you know that uh just because people might be uh different, uh they there's still uh people who need um love, affection, attention. You know, they have the same highs and lows that we all do, and they they need to be um need to be treated as fully whole uh human beings and and appreciated and celebrated. And um, yeah, I was I actually cried watching that video.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

You would not be the first, um, that's for sure. I mean, when it first came out, it was it was, you know, because I was a lot younger then. And to watch everybody cry whenever they watched it, I mean, it was just like, whoa, like what is this song doing? Like I had no idea that it was that impactful, but um yeah, it was it was pretty it was pretty intense as far as uh the amount of uh advocacy and everything that we were able to create. I mean, we went to Washington, DC, to the Capitol, you know, to to perform. So I mean, uh, you know, the opportunities that I got from it were absolutely huge, and it does bring a smile to me knowing that um that that was a part of my journey. And that I was able to um kind of uh you know mix direct support with music and hip hop, you know. Um the fact that, you know, the fact that I was able to do that is pretty awesome. So it just goes to show again that I I feel like God put all these things in place for me to um, you know, to make them all work together as one.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Yeah, and with without a doubt, the uh the beauty of being able to have all of your gifts come together the way that they have. I mean, and and reading uh and reading your book, I was uh kind of blown away with um it was a way for you to to uh show a little bit of flourish and show your your skill as a wordsmith. I mean it was it definitely hit on a lot of a lot of levels. I mean, there were some uh some things that I felt like I was definitely in on the joke because I was um you know I we're in the same age cohort. So uh there were a lot of things that were um nice uh nice little flashes from my own past as I was reading about it. Um you've uh you've done a a lot when it comes to learning some hard lessons uh growing up. Uh I mean I you referred to your twenties as the wonder years. Um I guess an interpretation of that is you know it's a it's a wonder that you're still here because you you got into some pretty intense situations.

Gratitude, Loss, And Growth

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Absolutely. Yep. Um yeah, you know, uh my parents, I love them to death, but they're they're hippies, you know what I mean? They're from they're from that they're from the 70s era. And um they uh you know they they were always uh that feel good kind of free kind of um parents, you know, back in the day. And growing up in the town, um it was it it felt like a movie, you know, of us growing up in this city. Truly, you know, to to all of my Hudsonians out there, they know that when you were growing up in Hudson, it was incredible. I mean, and the simplicity of it all, um, you know, with just just the whole aspect of how much the world has changed, you know what I mean? But as far as um growing up in the town, uh it's just there was just so every time you turn around, there was something to do. You know, there was always something to do. There was always some kind of trouble to get into, really. And um, you know, without those learning, without those lessons, I don't feel like I would be the man who I am today. You know what I mean? So I do thank um, you know, God for putting those steps in front of me and those lessons to uh to really see um you know what it really takes to grow and to become somebody new that's not uh you know on the verge of death or on the verge of becoming a drug addict forever or becoming a just a person that gets lost in life. So I'm glad that I was able to pull myself out of there when you know there were a few of my friends who weren't able to do that who are no longer with me. So um, you know, I just I pray for I pray for all of them every day. And uh I miss I miss the people that I lost, and um it was all a part of that design, you know, back in the day of uh you either get caught up or you find a way out. And um luckily I was one of the ones to get myself out of there.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

You know, we we reach a really magical moment when we have that awareness of that full circle gratitude for all that we've been through. You know, the good, the bad, and the ugly. You said it made me the man I am today. And I remember that moment really, really well in my own life when I look back on all the traumas and all of the things that I went through, that I I, you know, that moment of wow, that gratitude. And I I just want to call it out because I've experienced it. You're you're saying it. And you know, if if you haven't experienced that yet, it's something to shoot for. To to find that day when you can be grateful for every I I understand that gratitude is not just being grateful for the good things that happened to your life, it's being grateful for every experience you have ever had. Good, bad, and ugly.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

100%. Absolutely. You know, to to be able to pull yourself out of such dark places and come out um unscathed for the most part. I mean, I feel like I have still got some trauma from all of that 100% in my mind and in my soul, but um you know, I carry it with me, uh, you know, in my pocket, just as a reminder of what it took to get where I'm at now.

Creating American Floke

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Yeah, that's beautiful, Sean. So I I I have some questions about American flok. Sure. You know, it's I've never met anybody that actually created a genre. Now I know that genres get created or we wouldn't have so many, but uh you often don't hear about who created the genre. You know, sometimes we do, but I couldn't uh I couldn't really go back and t name anybody that I'm aware of that created any genre. So I I I and I and I this is gonna spur probably a bunch more questions, but uh what inspired you uh to what what what was it that came to you that uh the where you went I I I think I I'll create a new music genre. I mean that's a pretty big deal. Not everybody experiences something like that.

Thread, Darkness, And Mental Resilience

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Yeah, I I would say that for many, many years my music didn't fit in a specific category, you know, because I grew up, like I said, I grew up listening to classic rock with my father on Saturday mornings, wake up listening to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, um, you know, Lionel Ritchie, Ellen John, you name it. And all of those, all of those songs, like the beats, the elements, everything to it was just so absolutely profound to me. And um, you know, I would take his cassette tapes and record over them with my friends. That wasn't the best thing. Uh he'd be like, you know, he'd be putting on a uh, I don't know, um, Ellen John tape or whatever, and and hear my voice on it, like, what the heck happened here? But um, you know, uh all of those things shaped me into a different type of artist, you know, because I have a um, you know, I've been in two rock bands also. I was in a band called Out of Nowhere, where uh me and my buddy Lou Tower, Patty Cowb, um we did some really, really amazing things. I think it was way, way ahead of its time, honestly, because we were talking about dystopian futures and um, you know, the world crumbling, you know, while we were on this other planet and things like that. But the music was incredible. He was an awesome guitar player, and I was always doing like the the rap the rap rock thing. And um we were performing and sold-out um, you know, sold-out show called Joe's Bar, and we really own that place. It was um that was that was uh in the heyday. Joe's bar is now demolished by a bulldozer. So that's and it's a car, it's a car place now. So um, you know, it just goes to show how things change. But as far as uh you know the music aspect, it just um I've always been a different breed. Like I always wanted to make completely type of different songs. Like I I made a uh you guys don't know this probably, but I made well actually you would, Dwight, uh if you saw the read the book. So I made an album called uh The Wonder Years, and it was pretty much a um, you know, a complete uh sampling of literally everything I grew up listening to with my father, and all the songs were turned into hip hop songs. Um you know, uh Queen, uh you name it. Uh literally everything that you could think of, Led Zeppelin, Beatles. I sampled all of it and created my own songs. Um when 2000 uh when when um September 11th happened, I created a album called The Revolution, and it was a full-on uh album of samples about you know America and you know and all of that. So I was never just the one guy that just fit into a box that just never ever was me. And um once I got to a point of growing older and realizing that hip-hop isn't the same anymore at all, um, and that, you know, and that for me, I don't truly fit into nobody really nobody's really looking to hear that 90s style of hip-hop type of, you know, especially coming from, you know, Caucasian artist, um, you know, depending on just where the j where everything is. And I said, you know what? Well, since it's always been, I've always been not in a category. I'm gonna continue that and I'm gonna create my own genre and kind of created um American Floak based on that. And uh my buddy um and mentor Jim Rushmore from Rush Entertainment uh told me that the idea was brilliant and that um, you know, creating American Floke would be something that would really take your music to the next level. And uh so I did. And um American Floak was born, and I have a producer. His name is M. Arsenist, he's out of Arizona, and uh he's extremely, extremely talented. I mean, we have music that's coming out right now. I just put out Thread on February 1st, and we could talk about Thread, but um, you know, we can go back into why I made that song, my next single. But I do have a lot of uh new stuff that's coming out with some with some Benny King samples, Chicago. I mean, this is gonna like blow people away. I'm so excited about it. And um, you know, that's what American Floak is. It's it's uh, you know, it's not just country grit because um the thing is with Hudson, you can be in the city downtown, and then you could throw a rock and you could be in the country, you know. I mean, that's where I live. I live right on the outskirts. So that's why I consider myself to be somewhat of a country boy, also because I grew up in Pennsylvania with my grandmother, and that's where Took a Ride, the Took a Ride song came from. Um, you know, she lived in the you know, in the Oakie Dope, you know, I don't even know how to explain how um, you know, rural her area was, but that's where I grew up when my parents would take me there for the summers and say, all right, goodbye, I'll see you next summer. But it was absolutely the greatest experience ever being there, and that's why I created Took a Ride because it was just uh such a loving thing for me. And um, that's where American Floak really generated from.

SPEAKER_01 22:15

So so when this idea came up, I'm gonna create a new genre. Was that just kind of off the cuff? Okay, yeah, I think I'll just do that. Or was this something where, you know, like was that scary in any way? Was it like, well, what if I put this out there and the whole world laughed at me? You know, I mean, uh what what what what did you experience as you thought about it and prepared to to launch that? I mean, I a lot of our podcast is about becoming. And I guess what I'm getting at is I kind of want to know who Sean Delaney had to become in in order to create in in a world where there's only so many music genres to create another one. And and one that's kind of really offbeat, you know?

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Yeah, no, that's a great, great question. And honestly, I I wasn't scared at all. Like, and it's the same reason where Sincerely Dedicated originated from. Um our first design was my signature on a on a sweatshirt. You know what I mean? And the fact how uh it just took off. Everybody, everybody and their mom had a uh signature, uh, Sean Delaney signature sweatshirt. And that's where Sincerely Dedicated originated from. I created the logo based off of a treble clef. You know, I was at I was at work at um special needs program where I worked as a DSP before I created Open Your Eyes. And that's when I created literally, because 2007-2008, I created Sincerely Dedicated right in the kitchen there with my coworkers, where I took a treble clef and I said, Well, look, if you flip a treble clef, you get you you could see it. There's an S and a D in a treble clef, and it's like, wait, what? And it's like, okay, sincerely dedicated, that's awesome, because it's Sean Delaney, sincerely dedicated, the S D. And so I completely branded myself based off of all of that. So um scared, no, because everything I've ever done was completely original and authentic. I never ever wanted to follow trends. I never ever wanted to, um, you know, I I looked up to the greats and I read some books on Mark Echo um to see how to do my clothing line and things like that. I was a big fan of Echo clothing back in the day. And uh, you know, that's how I created, you know, I was a fan of Jay-Z when he created his Rockefeller Empire back in the day. Um, so these are all things that helped me shape and mold myself. But as far as the originality and authenticity, you know, it was just um it was just completely, completely original and groundbreaking everything that I've done. And, you know, I do feel um proud of that, even though the world has yet to fully experience what I've done. I'm sure they will very soon.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

I like that um that point of view. I I like that your confidence. I mean, you you your your devotion is is very evident.

Community, Loyalty, And Support Systems

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Thank you. Like unwavering, isn't it? Yeah, I mean dedication is the key to success, you know. And we have this sincerely dead, we have this double signature key sweatshirt where I put the key right in the double sig, you know what I mean? Because literally, and being dedicated as a delaney, you know, delaney dedication, all of it goes hand in hand. And my grandfather was the mayor of Hudson. Um, my father was the commissioner of the fire department, all my family, police officers, dedicated police officers, detectives. So dedication, you know, the whole name, the crest, uh the Delaney Crest, the Irish Crest, every all of it kind of goes hand in hand with who I am as a person, you know? And dedication is definitely something that I um live my life based off of 100%. I never ever give up, I never quit. My wife's like, you know, wow, like how could you do, how could you do all this and continue? And it's like, you know, there's just no, there's just no quitting me at all. So watching some of my friends kind of fall off the wagon and you know, they still look at me like, man, you're still doing this. And it's like, well, honestly, I mean, turning 40 is kind of like like the second chapter of my life. It's not like it's not like it's over. So it's like I could be whatever the heck I want to be. I mean, you know, I was just talking to Jim the other day about this. I was like, look at Colonel Sanders. How old was he when he when he found out that he was gonna create the the world's greatest chicken and literally became a billionaire by the time he was like, you know, I think he started at 65, 70 years old, you know. And unfortunately, um, you know, he passed shortly after that. But as far as what he, you know, what he created, I mean, there's many, many celebrities, everything. Harrison Ford, I mean, they all they all started, you know, 40 is the next phase. So Yeah, 40 is probably the new 20 now. Yeah, exactly. So I'm just happy to be grown, smarter, more knowledgeable, and be able to not be taken for rides anymore with all the managers and everything that said they were going to do this and that for me over the years. And I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, I put all my money into it, invest into it, you know, go to the clubs down in New York City just to have to go home on the train. Um literally just insane things that I did when I was younger. Now I know that like the steps have to be um more calculated, they have to be more meticulous, and they have to be um planned and thought out to make sense. You know?

SPEAKER_01 27:58

You know, the the timeline is really interesting because you're talking about what you've learned and and now how more intentional you are. But I also get the impression that you started all this when you were too young to be afraid.

unknown 28:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

You know, what there's a point in our lives where a a lot of us just become kind of we think we're invincible, we can just do anything, and and and you and you did, you know.

SPEAKER_02 28:25

Yeah. But now you're you're in a phase in life where you know that you have to keep doing things that make you uncomfortable in order to continue growing.

SPEAKER_00 28:36

That's right. That's right. And I've accepted that it's gonna be uncomfortable. I've accepted that you know, even the song Thread is uncomfortable. It's it's a very dark song about kind of just like what I go through in my head. You know what I mean? What I go through in my head feels like, you know, sometimes I'm just hanging on by a thread. And so I wrote this song and I made the music video, and you know, the music video is very, you know, um I make I make all my own own music videos, so you can if you can just imagine being my dogs and seeing me walking around with a drone and seeing me, I put thread, wrapped it all over my face, and they're like looking at me like, what is wrong with you today? But but the um the emotion, the raw emotion of it is that you know, sometimes I feel like, you know, I'm I'm waiting, I'm waiting for my picture to b to to spill over. So literally everything that I've done, I can finally reap the benefits, my family can reap the benefits, and we'll no longer have to try so hard. You know what I mean? And I think that's that's why I wanted to put threat out. And it's funny too, because uh there's another reason is because um I actually uh I started listening again to 90s alternative rock. I just got like deeply into it again when I was when I was a teenager. I loved that music, and I found Alice and Chains and I fell in love with the song Nutshell. Um and I think that that Lane Staley song, his interpretation of him feeling like he was lost, and we actually lost him to heroin. Um a lot of a lot of great artwork artists we lost uh in that manner. But that's what made me make thread, you know what I mean? And that's all it took. I was at work, I worked the overnight shift, I wrote thread in like I don't know, I write songs in like 25-30 minutes, you know what I mean? And thread was written, and all I had to do was make an instrumental, and I was like, I'm gonna put this other stuff to the side, and I just want to put out thread, and uh, you know, so there's a darkness, there's a darkness that hides inside me as well with a lot of the things that I'm still suffering with. Um, but I try to remain positive and a beacon uh for a lot of my friends and family. Um and it's awesome really because I literally just had a friend hit me up the other day. He he he decided that he was gonna write me a song about me, about my life. You know, it's kind of like when a when a you know when a when a fan puts a tattoo on them about you know a celebrities or artist's favorite face or something like that. He wrote a song about me for me. And so I posted it and said, This is awesome, you know, and is not the first one that's hit me up and said, you know, I just want you to know you're a real part of why I'm still doing this. You know what I mean? And those those little things are just like they're extremely meaningful to me. You know what I mean? Even though I haven't even gotten to where I'm satisfied, you know. But as my mentor, Jim says, you know, you really need to step back and see all that you truly have accomplished so far. Um and that's hard sometimes because you're still looking for that certain place to be.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

You know, I think there's a reason we don't find that sense of satisfaction, you know, it uh it would be over if you did. Right. I I think that we can have pit stops where we feel a sense of accomplishment and we like what we're doing, but complete satisfaction, I don't think it works that way.

SPEAKER_00 32:15

Right. No, I agree.

Vision, Patience, And What’s Next

SPEAKER_01 32:17

What after over 60 uh conversations with uh creatives, uh I would say that you are are standing out uh precisely because uh you have put your creativity out in such a diverse array of things. Like you said, I've been a creative all my life, and no shit, Sherlock. Man, really every everything that you have done from your advocacy to I uh the genre, the music, every the writing, the the clothing. Yes, yes, your your your clothing line. Uh you I we we definitely have checked the creative box. I I I want to ask a little bit about because our you know one of our pillars is is uh community. And I'd like to know how can uh all that you've experienced, all you've done, the the milestones, the achievements, um and and then the the challenges, the hard things. How has community played a role in that?

SPEAKER_00 33:31

So b based on how how people have supported me, is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_01 33:36

And in any any way it shows up.

SPEAKER_00 33:41

Well, I mean, coming from small town, it's definitely harder to get yourself out there, you know what I mean? But I I I do have to say that over the years I've had, you know, this town has definitely um supported everything I've done. There's no doubt. Um and I've and I've put this city on my back for many, many, many years. Um and some people said that that was one of my hindrances is that, you know, you're thinking too small. You keep thinking HUD City, HUD City, HUD City. Everything's HUD City. Well, I mean, when I was younger, I mean it was something that I, you know, that I that it was like a it was like a patch that I wore on my chest, you know what I mean? HUD City was everything to everybody that lived here. Um over the years it's changed quite a bit. Now we have a lot of city people coming in and changing things and taking away some of our traditions and things like that. So it's uh it's definitely taking a turn. But as far as community-wise, all of the people of Hudson, um, I have I have a ton of people on my Facebook and uh just on my in my general circle that definitely appreciate and love everything that I do and they have supported me quite a bit, so I have a lot of love for that. Um you know, I've always been a part of the community, always trying to do something when nobody's looking, you know, just trying to help out where I can, uh, you know, trying to do those, trying to do those things that really matter, you know, even though, you know, even though someone might else might not even know you've done it. I mean it just it matters to me to know that I did it, you know. And uh so yeah, community is huge. I mean, without them, without without friends, fans, family, who who are we? You know what I mean? What do we have to show for what we've done and created?

SPEAKER_01 35:35

You you definitely obviously have a large fan base, but what about that closer in community, like collaborations and people that you go to when things aren't working and you need help? That that area that's beyond the people that are clicking the likes or buying your music or the the the things where people step in and uh maybe occasionally save the day or let you lean on them and cry on their shoulder, that type of community.

SPEAKER_00 36:10

Yeah. Um to say, you know, that there's a lot of people have given me the time of day to go to them and uh explain my situation. Like my parents are right down the road, so I have them to lean on 100% when something's really wrong. Um so happy that I still have both of them. Love them very, very much. My mom and dad truly my dad want, you know, excuse me, just do it before I'm I'm dead, you know what I mean? Just just show me something before I'm gone, you know. But my mom is just like um, she's just an incredible supporter, like just always has been so authentically loving um and passionate about everything I've done. She loves to listen to my music, she always has, um, even from day one, you know, I'd be like, Oh, I got this new tape, and she'd be like, put it on, your dad's at the bar, you can put it on. He won't listen, you know? And it's like um, you know, so the family aspect is there, and then um the team, the team, you know, my rush team, I talk to I talk to Jim literally every day. Um, and me and him, you know, he tells me how important it is to, you know, just take a step back and understand uh what you're doing has so much importance, you know what I mean? And um so and then the the thing of burning bridges, you know what I mean? I I've lived my life on do not burn bridges because you'll see it in later in life when it's time to go back to get a to get to um you know to get back a favor or something like that, that those people will still be there. And I guess because I've always been a solid dude, I've never really sh uh steered anybody wrong, you know what I mean? I feel like that's given me a ton of community people that um believe in when I say, you know, that I need help or something like that, they're there for me, you know what I mean? Like um, you know, just uh it's so important to to be yourself, be authentic your whole life, and you could see how far that'll get you later in life, really.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

Yeah, and you uh mentioned a a few um a few people that uh showed you who they were, um you know, in surprising ways because well, it's natural for people to grow apart, and also a few people that you just lost track of. And um you know, uh I get how life gets by and everyone's busy and um what have those experiences uh uh where uh you have grown apart or uh where you uh learn new uh new things, have uh new realizations about people, what taught you about yourself, and um how are you uh going to try to model um a way for that learning to help those that you care about?

SPEAKER_00 39:28

Well, when my dad said, you know, when you get older you realize who your true friends are. Um unfortunately, because of what I've done in my life and because of the moves that I've made, I've actually lost a lot of people that I that I loved dearly, you know what I mean? Um almost brothers to me. You know, even even one recently that kind of fell off the face of the earth, um uh been friends our whole lives, but now every time I make a post, every time I say a word, anything like that, he's um you know, posting negatively about me. And it's like, okay, well, that's crazy because we grew up our whole lives together. So um as far as you know, we call them the haters, you know what I mean? We all have our haters, and uh and I I do have quite I do have quite a few of those as well. Um and I think it's because I don't know, I I guess they just didn't want me, didn't want to see me go any further than where I was.

SPEAKER_01 40:31

Um I was gonna say, you need it's not about you, right?

SPEAKER_00 40:35

Oh, of course. Um, of course. And again, uh it sucks because some of these people were truly um people that I thought I would know for my entire life. And uh unfortunately, like Dwayne said, you grow apart, and you know, like my dad told me, he's like, you know, you're not gonna have the same friends you do when you're older, and you know, he proved that to me um with his group of friends that he has now, and it just kind of the circle gets smaller and smaller, but at the end of the day, the real, the real true people that are there for you, the real people that care about you and love you, are the ones that are gonna be there till the end, the ones that are gonna be there through all your thick and thin, the ones that are gonna be there when you're hanging on by a thread and you're literally ready to just like um cash in all your chips. Um, you know, those are the type of people that are the ones to hang on to, you know what I mean? And um my wife uh is the most loyal, inspirational woman I've ever known in my life. Um my daughter, she's 10. My daughter, Katie Bug, she's everything to me. She's such a sweet little girl who absolutely just absolutely loves her daddy and loves her daddy's music and loves her daddy's um vision and all of that. And um, you know, my stepgirls and uh uh and every every aspect of family I definitely have to lean on to. But um again, there's a lot of friends out there who I consider true friends, um, and there's a lot of acquaintances, and then there's a lot of people that unfortunately don't want to see me win and continue to prove that, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 42:20

Yeah. That's sad, but there's always gonna be people like that, you know?

SPEAKER_00 42:26

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 42:27

You you you said the word vision a minute ago, so so what what's next?

SPEAKER_00 42:32

What's next? What's next? Um, well, uh right now, um, working with Rush Entertainment has been awesome. Um Jim is actually from here as well, and uh he's not in the book because that's the next chapter. I guess that would be the second book, you know what I mean? Um but um he created Rush Entertainment based off of um a whim that he just wanted to uh to book a lot of shows, put a lot of artists on, and just do his thing. And it ended up, you know, the cool thing about it is he tells me, you know, he told me from the beginning, he said, I want you to know that you were an inspiration for me to want to try to go national with booking shows. You were one of the one of the people that I watched and learned from, and now he's my mentor, you know what I mean? And um that's incredible. But uh what we have is um a full team of amazing artists. I believe there's 51 artists on the roster. Um and we're talking artists all the way from you know 10 million followers all the way up until you know someone like me, you know what I mean, who's trying to who's trying to get to that point. So um we are building something um amazing. Uh there's they actually have a big show in Nashville on Saturday. Um and I'm the marketing manager, so I'm currently uh we're currently working on uh I don't know if you know Aaron Lewis from Stained, but this is uh one of the things I can put out there that I'm allowed to talk about is um Aaron Lewis is a huge, huge artist from the band Stained from back in the day. And he's actually um, you know, they've they've hired Rush to do to book his show. And yeah, so to book his shows, and and so Jim is making connections that are just truly going to Grow the business exponentially. It's uh it's like at a point where you know he put all of his time and effort into it without really making much back, and now it's about we're all about to reap the benefits of what Rush Entertainment is. And and Jim brought me on as an artist, and he brought me on, loves my marketing skills, um, brought me on as a marketing manager. So hopefully very soon Rush is gonna be the next big thing in entertainment because right now we're we're really building a very nice resume for for that um to happen.

SPEAKER_02 44:58

I just want to reflect back to you that everything that you've done up till now leads to that point, and you have spent your lifetime planting seeds. That's right. Like you you have lived into those lessons that your your dad told you about not burning bridges, about making relationships matter. And what you're describing is you you're about to embark on what's going to be a bountiful harvest.

SPEAKER_00 45:27

Yeah, definitely ready to reap the benefits of everything that I've that I've done. You know what I mean? I think it's time, you know, I've I've put so much time, effort, as I say, blood, sweat, and tears 100% into all of this to get to a certain culmination. And that's where I'm trying to reach. Um, and I feel like if I just keep on pushing forward a little bit more, I think we're getting there. You know what I mean? I really, really, truly do. Um, where the whole world is gonna know what sincerely dedicated is, they're gonna know what they're gonna know why the treble cleft is flipped, they're gonna know why um, you know, Russian entertainment uh took over as leading industry provider when they're artists first and not money first. I mean, you know, the things that we're creating are all groundbreaking and it's just incredible to be a part of it all. And just to be a creative in general is one of the coolest things in the world, you know, because my wife, she's not a creative, she but she's extremely, extremely intelligent in many other fashions. She's in college, you know, as a as a you know, for psychology and just um incredible. But I try to explain to her, if you don't, if you don't, if you never live the life of a creator, then you don't know what's going on in my head, unfortunately. And there is a lot going on in there, and you know what I mean? A lot. And it just doesn't stop. It just continues to try to figure out okay, how can we put some more tracks on this uh train, you know, on on the railroad here to um to create more momentum?

SPEAKER_01 47:00

So, Sean, you you have uh accomplished a lot. There's no doubt about that. It's said by many wise people, what got you here won't get you there. So this new chapter who is Sean gonna have to become that Sean has not yet become to meet the the the the needs of this new chapter.

SPEAKER_00 47:30

Patient, you know, I think patience is is so incredibly valuable, um, and I think it's something that I've lacked. And I think that's why I've made certain decisions that probably weren't, you know, so great for me, you know what I mean? Like diving into a a company that says they're gonna do this and that for you, A and B, and it just ends up being a flop, you know what I mean? I think that I've made a lot of um those type of errors, but at the end of the day, failure, I I have accepted that failure is a part of success. And I've actually accepted that failure, there's nothing wrong with it at all. Like it all it all it is is a stepping stone, all it is is growth, you know what I'm saying? So um that's words of wisdom, right there.

SPEAKER_01 48:19

That's that is wisdom bomb, is what we call that.

SPEAKER_00 48:22

Yeah, yeah, and yeah, and patience is a virtue, 100%. That is 100% factual. So just uh trusting and believing in the Lord above, trusting and believing that the universe has um has written something for me that I'm that I'm um that I don't need to work so hard in my mind to try to understand.

SPEAKER_01 48:50

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 48:52

Yeah. Well it sounds like you're you're balancing uh the the big push and letting go.

SPEAKER_01 48:59

Yeah, there's a there's a bunch in there. There's letting go, there's uh there's trust, there's faith. Um what you just said incon uh it encompassed quite a few things. Good call, Dwight.

SPEAKER_02 49:14

Oh this has been an amazing uh uh uh conversation, and we're so glad to have been a part of your continuing story. Uh is there anything that you'd like to share with our listeners that we haven't had a chance to talk about yet?

SPEAKER_00 49:34

I mean, I just want to say, and I've been excited about this, but I I just want to say that this out of the all the podcasts I've done, this was my favorite.

SPEAKER_01 49:43

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 49:44

Honestly, because I think that you guys have um, you know, you guys have just dived into what it is that truly makes a creative a creative. You know what I mean? And you've and you've um really tapped into the parts that I would want others to hear to understand me better. You know what I'm saying? I think that's um I think that was huge. And I just think um I just think you guys have a knack at this, and it's really been incredible for me. It's been an incredible experience for me. And I like I said, I was very excited about it, and I can't wait to show it to everybody. Um, you know, as far as what I haven't tapped into, I I don't know. I I think we tapped into quite a bit, you know. I think um you guys definitely uh went down the Sean Delaney road and um, you know, pulled out a lot of things that I was uh happy to talk about, you know. So um, you know, I mean, uh except where they can find me or anything like that, am I allowed to put those plugs out there or please?

SPEAKER_01 50:46

Oh, okay. Yes, absolutely. And we will we will put that out there in in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00 50:51

Um you can go to Sean Delaneyofficial.com. That's my main hub. And I've turned that into my EPK basically. You can go there and see every single type of um of platform that you can find me on, you know, all of my music. Yeah, oh I'm sorry. Go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 51:13

In in my reflection of this conversation today, there's one thing I want to acknowledge. It's all been absolutely fabulous, but I the conversation about neurodivergence and autism is a topic that's near and dear to our hearts. Um we we have seen enough to know that that runs very, very high in the community of creatives. Lots and lots of high percentage of neurodivergency. So it's a it's a topic that we advocate for and support, and just so grateful that you're out there doing that. That you're out there advocating for that. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00 51:57

Well, I'm actually, I can say, you know, I'm actually in college again um for uh to become a DSP3. So that's something right before I got off here. I was writing my psychology paper. I don't know what I'm thinking going back to college with this, but um I had an opportunity to uh to finish the any DSP um code of ethics, and by taking myself as a DSP3, pretty much puts me like I really couldn't get any further with where I am as a direct support professional. And there's um some cool benefits that come with it or whatever, so I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna try this. I didn't realize that I was gonna be taking like nine full courses of college in the next um year or so. But uh it's something that I've taken on, and um, you know, it just goes to show that like, yeah, this is definitely this has definitely been a huge part of my life. 25 years, and that's that's facts. Um, you know, with all the agencies I've worked at as a as a manager, I've been a manager at a program, I've been a um, you know, I've been a consultant, and uh now I'm just laying low as an overnight shift, but I absolutely love the people that I support. I've got um, you know, I was a I was a commhab worker for a long time too, where I took um many different individuals and helped them uh gain some amazing family bonds with them and their families. They absolutely love me and I love them back. Um, you know, actually one of them is uh friends with my family to the point where my daughter was being, you know, watched by mom, you know what I mean? So um, you know, it just uh I think that's the sense of community, you know what I mean, that you were referring to in that aspect. Right down the block, I took care of a uh young man that had cerebral palsy, and um, you know, he was absolutely a uh he was definitely a firecracker and he wanted to have his own business, and me and him created his we we created his LLC together, you know what I mean? So it's like I did all these things um for these guys and uh really just um the benefit of knowing them and and getting to know um you know everything about them and just falling in love with these uh these types of personalities, I just um something that you really can't buy, you know.

SPEAKER_01 54:21

You know, I I want to call something out for our listeners, and that is something that you demonstrate that maybe you've never got this feedback, or maybe this isn't something you've never even thought about. But through everything that you've said, your stories, your experiences. What I see with clarity is two things that you do in life that would likely uh change the lives of other people if they were willing to follow your lead and your example. One is you're open. And two is you're uh willing to be led.

SPEAKER_00 55:02

I appreciate that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 55:04

And that's huge. We as human beings spend so much time getting in our own fucking way. And you tell stories uh about just everything, just sounds like just openness when you said, I don't know why I'm going back to college, because you're being led to. And you're just trusting and following the lead. There's something you uh you're very intuitive, aren't you? You you you get messages and you follow them.

SPEAKER_00 55:34

Oh my god. If I see another angel number, you know, 333. I mean, if that thing that that drives me insane. The 333-444. I wrote a song called The Road, and it's all about the universe. Um, that's a great song. You guys can check that one out. Um, and you know, I tap into all of that. I do feel like the universe has a plan for all of us, and I do feel like um coincidences are not coincidences, they're actually signs. So, yes, intuitive 100%. Um, that's a perfect word for it. I've never really been called that before, but now it makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 56:08

You're connected, yeah. You you have a there's a level of oneness going on between you and creation.

SPEAKER_00 56:16

I I believe that 100%, yes.

SPEAKER_01 56:18

Yeah. Sean, thank you so much. This has been amazing.

SPEAKER_00 56:23

Same. I agree. I I loved it. I loved um just the raw authenticity of it all, for sure, for me.

SPEAKER_01 56:32

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 56:33

That means a lot. And the fact that you you read my whole book before you talked to me. I mean, man, I cannot thank you enough for that, you know, just to just to really tap into me and um to really understand exactly who you're talking to, you know what I mean? Because you get on some podcasts and they have no idea who you are, and the questions are written on a piece of paper, and it's just um it's a lot different than really diving in into somebody uh with conviction, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 57:04

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 57:04

Well you're words mean a lot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:07

You you made it uh a heck of a lot easier because my goodness, you um you have a gift. I mean you you you really do. I uh I hope to uh to see some more books from you soon.

SPEAKER_00 57:24

Yeah, I hope I get to write my second book on uh how everything came to fruition.