Who is David Andrew Wiebe? Where did he grow up? What pivotal life events shaped his views on life? What does he believe about the Universe?
This episode of Creativity Excitement Emotion features a conversation between WeMaple’s Matt Keay and David.
Download the PDF Transcript
Sponsors:
Digital NO-Mad: Exposing the Lies of the Freedom Lifestyle and Grass is Greener Syndrome. David’s new book on designing the life you love through your passion is coming. Pre-order TODAY.
Highlights:
00:17 – David Andrew Wiebe on WeMaple
00:56 – What is The Indie YYC?
02:03 – Clean Slate
06:30 – What David’s guitar teacher told him
08:59 – How David bet on himself
12:55 – What role does formal education play in a creative’s life?
16:38 – How does more views or more subscribers affect our perceptions of a creator?
19:30 – Growing up in Japan and the moment that changed everything
23:23 – How David has applied personal development to his career
26:44 – David’s (controversial) thoughts on masculinity and men in culture
34:36 – Life expectancy – are we really living longer?
38:35 – Is David a flat earther?
41:05 – Reality is malleable
43:54 – How can you be positive while encountering negative circumstances?
46:56 – The hotbox incident
47:33 – When David got the cops called on him
48:18 – Three roommates and the sale of David’s home
49:08 – Three months of WTF
50:48 – David’s advice on writing and publishing books
52:18 – Closing thoughts
Summary:
Award-winning composer, best-selling author, and professional podcaster David Andrew Wiebe was recently a guest on WeMaple, hosted by Business On Camera’s Matt Keay. The conversation touches on everything from events and music to conspiracy theories and bizarre life events.
What is The Indie YYC?
Noticing David’s T-shirt, Matt asks what The Indie YYC is. David shares that The Indie YYC community was created by him and Frederick Tamagi.
Pre-pandemic, the community focused on three unique live events, including The New Beat (a fusion of poetry and live music), Storytellers (bringing together songwriters, poets, and authors), and Avant Guardians (featuring avant-garde and alternative musicians).
During the pandemic, as well as after, the community focused on growing mostly through user submitted content on Facebook.
Clean Slate
On February 16, 2024, David hosted a live music and multimedia event in Victoria, BC called Clean Slate. Matt asks how the event came about, and David shares that the idea came to him while reading Frederick Dodson’s Parallel Universes of Self.
David initially envisioned an event where he could bring people together to celebrate the launch of new music, a new book, new comedic video content, and more.
The initial phases of planning went swimmingly. Then, things started going awry in September 2023. David could not secure the featured artist he’d hoped to, and despite booking local artists for the event, it failed to gain local support. Most people in attendance were there because David had invited them.
Matt asks David whether he sees the experience as a stepping stone or opportunity to try his hand at another event.
David shares that while he sees the possibility of hosting low-cost, low-key events in the immediate future, he can’t see himself attempting something like Clean Slate again unless there’s a rabid demand for it.
What David’s Guitar Teacher Told Him
There is something David’s guitar teacher told him that has stuck with him until present day. Matt asks David what that was.
David shares that his guitar teacher told him that he’d surpassed him within one lesson.
I’ve been playing guitar for 13 years. Imagine what you’ll be able to accomplish in 13 years.
Matt asks David what kind of impact that statement had on him. David shares that it gave him the motivation he needed to keep practicing. From his teacher, he also learned not to dismiss people who offer him praise.
If people say good things about you, you don’t counter them, you don’t cut them off, you don’t argue with them. You simply accept it.
Betting on New Media
Matt asks if there was a connection between what David learned from his guitar teacher and the chances he took in 2009.
David answers that music was the commonality. Inspired by video game composer Tommy Tallarico, he was planning to take a new media course at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), but the class was full, and he couldn’t get in.
The new media course was to cover composing, podcasting, and video editing, so instead of taking the course, David decided to learn how to do it all himself. He already had a home studio facility, so now it was just a matter of being willing to experiment, research, and ask questions to find his way.
David recalls starting a YouTube channel about movies and video games. He would often incorporate original compositions into his videos, hitting two birds with one stone (composing and video).
He also began podcasting in 2009, with the eponymous David Andrew Wiebe Podcast. The podcasts kind of mushroomed from there – AS Movies & Games Podcast, The New Music Industry Podcast, The Question Podcast, Using Your Power, and Creativity Excitement Emotion, among others. David was also briefly the co-host of Inside Home Recording, toward the end of its lifespan.
What Role Does Formal Education Play in Today’s Creative Space?
Matt asks David how relevant formal education is in the creative space, and whether (or how) natural talent plays into the equation.
David answers by sharing that he felt like exploring and learning himself was the right decision for him. He had the facilities, so it was mostly a matter of taking the time to understand software and hardware tools.
He remembers how frustrating it initially was to learn Adobe Photoshop. There were many times when he felt like throwing his laptop across the room. He’s still glad he did it, though, because in time he became much more adept at photo manipulation and graphic design (though David does not fancy himself a designer).
David learned from people like Steve Pavlina and Derek Sivers – who both did four years of university education in a year – that most programs are designed to accommodate the lowest common denominator. They move at a “chump’s pace.”
Thus, if you opt to learn the ropes (of anything) by yourself, you can take things at a pace that makes sense for you, versus trying to fit a round peg in a square hole.
David adds that the work he put into becoming a new media creator ultimately led to the point of him becoming an award-winning composer, which was well worth the effort.
More Views = More Credibility?
Matt asks David how much numbers (likes, followers, subscribers, etc.) come into the equation when people are looking for creators to follow.
David shares that most people who are trying to establish themselves on social media are effectively modeling their favorite personalities without understanding just how much names like Gary Vee or Grand Cardone carry weight.
The average creator, adds David, needs to be thinking about the viewer and structure their content in such a way that engages them. The video must be about the viewer, not the creator.
One of the top reasons to advertise, says David, is so that your face can be seen, which increases your recognition. Over time, you can establish yourself as an influencer, guru, or expert.
Ultimately, numbers can be deceiving. David says that they do play a part in perception, but they are not ready indicators of outward success.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Matt asks David about the “worst day” he’d ever experienced.
David was born in Camrose, AB, but was raised in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. His older sister was born in Fukuoka, Japan. After returning to Canada for a few years, his parents decided to return to Japan, as English teachers and missionaries, when David was five.
While in Jr. High School (grade eight), David was one day called down to the office. David had a bad feeling about that, wondering what he might have gotten himself in trouble for. But when he got there, he was told that his dad was in the hospital and that someone would take him there immediately.
His father had gotten into a motorcycle crash and was receiving emergency care when David arrived at the hospital. His father was in a coma for 10 days but ultimately did not survive.
David says that moment had an impact that has lasted to this day. Much of the personal development work he’s engaged in through the years has been about untangling many of the false beliefs that were formed through that experience.
Matt asks David what it was like to see his father in a coma. David says it was a bit like “candid camera.” He was wondering when someone would pop out to let him know that it was just a joke. But that never happened.
Instead, his God- and Bible-believing family prayed for his father's healing, but he passed on anyway.
How Has David Applied Personal Development to His Career?
David shares how discovering that only action is in the realm of performance turned him into a productivity machine. He adds that many of us run mental gymnastics about our day, trying to figure out what to say, what to do, how to do everything perfectly… If we can set that aside and stay in action, it’s possible to get a lot more done.
Another discovery was how everything can be gamified. Life is a game. Business is a game. It’s okay to approach things seriously, but it’s important to have fun and enjoy yourself too. Entrepreneurship is a game where you’re the one setting the rules and keeping track of the score, so you may as well make the game winnable.
Entrepreneurship is a game where you’re the one setting the rules and keeping track of the score, so you may as well make the game winnable.Share on X
Recommended reading: Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
