Meet Damian Kostka | Musician, Bass Player & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Damian Kostka and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Damian, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
As I progressed in my career, my “to do” list became larger and larger. When you want to be really good at something, there is no balance. And I say this from the perspective of a full-time musician, father and partner. I think it’s good to be unbalanced when something is very important to you. But of course I still intend to spend time with my family and take care of my loved ones. But when it comes to other aspects of my social life – I don’t have to meet friends when I’m at home, because I have plenty of that when I’m on tour 🙂 So it’s definitely not an ordinary way of life 🙂

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think every musician has their own voice because of their different upbringing and the different people they have met in their life. What sets me apart from others is simply the fact that I am Damian Kostka from Poland. The experience I have gained throughout my life so far makes me who I am as a person, musician and artist. My own preferences, developed over the years, have led me to play the instrument the way I play and sound the way I do. And I’m proud of it, because many musicians struggle to “find their voice”, forgetting that they already have it. Everything else is just a matter of experience. As a musician, I’m excited about many things. I like playing other people’s music and giving the band my own sound. What excites me most is playing different genres and improvising on stage. But in early 2024, I also released my debut album called “Rules for Being Human”, which I am very proud of. It was a lot of fun to start writing original music, especially because I felt strongly that my compositions deeply reflected my style and represented me well as an artist. The entire album is available on Spotify and other streaming platforms, so I encourage everyone to check it out.
My musical journey has taken me through various educational stages both inside and outside of school. I quickly realized that to be a successful musician, I had to do a lot more work than was required of me in high school or university. Most of my early days were mainly focused on playing and learning music. But I’m glad that I fell in love with the process so early and survived many difficult moments, both social and financial. Along the way, I’ve learned that you always have to be 100% prepared, giving your all no matter what, which will prepare you for the turning point in your career – which means gaining respect in the industry and making people want to hire you. To make this happen, be prepared to “work for free”, which I still do myself, spending every day with the bass, perfecting my craft.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well… My best friends love music as much as I do, so our trip would probably consist of watching live music and listening to music together in the evenings. I’m also into sports, so we would engage in some sort of physical activity every day, whether it was running, climbing, lifting weights, or going on long walks. Honestly, since I travel a lot, my daily life is a bit boring. I practice on an instrument, lift weights and spend time with my loved ones and that’s it. So the week-long journey will be completely different depending on who is visiting me. If it were, for example my brother, who I consider a good friend of mine, it would be something like I described. In fact I’m about to take a trip with him and it will look exactly like that:) If it were someone else, I would probably choose something else. But it’s hard for me to even imagine such scenario, since my best friends are very busy, so as I. Therefore it’s a bit difficult to answer this question 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Many people have inspired me to become who I am today and continue to grow in life. I can certainly name several musicians who inspired me with their art, craft, approach to music and life in general. These would be John Patitucci, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and many others. There are also people to whom I listened a lot and read their books, who helped me appreciate that I am a living, fully healthy person who has many opportunities around me. These will be David Goggins and Jordan Peterson.

Website: https://damiankostka.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damiankostkabass/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/damiankostkabass/

Youtube: https:// www.youtube.com/@damiankostkamusic

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1gTXCTAudyfX9PU4noR3DS?si=9hhRY1hLQfuGSOuawRb2cQ
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/damiankostka/rules-for-being-human

Image Credits
Patryk Grams, Agata Ożarowska