Failure is often considered the first step to success. Every failure or challenge in life comes with a lesson that helps us to chisel or hone our craft and become better human beings. The story of artist Chris Arvan is one such example. The 52-year-old NFT artist and musician discovered a new dimension of life after he lost his hearing for a couple of years. What seemed to be terrifying at the time has now become a positive turn in his life.
Chris has always been passionate about music. He mastered many instruments during his early 20s and has a special fascination for rock and pop music. In 1989 he achieved his first milestone as a musician by replacing Paul Gilbert as lead guitarist in the band Racer X. Since then, he has had the opportunity to become part of several significant projects and also worked with renowned artists like Michael Fitzpatrick and producers Rock Mafia. His career reached new heights each year until he experienced a huge setback in 2017 when he started losing his hearing.
The symptoms of hearing loss were initially more acute in his left ear, and then the right ear followed. Chris was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss, diplacusis, and hyperacusis. When the doctors failed to give him any hope of fully regaining his hearing, and he was pretty much on his own. Chris had to resort to wearing earplugs for a couple of years. However, after trying a series of hyperbaric oxygen treatments, his hearing began to improve.
It was during this time that he fell back on his childhood passion for visual art. Chris had always considered his passion for art secondary to his music, but with this challenging phase in life, he was left with no option but to embrace it as a career. He pursued art with renewed vigor and was able to carve a niche for himself in that space too. By 2019, his patience and relentless effort finally paid off as he found his hearing restored to almost 85 percent, and within a few months, he was able to hear normally.
Chris took this opportunity to re-launch himself as a unique artist who combines both the realms of visual and performing arts. He combined his artwork with his musical compositions, a feat that only a few have done well thus far. He often creates the background visuals to his music through art, which sets him apart from other artists in the industry.
Chris’ return to the music industry was marked by a life-changing opportunity in 2019 when he composed the score for the official trailer of the Oscar-nominated film 1917. His career as an artist has also received several recognitions in the last couple of years. Chris’ artwork was featured in notable NFT exhibitions like the Bitcoin Conference in Miami, the Stratosphere exhibition in Beijing, and the George Lopez Foundation charity event and auction. His David Bowie-inspired piece ‘Alligator Space Invader’ will also grace the screens in Times Square during the NFT.NYC exhibition and conference in November 2021.
For Chris Arvan, age is just a number as he believes he has reached his creative best in his early 50s. The artist has a packed schedule working on music albums and NFT art for the next 10 years and even after that. He wants to inspire others to chase their goals through his story and take challenges as lessons, not hurdles.