13 | It Takes Years To Be Bad At Something with Hayden Dun

Alexis chats with the wildly creative Hayden Dun, a Melbourne based classically trained pianist, composer, teacher, and long-time improviser with Impromptunes.

They talk about staying curious, finding creative flow, and how to keep the joy in making art, even when it’s hard. 

If you’d like to see more, you can follow Hayden on instagram; @ haydendunmusic

This episode was recorded on 24th May 2025 on the lands of the Woiworung Peoples. We hope that this episode inspires you as a creative person and as a human being.

Thanks for listening, catch you on the next episode.

Psst! We are always on the lookout for creative people to share their story and inspire others. Have you got someone in mind who would love to have a chat? Get in contact with us via Instagram @throughthecreativedoor

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Creative resources from Hayden:

Asuria: https://www.asuria.com.au/courses

 

Let’s get social:

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

TikToc: https://www.tiktok.com/@ttcdpodcast

 

CREDITS

Created and Hosted by Alexis Naylor

Music by Alexis Naylor & Ruby Miguel

Edited and Produced by Ruby Miguel

 Oh my goodness, Hayden Dun What a glorious day this is to get to interview you. I'm so very excited. 

 

I'm really excited to be here, Alexis. 

 

Ah, I am coming through your creative door, your gracious, beautiful home. . You are a very talented bear. You are a classical trained pianist.

 

You are a composer of some phenomenal tunes. Might I add? And also you're a teacher. 

 

Yeah. 

 

Which I think is really beautiful. You are sharing your knowledge, sharing your gift. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Before we get started into the questions, 'cause I know that you're prepared, I love a man who's prepared. But I just wanted to mention, you got a young composer of the ward at, Victorian College of the Arts.

 

Is that right? 

 

I did, yeah. 

 

Oh, that is so impressive.

 

  How does that come about? 

Thanks. Is, I think it is much harder to get it for performing than for composing 'cause I'm pretty sure I also applied for performing and yeah, I didn't get anywhere close to being selected.

 

Yeah, it, competitive space. Yeah. Competitive space a hundred percent. I also 

 

 

 

wanna mention, 

 

 

 

obviously the rabbit hole of 

 

 

 

going through your world, which is so much fun, I got to come across one of your beautiful music videos. Which is, for water dance. Yeah. Water dance. Water dance. Yes. Oh my goodness.

 

And I saw that the video is amazing, by the way, and I have a sneaking suspicion that was down the peninsula or somewhere in Victoria. 

 

Yeah. 

 

But the thing that I found really cool is you dedicated it to your sister. Yeah. Who's the videographer, right? Yeah. 

 

She was. Oh 

 

my goodness. Tell me a bit about this.

 

I'm intrigued. 

 

My sister is a marine biologist and she's also an a photographer, underwater photographer as well. And yeah, she, yeah, she's really inspiring to me. I. She's my younger sister, but she still inspires me 

 

and it makes sense being water dancer, that you would dedicate it to someone who's immersed her life around water.

 

Yeah. 

 

Oh, I love that. How beautiful. 

 

Yeah. Yeah. And it was her idea to go to the cliff. Pretty sure it was Half Moon Bay. 

 

Yes. Okay. I thought it was down that way of Victoria. I was like