Musician Ryan Bomzer founded Carved Culture in Brighton, East Sussex. From a young age, Ryan was fascinated by music, spending hours watching music videos and dreaming of a career in the industry. Despite struggling academically, his life changed when he was introduced to a music studio at school. He met a rapper there who inspired him to create his own music. After a traumatic robbery left him feeling isolated, Ryan channelled his emotions into music as therapy, leading him study music production and media mix at DV8 Sussex. This path ultimately laid the foundation for Carved Culture.
The Musical Journey Behind the Brand
Ryan was born in 1995 and is from Brighton, England. He started with rap and hip-hop music. The music began with writing lyrics and borrowing free backing music from YouTube. This later became productions using MIDI keyboards and sound samples. Over time, Ryan realised that physical musical instruments sound better and more natural or organic than digital ones. That led him to seek out different instruments and learn to play them.
This is precisely how Carved Culture operates now—Ryan sources musical instruments, learns to play them and produces learning resources so others can play them more efficiently with less time wasted. That means straight-to-the-point eBooks, YouTube video tutorials, and educational blogs—while selling musical instruments at a fair price.
From Musician to Carved Culture
After creating hundreds of unreleased songs and getting a lot of practice, Ryan released an album called Journey, highlighting his early music when he first started. He was known then as Crowboy Artist. A specific few songs like Making Me (about the start of his music career) and Bus Ride were released as singles, complete with music videos.
After that came the single Keep Dreaming, which reflects on dreaming big, and then Worthless, a deep track about times when Ryan felt worthless. It showcases traumatic events such as being robbed and explains how his birthdays were often his worst days. I Miss You followed, a song about how he felt after being cheated on by someone he thought was the love of his life. After those releases, Ryan attended a two-week drama workshop and became interested in acting. He was involved in several short films, including Grandpa's Camera, Our First Flat, The Grow, Fluffy The Movie, and more.
How was Carved Culture created?
Ryans's journey into creating Carved Culture stemmed from a desire to offer something meaningful and aligned with my values. As a musician, I constantly searched for new instruments but was frustrated by the lack of sustainable options. When my daughter was born, I needed a way to provide for her while staying true to my passions.
The business started in 2016, selling secondhand items, and the transition to Carved Culture took about 4–5 years. The main turning point and challenge was that we were looking for secondhand items, and out of those, I was more drawn to finding musical instruments to sell. I knew more about them, which made it much easier to do it. The customers who came and collected our instruments would stay for an hour or two because they were people like me. They wanted to see other things we had and wanted to chat about music.
What Sets Carved Culture Apart
Carved Culture isn't just about selling products—it's about offering a way for people to connect with people through music. Our musical instruments are crafted with respect for tradition and a commitment to sustainability. We believe in the balance of happiness, health, wealth, and spirit, adding it to everything we do.
Our Commitment to Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is at the heart of Carved Culture. Every decision we make benefits our company, customers, creators, and the planet. As an eco-friendly consumer, I am aware of the environmental impact of brands and how important it is which is why we focus on sustainability, reducing plastic use, promoting responsible practices. This builds trust with our customers and sets us apart in the industry.
Making an Impact
We've taken various steps to ensure our company aligns with our values. We use eco-friendly packaging and recycled materials when possible and have supported causes like Child Rescue Nepal. These initiatives help minimise our environmental footprint while encouraging others to adopt sustainability, too.
Balancing Growth with Responsibility
Balancing business growth with social responsibility is key, which is why we focus on providing genuine value—through our products and educational resources—while prioritising people and the planet. This approach has enabled us to grow responsibly and build a thriving business while contributing positively to society.
Ryan's Role Today
Ryan is still creating music but works on one or two projects yearly, as Carved Culture consumes much of his time. His typical day-to-day involves managing people, producing educational resources like tutorials, writing blogs, books, and learning.
Ryan's Advice for Entrepreneurs
My advice to entrepreneurs is to follow what truly interests them, commit to learning, and aim for daily improvement. When you find something worth doing, write down your philosophy and read it aloud every day. Stay authentic to your values and never give up—even when it gets tough. Sustainability and ethics will lead to long-term success while making an impact on the world.
If you’re inspired by Ryan’s journey and want to explore the same instruments that fuel his passion, feel free to browse our collection of musical instruments from around the world.
