KAYSVILLE —Many people in their youth have creative passions or hobbies that they are able to pursue, be that drawing, writing, making music, or whatever it may be. Unfortunately, many of these passions are quashed as people grow up, and enter the workforce, becoming nothing more than a fond memory. For Kaysville local Craig Nybo, however, these things aren’t a memory, they’re a way of life.

“I’ve always been project-based,” said Nybo, “I’ve always been a creator,” and he wasn’t kidding. Since high school, Craig Nybo has had his hand in something creative, whether that was writing short stories, or making short films on top of everything else he had to do for work or school. It wasn’t long before, as he put it, “projects got larger, more aggressive, more ambitious.” 

Nybo wrote his first book at 22, but it wouldn’t be his last, and it wouldn’t be his only creative endeavor. Working with bandmates from high school, Nybo formed a band that, though it has had some changes over the years, has performed a “couple of hundred” gigs, and recorded several albums, with some of the band members playing together for 35 years now, with many of those years under the moniker, The Rustmonster band.

Between performances, doing both covers, and writing plenty of original music, Nybo has written, to date, 10 books, and says that he’s not finished yet, “10 books so far.”  He also has found a fantastic way of getting his written word out to even more people via his podcast, “Terrifying Lies,” released every first and third Friday. These horror-themed stories don’t just give Nybo yet another creative outlet, they’re also geared toward what he feels his listeners will enjoy.

“I think of everyone who listens to the podcast as my friends,” Nybo said, discussing his process, and adding that, when it comes to creating content for the podcast, he always thinks, “What would my friends like?” But how is it that someone like Craig Nybo can do so many creative things for so long? “I guess it’s a compulsion,” he said, “I’ve gotta do it!” For everyone who doesn’t have that same drive, Nybo has some advice on how to get started or rekindle those creative projects.

“Just start working on it every day,” he said, sharing that, if people work on their creative projects just a little every day, they will wake up, and “one day, it’s done…it sounds stupid, but it’s true!” Consistency, Nybo says, is the key. “Creativity begets creativity,” he elaborated, saying simply that “if you stop, the ideas stop,” and if there’s anything that Nybo has an excess of, it’s ideas.

Currently, he and the Rustmonster Band are working together on a new project, that blends songwriting, and storytelling, a novel tied in with an album. While the details aren’t yet available, Nybo was able to share that it’s an amalgamation of funk and classical, and was inspired, at least in part, by a story he wrote about Beethoven in Hell. 

Whether or not that album is for everyone, Craig says that “There’s a little something for everyone” on his website, www.craignybo.com, whether that be podcasts, novels, short stories, music, or any of his other endeavors. One thing is for sure, Nybo won’t stop creating anytime soon, be that novels, music, podcasts, or anything really. As he said, “I’ve gotta do it!,” and hopefully, more Davis County residents like him will continue to do the same.