We were lucky to catch up with Jared Blackstone recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jared , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I Have, even though there have been times where I had a regular job I still burned the candle at both ends to keep pushing for my career. If you have a passion for what you do it doesn’t seem like work and it just comes naturally to do what you love regardless of the payout.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a singer and guitar player in various bands. I started singing and playing at the age of 4 because my dad was a guitar player and my mother was a singer; both were preachers in a small town in Maine. I moved to NYC at the age of 18, and got a record deal with Atlantic Records. By the time the record was to be released, a thing called Napster had shaken up the industry and we were dropped from the label.. After years of small tours and bar gigs, I ended up in Phoenix and started all over again as a solo acoustic artist. I built up relationships along the way, including a duo with Mark Zubia, who is an icon in Phoenix, and recently have been playing Waylon Jennings for the Arizona Highwaymen through TAD Management. It’s been a wild ride so far and I never know where I’ll end up from day to day but I wouldn’t change a thing.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of what I do is giving the joy of live music to people. I rarely thought about it until the Covid pandemic shut it down for a while. Mark Zubia and I were playing in the park in Scottsdale on Sunday afternoons, and the outpouring of gratitude from people that really appreciated hearing and seeing live music again kept us going. I guess we do it for the love of playing, but also the joy that it brings to people. It gives me hope that live performances will always be relevant.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I guess the biggest lesson I’ve had to unlearn is impatience, nothing happens overnight and nothing is guaranteed. It takes hard work, dedication and never giving up. That being said, you still need to be proud and grateful of how far you’ve come and accepting that you never know where you’re career will take you.

Contact Info:

• Website: jaredblackstonemusic.com
• Instagram: blackstonejared
• Facebook: Jared Blackstone

Image Credits
Abrielle Roorda Blackstone