We were lucky to catch up with Zachary Scot Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Zachary Scot, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I rarely think about what it would be like to have a “regular” job. I’m so happy to be an independent artist, and have known exactly what I wanted to do from a pretty young age and have made it my reality, which is incredible. The flexibility in particular can’t be beat. I love the elements of travel that are a pretty innate part of my job as a touring singer/ songwriter. Although I learned many years ago to prioritize the gig over sightseeing and side trips, so I’m often in and out to a town. But perhaps the most recent time when I wondered not whether I’d prefer a “regular” job, but whether it’d be necessary was coming out of COVID. I’ve been playing 100 or so dates a year for 0ver 15 years and that was the first time I really wondered if I’d have a job again on the other side. I think we all wondered that. We collectively adjusted and really prioritized what was important. Gigs were one of the last things to come back, and certainly not deemed essential. There was a part of me that really enjoyed the downtime of the pandemic as well, although I mean no disrespect to the memory of any of the millions that died during that period of time from something that we could have done a much better job handling if we’d had the respect for it that we should have. But I’d spent so many years needing to fill every weekend night with gigs, every holiday, every personal milestone (I always seem to play on my birthday, anniversary, etc.) that having the time to reset was very valuable. I think it taught me that balance matters and I’m not sure I would have gotten that otherwise. I don’t pursue everything with the same need anymore. But there was certainly a period of time, after nearly 100 online, streamed concerts that I wondered if I’d be out there again doing it.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’m a nationally touring singer/ songwriter, although I’ve really stuck to the midwest for the most part the last several years since moving back to the Twin Cities. I’ve gotten to tour with and open for a pretty insane group of artists–everyone from Shawn Colvin (who herself was responsible for making me want to do what I do in the first place) to Keb’ Mo’ to Meatloaf to Kevin Costner to Don Williams and a hundred or more other names that’ve had an influence on my own music. I’ve released 4 cd’s and have another (and my first vinyl) coming out later this year. Things changed for me significantly in 2012 when I made my initially reluctant foray into social media and started a YouTube channel called thesongadayproject. The concept of it was to record a song a day, every day, for as long as I could manage that. I assumed it’d last a month or two and would slip away in the same way that a blog or journal is likely to for most of us. More than 10 years (and 3800 consecutive days) later, I’m still going. It’s brought about a lot of insane opportunities (collaborations with over 300 incredible artists, many of whom are huge heroes of mine; opportunities to perform for people like Tony Bennett; a trip to Ireland with Rock and Roll hall of Famer Donovan and SO much more) and instilled a need for discipline and routine like I never thought I’d want. I’m proud to have continued it through the good and bad days. It’s very difficult to put up the bad days, knowing that inevitably that’s the one some people will stumble on for whatever reason. They can’t all be good and there are certainly a number of duds. But it’s like running a marathon–you maintain and just keep trying to get “there”.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I had the idea for thesongadayproject about a year and a half before I actually started it. I felt reluctance to open myself up to anonymous comments from strangers. Music is subjective and nothing is beloved by everyone. Maybe Willie Nelson? Don’t we all love him? But outside of him, there isn’t anyone or anything we can all agree on. And that’s ok. But it’s sometimes tough to take if you’re the one people are deciding isn’t for them. It took me a while to realize that the other side of that is more important. I have days when I’m sick and just not able to play or sing at my normal levels. There are times when I just don’t have the time that a song requires to give. And thousands of people watch those videos, too. I’ve had to let go of fears that they’re not quite up to my usual standards. Trust that the overall concept softens the rough edges.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
It’s hardly original advice, but take every opportunity when you’re first starting out. And when you get to a place that’s a little more stable, learn the value in saying ‘no’. Don’t take that “for exposure” gig, because whomever is offering it will continue to find people to play/ create for free. Know your value and don’t be afraid to say no if it’s one-sided against you. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask for what you want and need. Write down your goals and go about making them happen. But know that in most cases you have to run them down and they won’t come to you. Be nice to everyone, because you’ll see them all again. Don’t listen to the people that tell you some version of “Shut up and sing”–you don’t lose your right to speak your mind when you strap that guitar (or whatever) on. If it makes them uncomfortable, you made them think. If you’re the opening act give the headliner their space and don’t overwhelm them, even if their work means a lot to you. A real conversation about how your day is going is better than a lot of questions about their work. If you’re the headliner, be gracious and remember what it was like when you were starting out. Meet your heroes because they rarely let you down and if they do you’ll have a story about it. They know that, too, so they’re going to try not to let you down.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.thesongadayproject.com
- Instagram: @zacharyscotjohnson
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zacharyscotjohnson
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/thesongadayproject/about
Image Credits
Camela Langendorf, Varitay Studios, Racine, WI