We were lucky to catch up with Annie Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Annie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My love for music began at a young age. I would listen to my father’s original songs on repeat, and they always inspired me to create my own. There was a 100-year-old piano in my living room where I would pluck out songs by ear and imagine myself playing in local symphony orchestra performances. My parents placed me in classical piano lessons, where I met the teacher who influenced me the most in musical expression. Susan Fuchs would continue to mentor me, teaching me the discipline of practice and the joys of exploring musicality. She always encouraged me to use my gifts and talents to create new music and glorify the Lord.

When I graduated from High School, I applied to the Kings University in Southlake, TX, and was accepted into the Media Arts Program. During the first year of this program, I watched the worship students around campus, and I remember telling myself that I did not want to be a worship leader. But then something shifted in my heart, and I heard the Lord calling me to the exact place I had denied my whole life. I joined the worship program, and the doors of opportunity immediately flung wide open. For the longest time, my doubts and fears had stood in the way of pursuing my calling. A man may make his plans, but the Lord knew my heart and called me to step into the future He has planned for me.

I have been told many times that I have the makings of a star, yet I carry the heart to serve. This has been the most valuable lesson in my journey of trusting the Lord and developing my skills. I seek to use my gifts to build God’s kingdom, inspire the next generation through music, and share His love with the nations. What better way than to praise His name for all to hear?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello friends! My name is Annie Wilson, and I am a musician, worship leader, and singer/songwriter who is deeply passionate about creating new music that is encouraging and uplifting to all who hear it. I am called to empower others through my testimony and storytelling through song. I am beyond excited to embark on and embrace my musical journey in production and songwriting as I release new music this year!

As a worship leader, I believe it is important to blend authenticity with excellence. The songs we create should be heartfelt and skillfully done because worship is our offering to the Lord. Before I write a song or create a setlist, I take the time to pray, ask, and remember these four things.

1. Jesus, You are the source of beauty. Please help me make something beautiful.
2. Jesus, You were the word at the beginning. Give me the words, and be with me at the beginning of this creation.
3. Jesus, You are the light. Bring light into this mystery.
4. Jesus, You are perfect love. Let this imperfect song share Your perfect love with every ear that hears it.

I learned this process from Andrew Peterson’s book “Adorning the Dark.” It is a phenomenal read for creatives and explores the mystery that it is to make!

I am passionate about reclaiming worship music as the sound of love and adoration and not as an industry or platform because there is only One worthy of our praise! It is an honor to partner with the Creator in writing music and creating new songs to uplift a generation. We are all worshippers; that is our purpose on this earth. At the end of the day, it is not about the platform that we create for ourselves but how we incline our hearts to magnify the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative—especially in the context of worship—is watching something that started in the quiet, personal place between me and the Lord become something that profoundly impacts others. Creating and songwriting are incredibly humbling. Sometimes, we write bad songs, and sometimes, we don’t write anything at all. But this is a reminder that we are called to serve the work because you cannot bully something into being. We have to approach creating from a place of authenticity and watch the Lord breathe life into it. Then, it becomes greater than we could have ever imagined.

Worship is not only the songs that we sing but a lifestyle. That being said, a piece of art is not only the finished product but the process leading up to its creation. While music can be very inspiring, I find the most fulfillment in conversations that transform others and lead to personal growth. That is what life is about: building connections.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I am unlearning is that inspiration should come before action. For a long time, I believed I had to “feel it” before creating something worth sharing—whether writing a song, preparing a worship set, or stepping into any creative moment. I waited for the perfect mood, the perfect idea, the perfect clarity. But all that did was feed procrastination and perfectionism—what Steven Pressfield calls Resistance.

Reading “The War of Art” turned that thought I had so deeply believed right on its head. Pressfield talks about how professionals show up no matter what and how Resistance is a liar who shows up every time we’re about to do something that matters. This concept really spoke to me. I realized I had complicated the creative process and made it about emotion instead of discipline. But the truth is, creativity does not only flow when you’re “in the zone.”

I had gone through a season where I would sit down to write and only get through a few words before I gave up. It can be very discouraging, but deep down, I was afraid of not being good enough, of not expressing myself correctly. That book called me out. It reminded me that the call on my life doesn’t wait for my feelings to catch up. I had to learn to show up, even when doubt was louder than inspiration. God is gracious to send me sweet reminders that I am equipped for what He has called me to do.

Now, I treat my creativity like stewardship. I show up daily, even if it’s just 15 minutes of songwriting or quiet reflection. Some days, I see the fruit more than others. Other days, it’s quiet, but that doesn’t mean I am not growing in my skills. I am still learning to trust the process and push past the Resistance because that’s where the real breakthroughs happen.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @annie.awilson

Image Credits

Wryanne Vanornum, Emma Huckabee