We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Benji Wilkinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Benji thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Thank you for interviewing me. My path started from the very first time I made music with my friends back in 7th grade. There was a feeling of pure connectedness to the sounds we were making and to ourselves as new, fellow musicians. This eventually led to live performances and being able to take those moments of connection and sharing them with an audience. I cannot think of a better feeling than sharing something you love and are proud of with others, so that they might enjoy it as well.

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?

My name is Ben Wilkinson. My family calls me Benji. I’ve been a musician and performer for almost 40 years. Guitar is my main instrument, and I also play drums, bass, and a variety of other stringed instruments. Not always well, but enough to get the point across. My current project is a band called Music These Days (musicthesedays.com) and we’re based in Tucson. I write all the songs and have the honor of sharing studio space and stages with my friends and bandmates who bring everything to life in a live setting. I’ve always surrounded myself with musicians who I believe are far more talented than me, as it makes me a better player and I love learning from them. We’re currently working on our next record set to release in early 2024. My hope is to get enough momentum with this release to warrant some touring. When I’m not playing music, I’ve built a 25 year career as a visual artist and photographer, both commercially and through my own design studio. My wife, Lauri, and our two pups and I live in the Tucson mountains on a little ranch where I plan to have a music studio someday.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When it comes to making music, my main goal is to create pieces that sound good to me. Pure and simple. I’ve leaned a lot into my tastes over the years and I trust what my ears tell me. This also comes in handy when I’m working with other artists and their work. I never dictate what an artist should do, but I encourage them to dig deep and question their choices when making music. I’m also a professor of Graphic Design and this certainly applies to how I connect with my students. Ultimately, I try to provide them with the tools I have adapted for my own practice so they can then begin to make creative decisions they personally trust and are proud to share. This empowerment and belief in yourself is everything.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

This is a great question, as I believe we are all “creative” to some degree. I’ve had moments in my career where I’ve moved around and applied to organizations that are light on creative roles. In those cases, there is a lot of education on my part to explain the value of working with and trusting a creative person’s decisions. But that term is so broad, it might not always serve your best interest. Typically I hone in further, specific to my role. I’m a Visual Designer, or at a higher level, a Creative Director in my ideal roles. Another person might be an animator, or a copywriter, or an illustrator, or an editor, etc. These are all creative roles, but vastly different disciplines. The more you can hone in on where your true talent and passions really are—and where you have achieved success—the easier it will be to define your core strength and ultimately sell it better.

Contact Info:

• Website: musicthesedays.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/listentomusicthesedays
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howarya
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@musicthesedaysarizona?si=ByGo4ZHR_p2cVk8j

Image Credits
Kerry Whelan Photography Rex Scofield Photography