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

Alright, Collin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

So my backstory is pretty focused on playing music, I had a couple “real jobs” for short periods of time when I was younger to help make ends meet but for the most part all I’ve ever done is play guitar as a hired gun. That is until the pandemic, where touring and recording came to a halt for the regional artists and bands that I worked with. I had just relocated to a more centralized spot here in Kansas City, and had no work all of a sudden. Like many other full-time musicians I had to adapt and survive so, I started teaching at a music school here in KC and then joined the school’s administration team. It was a new and wildly different experience than playing guitar and being on my own. I loved that period and am so grateful for that opportunity because it helped me financially and mentally survive during a time where there wasn’t much work in the music industry to be had for me. But, at the end of the day what I do best is write, record, and perform music. So I took a leap to jump back into playing guitar and working for myself again once I saw opportunities start to pop up and the need for music to bring people together again. Since I took the risk and started working for myself again playing guitar and writing music looks different than it did before 2020. But, it has stretched me and I have learned a lot and now I cherish what I get to do every day.

Collin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I come from a musical family, born and raised in Memphis, TN where I cut my teeth playing on historic Beale Street playing the blues and R&B standards and at church alongside some of my local musical heroes. When most kids my age were playing sports or playing video games, I was in my room practicing guitar trying to learn the solos of rock god’s. I was totally obsessed with everything guitar, how they worked, how to get different sounds from gear, and how I was going to get on stage and show off the latest licks I had learned. It was my hobby, became my job, and I honestly don’t think I could’ve done anything else. After attending Visible Music College in the heart of downtown Memphis, I started getting hired to join regional acts for one-off shows and a leg of a tour. I was obsessed with being in the studio and befriended engineers and producers at some of the best studios I knew of and was able to sit in on a few records here and there before I began to focus my career more towards session work. As many musicians will know having something to bring in money on off-weeks and the down seasons is a must, luckily my infatuation with guitar went beyond playing but repairing and building them. After training with, in my opinion, the best tech in Memphis when I was 16 and running a few repair shops over the years, I found working on guitars provided me the financial support when needed and allowed me to surround myself with guitar even when I wasn’t playing. Ultimately my blood pumps with the blues, my heart beats with rock and roll, and to follow the dream you have to have not only strong will but, a hard work ethic especially when things aren’t fun or easy. I believe in doing the hard things to set yourself up to be able to do what you want to do, and do it forever. So I’m sticking with guitar like a bad tattoo, which I have a few, and am thankful to call this a career.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The love of all things guitar is what drives me in my creative journey. It isn’t as magical as some would imagine, it also isn’t as deprived as others would think. Most of what I do is a job and feels like work. However, that involves writing songs, playing guitar, and coming up with creative solutions. Engaging your creative brain on demand isn’t always an easy task, but I find it rewarding and a valuable skill.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Engage. Engage with artists you love, support them if you have enjoyed their output, and let them know they are valued. We don’t all love all art but, if we respond no differently to that which we truly value, interact with, and enjoy then those creating it may never know who values what they’re doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: collinlittlejohn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collinlittlejohn/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/collinlittlejohn
• Other: https://www.songfinch.com/artists/30240

Image Credits
Scott C Wood Nathan Kesner