We recently connected with Jacob Humber and have shared our conversation below.
Jacob, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I moved to Nashville and started reading every book and interview I could find about writing songs, all the while stumbling and crashing through writing my own. Like any craft worth learning, song craft and writing are skills that you never stop learning and growing in.
I’ve always put immense pressure on myself, and figuring out how to write songs is no different. Discipline has always been a skill of mine, and I do think that showing up to the grindstone is of the utmost importance when pursuing craft.
However, I think my learning process would have benefitted greatly if I had learned how to cultivate creative living with my writing, rather than making it into one of the many tasks I set up for myself each day. I grew up inside the mindset of an athlete, and have always had trouble reconciling my competitive urges with my creativity.
I viewed writing songs as art I was creating and wasn’t able to separate accomplishment from creativity. I’ve been learning these past few months that, as humans, we’re the art. The things we create can be beautiful and even magnificent, but they are only glimpses of the humanity that’s within us.
Jacob, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m Jacob. I started writing songs when I broke my back playing football in college. Turns out all those years I’d spent studying classical piano as a kid gave me an outlet years later at my lowest moment.
I like cigars and waking up early to write. As much as I enjoy playing my songs for people, I’ve realized that I’m more of a gatherer than a performer. Something about coming together as a group of people is what does it for me.
Playing shows offers me an opportunity to listen to how my body and my mind are responding to a particular space and group of people, and figure out how to create the musical/story-telling experience needed for that time and place.
There’s something about words that I’ve always held space for. I’m not sure what it is, but they offer me comfort when life feels low. That said. songs often come from a lonely place for me. That they then become what I connect most with people through is beyond mystical to me.
More than anything, I want to fill my life with the beauty and freedom that creativity offers, and I want to share that with others.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Learning to enjoy living! I think it was Bob Dylan who said that art is hard to make because life is hard to live. I’m learning that living a creative life allows one to practice presence and mindfulness.
Without creativity, I find myself in patterns of pursuing efficiency or always craving more with my time. I’m always ‘doing’ and it makes it quite difficult to enjoy any particular day. I’m too busy thinking about how my time right now will affect what’s coming next!
But when creativity comes into the mix, everything slows down. I feel free to be curious about myself and the world around me, and don’t feel guilty with how I spend my time. At the risk of sounding like a total space cadet, creativity sets us free in ways little else can.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media is a bit of a double-edged sword to me. It’s a wonderful connecter and gives us access to each other’s lives that we didn’t dream was possible 15 years ago, and it can also take every ounce of joy away from us. It eats up our time and reveals an unrealistic side to humanity that’s always been hard for me to stomach.
I think there’s a question one ought to ask themself first when hoping to build a social media presence and also be a creative. Why do you feel that’s important? Why does it matter to you? Your answers to those questions will help outline the means through which to start building a social media presence.
For example, my answer would be that I want to stay connected with people who connect with my music. Songs help me communicate emotions better than my spoken words in conversation can, and when people relate to those songs, they relate to me! I can ask some questions to learn more about their perspective, and the next thing you know we have a relationship.
Similarly, if one person in Germany and another in Mississippi connect with a song I wrote about religious deconstruction, odds are they will have at least some level of connection with each other. That’s what it’s about to me. Without overcomplicating anything, I just need to figure out what an approachable first step is, take it, and go from there.
Contact Info:
- Website: jacobhumber.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobhumbermusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacobHumberMusic/
- Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jacobhumber Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4JJspL8i1Sz6CsowjvNlmL Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jacob-humber/1390338986 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jacobhumber
Image Credits
Photos: Laura Schneider (https://www.lauraschneiderphoto.com/)