We were lucky to catch up with Jaime Hinckson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jaime thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
More than happy fulfilling my life as a creative! But I had to have a taste of the other side to be as firm as I am in my musical position today. I made a solid attempt at having a “regular” job while I was pursuing an engineering degree in college. Landed back-to-back internships with Ford Motor Company which eventually led to a full-time job offer that guaranteed some financial stability. Everyone around me knew it was a great opportunity and, if in my shoes, they would’ve gladly taken on the new role.. BUT I decided to do the unthinkable, turned down the job offer and dropped out of college in my last semester to move across the country in pursuit of my true calling. None of my family or friends supported my decision and thought I had thrown out a golden ticket to success. Even more, I had to claw and scratch my way back into the music business I had left behind 8 years prior. Needless to say, it was a memorable struggle that helped me better understand who I was and, more importantly, what I was capable of. The regular job life was mundane and trivial; no challenge, no spice. I was running circles around my supervisors and it was too easy to play corporate life which reminded me too much of high school. Music, on the other hand, is an ongoing uphill battle where you are constantly pushed to new limits. There are no rules or set schedules, no guaranteed bonus for working overtime. But the gratification you feel for the smallest wins is something that can’t be put into words. Having financial security and playing life “safe” is ok. But expressing myself as a creative with no bounds, priceless.
Jaime, 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?
Proud to say I met a personal milestone with the launch of my Miss Mac Music label last year. Even though most of my listeners know me for my instrumental jazz projects or touring with Julian Marley, I feel like I’ve found a bigger purpose helping international artists have a voice in this new era of music. Establishing my own music label has allowed me to choose the artists I want to work with (sadly, some are lazier or more difficult to work with than others). But I get to show my appreciation for the hard-working, hungry few that are adamant about getting their personal stories out into the world. Throughout my musical travels, I come across so many diamonds in the rough with profound musical gifts. Unfortunately, due to lack of finances, professional equipment, musicians, or other circumstances, their talents are confined to a small community following. I take pride in giving these determined underdogs a larger platform to propel their careers from. Using my own personal resources, I get to polish their art while also teaching them the volatile business side of the industry. When we finally cross that finish line together, I feel like we send out ripples in the universe that go far beyond the music we create. Yet another example of genuine good intentions outweighing any monetary dividends to come; no greater feeling in the world.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
For all those people trying to build their social media numbers, just keep posting new content. Ignore the amount of likes or how gradual your fan base is growing. Most of us get caught up in how many people are following us, but I learned that it only takes the right ONE person for it to really count. When I initially started to get serious with my music on social media, I tried to brainstorm different strategies to get the most viewership and wanted to figure out the best content that people would want. I ended up using most of my creative energy putting together videos that I had no interest in creating, all because I thought I needed more subscribers to define my success. Eventually, my efforts started to feel futile as I didn’t seem to be gaining as much fans as I’d hoped. Furthermore, the videos I thought would hit the hardest got no love lol. Naturally, the ones I almost didn’t post, got the most love; you never know what other people are going to like. Shortly after that realization, I partially gave up on content creation but still decided to repost old videos for years to come. One day, out of the blue, I got a private message from Julian Marley asking if I’d like to audition for his band. He had seen one of my old videos I had posted as a tribute to his father that barely got any traction or likes. This led to the last 5 years of touring the world playing reggae music to the biggest crowds I’ve seen in my career, all from one video that I thought no one would see. So my advice to all new content creators, post it all without regard to how many people are watching. All it takes is the right ONE.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding moments of my journey, by far, come from the people that reach out with personal stories of how my music has touched their lives. When I release music, I don’t necessarily have a specific intent or target audience; I just want to get an expression off my chest so I can move on to the next emotion. Yet when I travel or go through my social media inboxes, I hear the most outrageous stories from listeners all across the globe in places I’ve never seen. There are people that use my songs for their weddings because it was the music they heard when they met the love of their life. Others that have children who can’t seem to go to sleep or stop fussing unless they hear a song from my catalog. Suicidal and depressed listeners that decided life was something they could continue because of a melody they heard on my Spotify. The most beautiful range of confessions from faces around the world that use my music for whatever they need most. These stories encourage me to continue recording the music I hear in my head, even if it’s for a small audience. The impact it has on the handful of people that share their lives with me, is more than enough to drive me to utilize my gifts to the best of my ability.
Contact Info:
- Website: jaimehinckson.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jahinckson
- Facebook: facebook.com/jahinckson
- Youtube: youtube.com/jahinckson
Image Credits
Matthew Gallimore Keith Walker