Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeremy Gregory. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Jeremy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

I like to consider myself the “BlackSheep”. I most definely feel misunderstood and mischaracterzied 90% of the time in this industry. Being an Artist in a creative space 24/7 is not easy, However being an Independent Artist in a creative space 24/7 can be even more difficult. People don’t tend to see the day in and day out obligations that you face when it comes to dealing with this industry. Most think you live a life of luxury, what they don’t see is the blood, sweat, tears, mental breakdowns, and financial strain that comes with being a creative. At one point in time I was extremely embarrassed to tell people that I’m at artist simply because you get looked down upon when the people around you work in a corporate America.

I’ve learned over the years that you are not for everyone and everyone is not for you. Being an Artist/ Creative comes with its challenges, but you have to learn how to pivot during those challenging moments. My Art/ Music is my ministry and others sometimes will not understand why I make the sacrifice to be in an industry that could potentially drain you or break you mentally. My word to that is ” Test”! Without out a test, there is no testimony. I don’t do it for the success, I do it for the purpose. That Purpose makes you get up in the morning to put your shoes on to go to the gym. That purpose keeps in the studio writing hit after hit after hit. That purpose drives you to continue to love what you do without feeling mentally drain, it actually keeps you full. What I mean by that is whether you’re misunderstood or mischaracterized it’s okay, because at the end of the day you’re fulfilling your purpose in life to spend love, joy, healing and meaningful moments through your craft.

Jeremy , 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’ve grown up being surrounded by Music. I come from a musically inclined family where everyone sings or they can play an instrument. I think I really found true calling for music at the Age of 5 with it was suggested that I be put into our children’s choir at church. From that moment it’s been a journey as I have always had the voice, but I didn’t have the industry look, always being overlooked or shoved to the back to be hidden. Around the age of 10 or 11 I started to come into my own as I knew Music/ The Arts was something that I wanted to do. I started to force myself to be seen more with my style and my look. At the age of 12, I recorded my first Gospel Album w/ The Tabernacle Baptist Church Youth Choir under the Direction of Steven Jones. That moment for me was life changing to be a featured soloist and feeling like I was finally being heard and seen as a creative.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Supporting an artist most of the time can cost you at most $1.29 on most streaming platforms. If you stream for free a simple download and added to your playlist is all that it takes to support most creatives. We really appreciate people doing the simple things when it comes to our craft. Those number add up and mean the world to us. Look at it like this, your friends and family will stream Drake, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and etc; I can’t be that hard for them to download, add you go to that exact same playlist. What they don’t realize is adding indy artist to those playlist with bigger creators will trigger the algorithm to feature you more in the suggested artist list. It’s a big help, trust me!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I would have known more about this industry when it comes to mixing, mastering, producing, and the overall cost. Time is money and money is time. I would love to create a guide to give new upcoming artist a play by play of what I’ve learned with the Do’s and Don’t of this industry. Find your target market and attack, just remember not everyone including your family and friends will support you. Many will sit back and watch you struggle because they don’t want to see you get ahead simply because they were too afraid to chase their dreams. Don’t ever let someone put you in a box, stay true to yourself, your craft, be mindful, and remain humble. At the end of the day you are the talent and you know yourself better than anyone else. If you see an opportunity that is suited for you, go after it and don’t let everyone or anything stop you! And for my older creators age is nothing but a number! It is never to late to chase what you want out of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Jeremygregory.com
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/Jeremygregoryofficial
• Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/JeremyGregoryMusic
• Other: https://www.Tiktok.com/JeremyGregoryMusic