We were lucky to catch up with Jess Novak recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

My entire adult life has been one risk after another.
I was very brave as a child, but extremely reserved as a teen. When I was young, I sang all the time, led cheerleaders even though I was never on the cheer squad, performed musicals for my mom and was generally fearless. As I grew up, I learned to be insecure about myself and things I loved to do. I disappeared into the background so much that I lost an entire letter grade in a class in a college simply because I refused to participate. I was too afraid of being wrong.
Eventually, I grew tired of living that way and swung back to the fearless direction. It’s different as an adult because you are truly afraid – afraid of not having enough money to survive or sabotaging your reputation or making a bad choice that leaves you in trouble. But, it’s also liberating as an adult because you realize: everyone is afraid. So, why not at least enjoy life while accepting that fear?
I took risks in every way I could. I quit three jobs in a day and took a cross-country trip on a train. I came back home by hopping in a van with a band and selling their merch. I started playing music even though I really didn’t know what I was doing in rock n’ roll settings (only orchestras and concert bands). I recorded and released an album without any real help or direction – I just started recording.
I was wildly brave and took risks and chances at every single turn.
One in particular changed my entire life.
My friend Stacey is an incredible concert producer and puts on shows in Syracuse. She invited me to be part of two shows: one paying tribute to The Band and “The Last Waltz” (a film by Martin Scorsese) and another paying tribute to Blind Faith.
I said no because I “didn’t have time.”
But that wasn’t true.
I was afraid.
I didn’t know what I was doing. I knew I’d look stupid.
Stacey responded with, “You’re an idiot.”
She was right.
I was being a complete idiot to pass up opportunities to do what I loved because I was afraid.
So, I took a risk and did the shows and my life has absolutely never been the same since. It led to so many connections and beautiful things in my life all because I took the risk.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started playing violin when I was seven years old. My Mom’s name is Melodie and she came from a very musical family, so she wanted all her kids to play. But when I started on violin, it was all classical music and it didn’t resonate with me. It was only when I heard my brother playing Led Zeppelin, Kool & the Gang, Jaco Pastorius and others that I knew what kind of music I wanted to make. I even told my mom, “I like violin, but I want to play it like Jimi Hendrix.” I was laughed at when I said it, but it’s exactly what I do now.
For about two decades I was sidetracked because I didn’t think I was good enough to play music – so I did everything else. I was a music editor, journalist, deejay on a radio station, booking agent and more, but eventually I gave in and tried playing music professionally in 2012.
I haven’t stopped since.
Since then, I’ve released 14 albums and two singles. Almost all of that work is original. I also wrote and released a book in 2022 called “Dare to Begin” that is all about my journey from doubt to success and it is always my goal to inspire others to follow their dreams, too.
I have a band, The Jess Novak Band, that has played some incredible stages and I’ve toured myself from Vermont to Key West to California.
I also started F.I.R.E. (females inspire, rock, empower) Festival in 2022 in an effort to showcase women in music, art, dance and business by filling rooms with their creations. I had noticed for years that there weren’t enough stages where woman felt celebrated and welcome. So, I made my own.
My brand is about more than music. It’s about encouraging other people to do what they love and believe in. I know the world would be a better place if more people were more satisfied with their lives and talents. I don’t just play music, I hope to inspire others to chase their own dreams, too.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I believed I was not good enough to be a musician for a large part of my life. Rather than pursue music in any way, I danced around it. I tried everything I could think of other than actually making music and all it did was push me away from myself.
I knew what I wanted to be from the time I was a child. You couldn’t stop me from singing. And yet, once I learned to doubt and deny myself the belief that I could, I spent a lot of time very lost and very alone. Those were dark times. I wanted to fit in, but simply didn’t. I wasn’t like other people I knew. I didn’t have the same goals and I had this ache to create that I kept denying. It’s more harmful than you think to tell yourself, “no, you can’t.” I was shutting myself up simply because I was afraid.
When I started playing music professionally, (meaning, not just in concert bands and orchestras, but in venues where I was paid) my entire life shifted. I felt like an ugly duckling finally turning into a swan. I felt seen for the first time in my life.
There were a few people around me who genuinely believed in me, encouraged me and then gave me an opportunity to prove myself. From there, I shot off like a canon.
The change that took place inside of me between feeling unworthy of chasing my own dream and finally giving it a shot was profound. I remember someone telling me that once I hopped out of the van after that cross-country trip, I was a different person. I was. On that trip I had watched people do what they love and succeed. That changed my life.
It’s important we all learn that we are worthy of our dreams and capable of achieving them. We are taught to be afraid, and insecure because it’s easier to control people that way. We learn that because it’s also DIFFICULT to chase your dreams. It takes an incredible amount of work because there is no safety net. If you are creating your own business, art and living, then you are the backup plan. You are the boss. You are the creator. You are everything. And you have to be ready to accept that responsibility.
While that amount of commitment is not for everyone, the ability to create what you want and do something you believe in, IS possible for every human on earth and we all need to learn to listen to that voice and honor it. Believe in yourself and incredible things can happen.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Every single day in the life of an artists is a story of resilience. The constant rejection we face and the mountains we climb all in the name of our art are profound.
I teach a music business course where I help artists learn how to grow. One story I always tell in that class is about how I got to Nashville.
I used to run an open mic. One night a man brought a book with lists of professionals who would accept unsolicited material from musicians. It was full of booking agents, producers and record labels.
I went through that book and submitted more than 60 packages. That meant writing and printing materials, sealing CDs, sending stickers, etc. and it was an absolutely astounding amount of work (and expensive!).
For months I heard nothing back from anyone.
Then I got a single phone call from a songwriter in Nashville. She was impressed and wanted me to come down and record some songs.
That led to my EP “Rise” that I recorded at Omni Studios in Nashville with studio musicians who play with people like Reba McEntire. It was an amazing experience and the product was unlike anything I’d done before. It was a huge step in my career.
But it never would have happened if I sent 10 packages and thought that was enough.
It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t answer the phone and hear her out.
It wouldn’t have gone anywhere if I expected rather than accepted.
Often, we think if we try something a few times, we should be rewarded.
I tried more than 60 times and got only one response.
That’s a more realistic ratio.
You will hear “no” FAR more times than you will hear “yes” in the creative world. For every hundred times you try, you will only succeed once or twice.
And you have to be prepared to face that and not let it stop you.
Resilience is critical to success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessrocknovak.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessnovakmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessRockNovak/
• Twitter: https://x.com/JessRock87
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7avUVqzrgPlSiFEWH-SPLQ
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@JessNovakMusic
  https://www.facebook.com/JessNovakBand/
  https://www.instagram.com/jessnovakband
  https://www.instagram.com/firefestivalcny
  https://www.jessrocknovak.com/fire

Image Credits

Robyn Stockdale, Jessica Montgomery, Martin Goettsch, Jim Houle