We recently connected with Jillie Kerwin and have shared our conversation below.

Jillie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Songwriting is imagination and creativity, but it’s also a discipline and a skill. I think my mindset about it was my biggest obstacle, and once I shifted it, I have been able to write better, bolder, honest songs with clear, vivid imagery.

I used to have a false perception that you should only write when you have a great idea, or you hear a catchy melody in your head. This kind of thinking really limited me, honestly.

I’ve learned that ideas and inspiration aren’t always there, on the surface. Sometimes you have to pause and let your mind dig something up. Like everything in life, songwriting is a skill that you have to sharpen by practicing a LOT!

So, I’ve learned over the past few years that when I don’t feel like I have anything to say that day, I write anyway. I’ve started learning to be okay with writing songs that I know aren’t going to be my favorite – songs that no one will ever hear! That’s okay! I finish them anyway, because it’s all part of the process.

The second thing that has shaped my writing is yet another simple mind shift: looking at everything in life as a story to tell. By doing this, it’s not only helped me think more positively but has tremendously improved my songwriting. For example, when something bad happens in my life, I use those raw emotions and ask myself what the lesson is and how I can use my story for a song. That’s why they say songwriting is so therapeutic!

Another thing that has significantly improved my songwriting is a pretty simple exercise called object writing. I learned this from the book, Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison (highly recommend for all creative writers). Every morning, I get my coffee, sit down with my journal and write about an object – any object in the room – for 10 minutes, describing it as a stream of consciousness and discussing the 5 senses around it. It’s crazy how much this exercise has improved my writing.

Jillie, 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’m a singer-songwriter in the Country/Americana/Indie country genre, originally from Dallas, Texas, and now living in Nashville. I have loved singing from a young age, and remember writing short songs and jingles as early as age 8. Around middle school, I remember writing full-length songs about my life back then but telling no one. I played tennis growing up and remember writing songs after losing a tournament about finding my path, getting to the win, that kind of thing, haha.

I went to college, got a degree in PR, and moved to Chicago after graduation, accepting a job in advertising for a few years. There was this inner gut feeling always there, though, telling me to take a risk and pursue what I really wanted to do all my life – be a singer! So, I quit my job and moved to Nashville in early 2020 to do exactly that.

I’m most proud of how far I’ve come – I was honestly very shy growing up and kept my “music side” to myself for so long. Now, I’ve moved to Nashville, write and perform regularly, wrote and released a full EP in 2021, and am releasing several more singles this year. The process has been so fulfilling, even through the highs and lows, and I can’t wait for what my music career has in store for 2023.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to keep creating as a way to connect with my emotions and impact people. In a lot of ways, music is the language that I speak to connect with others who can relate to my stories! The most rewarding part of my journey is when I sing a song on stage and people tell me how much they connect with the song.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love a good self-improvement book, here are some of my favorites that can apply to anyone:

– The Defining Decade – Meg Jay
– Atomic Habits – James Clear
– The 5am Club – Robin Sharma
– Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – Richard Carlson
– Also, look up Wayne Dyer on YouTube and listen to all of his old tapes. He is incredible.
– And, as mentioned, I loved Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison

Contact Info:

• Website: jilliekerwin.com
• Instagram: @jilliekerwinmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jilliekerwinmusic/
• Other: TikTok handle: @jilliekerwinmusic

Image Credits
James Isaac Jones (Photographer for the Yellow dress photos)