We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jon Schanke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jon below.

Jon, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Learning the craft has always been a major inspiration in my journey as an artist. To think back on the evolution of my tastes in music is one wild ride. I’ve never felt gravitated towards one single genre of music, and there have been several people in my life I am grateful for introducing me to certain songs, soundtracks, movies, or artists throughout my life. I don’t think they had any idea those things would become part of me and ultimately come out in my writing, singing, and guitar playing. It’s been nearly 20 years since I first picked up a guitar at age 14. Christian music and church were all I knew growing up living in a religious family, and we weren;t exactly encouraged to listen to anything else. I think that dynamic and restriction as a kid only set me up to constantly be searching for different and new music. Wherever and whenever I could. Finally at age 34 I feel confident in who I am as an individual and where my sound comes from. I’m excited to begin releasing more music out into the wild as I currently only have 1 song released. A nearly fresh palate in front of me has sparked a wave of inspiration, where I used to be afraid and unsure of whether I had anything to say or share. Music has helped me through tough, dark, and challenging times throughout my life. I’ve leaned on artists and albums that have helped me find the light in life. It’s that very essence that I hope to help others overcome challenges in their lives, through my music. Bringing out emotion and feelings that seem to be forever buried, consciously or subconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally. Writing music that gives the listener no other choice but to face those their fears, for better or worse. This has been my realization of the craft. The realization that the craft is never complete, that nothing is perfect, and discovery must always be at the forefront of our lives. The beauty of imperfection beckons at every corner and challenges me to search the soul for what comes organically. Where this comes from, at times, is unexplainable, but allowing myself to access the creative ether is the heart and soul of my craft. I plan to share that craft with the world one note, lyric, song, album at a time, long as this world allows me to do so. To any other artist out there, never give up and keep grinding. Always trust yourself, never doubt yourself. Thank you for reading, if you even made it this far.

Jon, 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?

*To Canvas – I believe my previous response on ‘Learning the Craft’ was a bit long winded and covers just about most of this topic here. I will try to not sound too redundant on this one. Feel free to grab some material from my previous response to fit this topic if need be, as I believe I answered most of the ‘what problems I solve for my audience’ in the previous response..

As a musician and striving creator, I go by Jon Schanke. At this moment, you won’t find much material out in the wild because I’ve been fearful and hesitant of putting my heart/music out in the world. The fear of failure, the fear of being embarrassed, the fear of having nothing to say has left me debilitated. Life has a funny way of leading us to our passion and purpose. Some find it when they’re kids, some may never find it until they’re wrinkled, and others spend decades discovering it. For me it’s taken nearly 15 years of failures, successes, relationships for better and worse, challenges, and staying open to this human experience for whatever it’s worth. My wide array of influences in my lifetime include artists such as DC Talk, Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, Relient K, The Used, Kings of Leon, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave van Ronk, G Love & Special Sauce, Leon Bridges, Prince, Jungle, and most recently and especially, Ryan Bingham.

For the first time in my life, I’m in the right mindset and circumstances to share my heart and soul with the world, through my music. It’s been yearly 7 years since I’ve been on stage and performed, but I am nearing a resurgent reappearance to the stage. I am also working with a close friend of mine in creating a live performance platform for local artists to be heard. We recorded a guinea pig, impromptu performance of myself singing 2 songs while being interviewed in between the songs. I am excited to release this recording soon and begin releasing new music on Spotify in the near future. Ultimately to start sharing this music live around Austin. I also love to put out videos on my Instagram of me doing various covers, or teasers to songs I’m writing for release. I plan on turning up the dial on my social media so listeners can get to know me on more personal level.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As music has helped me overcome fears, challenges, dark times, and obstacles in the past; my mission is to help others do the same through my music. Through collaborating with other artists, musicians, and creators, I also hope to help them realize their untapped potential. Or promote those already hustling in the industry to be be heard. The power in numbers and love can go a long way. The mission is ultimately to spread love and kindness.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

In my opinion, I don’t think there is such a thing as a “non-creator” because everyone creates in some form or another. I’ve had people in the past say things such as “I’m not an artist” or “I don’t know how you do that” or “I could never make something like that.” My typical response is usually something like “You already do, mine is just in music form.” I think some overlook or sell themselves short on their creations. Some I believe spend their entire lives not fully embracing the soul’s natural knack to create something out of nothing. It could be cooking a meal from scratch, putting a chair together, bringing life into this world, telling a story to a friend, but the point is that everyone is on this journey as a creative. Whether they know it or not. It may come easier to some and more difficult to others, it’s been 20 years for me to realize the beauty in my own creations. The struggles and journey to this point are what shapes my creations now. I’ve always had this perception of creation, but as of recently a good friend of mine introduced me to Rick Rubin’s book called The Creative Act: A Way of Being; and no one could have put creation into words any better. I highly recommend this book for any creator or “non-creator” out there :)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jon_schanke/
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0YquxqyyiAI97HDxaQNRsX

Image Credits
Reid Estreicher