We were lucky to catch up with Justin Wilder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Justin , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.

I wish someone would have told me to take myself more seriously. We’ve all grown up hearing “don’t take yourself so seriously.” But what if we did? I had been writing songs for 10 years as a hobby until someone said they thought I was one of the best writers they’ve ever written with. That honestly threw me off. That was the moment I started taking it more seriously. I sometimes wonder where I’d be if they had said it 10 years earlier.

The second thing I would have done differently is not comparing myself to others. I have learned that there is always someone who is going to sound better than me, look better than me, have way better stage presence, a bigger following, make more money, but…

They aren’t going to say it like I’m going to say it. I think there is something unique in all of us and if you can find that way to just be you, then stick with that and don’t look back. In the end, comparison is a killer. It will give you every reason in the book to sit on the sidelines, play a small game, and just keep your mouth shut.

Justin , 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 haven’t always been a songwriter but music has always been a huge part of my life.

I remember growing up I would find old records by Kenny Rogers, and Lionel Richie and just play them til the needle would give out. I would sit in the same chair and close my eyes and I could feel the emotion of their melodies and lyrics moving under my skin. It’s unexplainable how music like that makes you feel SO good about being alive. (would be cool to use footage of me holding these records)

Music has the power to do that.

When I was a teenager, I actually tried to convince my dad I wanted to be a race car driver. He looked at me and said, “I don’t think so.”

So, I bought a cheap guitar instead and headed off to college.

Songwriting was really just a hobby back then.

Our church would put on these writing camps and I would always be part of them but… if you would ask me if I was a “songwriter” I would probably say “unsuccessfully” …and honestly I just thought I was an average writer.

Things took a turn when me and my wife went to Dallas to adopt a baby ..and the mom changed her mind as we were leaving the hospital.

Instead of being back in Denver with a newborn, our friends got us an Airbnb in Puerta Varrata for the summer.

We hopped on a plane and just stared at the ocean for months.

I took a break from writing Christian music and started writing pop music..then it turned into writing country music.

It felt so natural to me to write about real life and struggles and really…stuff that just makes me happy to be alive.

I started to get an itch and we woke up one morning and I said to my wife Autumn, “What if I went to Nashville for one month and just faked it as a full-time songwriter?” She said, “I love that. I don’t want to go but you totally should.”

I packed up my jeep and drove halfway across the country the next day.

I had a moment of luck met strike and had the opportunity to write with 4x Grammy-winning producer Tedd T.

I walked into the studio so nervous I thought I was going to throw up. There were gold records on the wall and Grammy’s sitting on a piano.

Imposter syndrome set in hard.

I was shaking when we started chatting. We shared our stories and said I had about 50 country starts in my back pocket. He said “Play a few.” I pulled out my little backpack guitar and played a few ideas.

He said, “You got 50 of these?” I said, “Yeah, I actually might have more. He said, “Play a few more.” I played a few more and he had this funny look on his face and said, “You might be sitting on some hits.”

Heck, I don’t know what I don’t know. I was just a guy from Denver writing songs on an island.

Nine hours later in the studio he said, “Let’s stop for today but..”

He turned around in his chair and said, “I think your life’s about to change. Let’s record an entire catalog of your songs and start pitching them. How often can you come out here? Can you come out every month?”

I was shocked…I just said..”Man, if you’re being serious I’ll come out here every month.”

I started using all my vacation days and have been traveling to Nashville every month since then. That’s where it all started.

Since my focus shifted from writing for other people to what I would want to say, I had to really dig deep into that one. In fact, I formed a creative team to help me figure out my brand and my message. It wasn’t easy. I had to really think about what makes me any different then the thousands and thousands of other songwriters out there who are essentially doing the same thing – releasing good music. But what makes music “good?”

Is singing songs about cold beer and trucks and corn fields good?

It probably is to some.

My answer came when I was driving with a buddy in California. My wife Autumn said, “You should play him your latest song.” I woke up one morning and looked at her and had the thought – “What if this is the last time I have with her?” I realized I never want to take another moment with her forgranted. So I wrote this song called “If it’s our last.”

When the chorus of the song ended, my buddy says, “This song just makes me so happy.”

That was the moment I realized I want to write songs for the rest of my life that makes people happy to be alive.

So that’s what I write about. I write about getting back to the good life and things that matter. I write about the struggle of always hearing “music isn’t going to pay the bills” and the struggle with identity and purpose and losing decades of your life just to realize it was all a lie and you’re never too old to chase your dreams.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I started to pursue music professionally, I remember feeling like I was up against an invisible wall I couldn’t seem to penetrate. I was traveling to Nashville almost every month, spending tons of money on flights, car rentals, hotels, you name it. I would write with anyone who would write with me.

A year must have passed when I had the thought, “How long do I give this?” At that point, it was just an expensive hobby and I hadn’t seen any success, nor do I even think I knew how to define what success or a win back then would have looked like.

One of my best friends said he wanted to help so he sent some of my music to a really well-known industry person in town. He sent me a screenshot of his text message.

“Your friend is clearly talented. And so everyone in Nashville. The only thing I have seen that sets apart those that make and those that don’t is how many “no’s” they can push through.

That advice changed my entire perspective.

Anyone who begins to pursue Country music will become well acquainted with a phrase and it’s called the “Nashville No.”

“No” you don’t have what it takes.
“No” your music isn’t good enough.
“No” you don’t sound Country enough.
“No” you don’t look Country enough.
“No, No, No!”

But now with every “No” I hear, I know I’m just a little closer to that “Yes.”

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

I spent over 40 years playing it safe. I sat behind a desk and pushed a button for 8 hours a day. When I realized music has the power to make someone feel some of the most profound emotions in life, that’s when I realized I want to do that more than anything in the world.

Sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day doesn’t make anyone happy to be alive.

Designing mobile apps like I did doesn’t make people happy to be alive.

In fact, we call it “work.”

“What do you do for work,” I ask people. And I ask a lot of people. I think I’m just curious by nature.

I think I have only met a handful of people who are actually doing something related to what they studied in school.

For me, I have realized that if I don’t change something, I’m going to work for 40 years, over 40 hours a week, then one day finally take a break and do what I always dreamed.

Being in my 40s now it feels like my window is small. I set a 7-year goal to win a grammy so time is ticking. So everything matters to me at this point and I am just thankful for the journey I’ve been on. All the past hurts and pain that I’ve walked through have shaped me and hopefully weathered me into a writer a lot of people can relate to.

Contact Info:

• Website: justinwildermusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinmichaelwilliams/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinwildermusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinwildermusic

Image Credits
Nick Kupin