We recently connected with Justin Wright and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

To be honest, the most meaningful project that I have worked on is a project that I am currently in the midst of working on. Over the past three years I have been working on a concept series of orchestral albums, all inspired by the words of author and activist James Baldwin. You could call this my “COVID” project. Throughout the pandemic most of my freelance work came to a halt, so I decided to focus my time on producing my own material. What initially started as one album evolved into four albums, inspired by this Baldwin quote:

“It is the responsibility of free men to trust and to celebrate what is constant – birth, struggle, and death are constant, and so is love, though we may not always think so – and to apprehend the nature of change, to be able and willing to change.” – The Fire Next Time (Down at the Cross), 1963

I first was introduced to Baldwin in 2007 as a undergraduate student (I majored in literature) and throughout the years his writings have profoundly challenged me. As an artist I have sought to create something that is a reflection of how Baldwin has challenged and inspired me. The four albums are entitled Birth, Struggle, Death, and Love, respectively. Birth and Struggle have already been released; Death and Love will be released soon.

My goal for this project is an attempt to create art that makes myself and others contemplate their lives more than they once did. I desire for this project to be a conversation. I desire it to be an open-ended discussion about life and what it means to be human. I desire it to be something that connects us all, not something that divides us. It is fascinating to me how relevant James Baldwin’s writing feels in our present culture, after so many years after most of his work was published. I do not have any answers but I believe it is important to read, be informed, to listen, and be kind.

Like everyone else in the world, I have observed what seems to be an ever-increasing rift of political, social, and cultural divides. It feels that there is less and less space for people to meet on common ground and truly listen to each other; to give one another the benefit of the doubt. I have my own thoughts about these issues and am just as guilty as the next person; I can be selfish and think that I am the center of the world. I am complicit, but I hope that I can continually choose to confront the issues surrounding me. This self-centeredness is a natural default setting as humans, but we have the ability to change. I believe that humanity (and particularly America) needs to truly face themselves and see the commonality between all of us, even though we may have vastly different experiences and backgrounds.

“You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can’t, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world. In some way, your aspirations and concern for a single man in fact do begin to change the world. The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way a person looks or people look at reality, then you can change it.” Interview with a reporter in Berkeley, CA, 1979

My dream is that as we move forward we, as a culture, can embrace growth, change, and more respect for one another. Just like all of the great literary stories, we can only transform fully by choosing to be present during times of conflict, rather than ignoring or pushing those moments aside. I hope that this project can help foster these ideas and concepts, even if just a small amount.

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Influences:
James Baldwin
The concept of time (age, growth, history, transformation, etc.)
Kendrick Lamar (the album Damn, in particular)
The Last of Us series (cycles of violence)
Redemption (forgiveness)
The Matrix
The human condition

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always been passionate about music and the way that it can truly MOVE you. Music makes you feel things in ways that are so unique and special. I have desired to be a part of that experience as a producer, composer, musician, mixing engineer, and sound designer. I first started out as a touring musician and then evolved into a studio producer/composer/engineer. Over the years I built up my own recording studio and produce a vast variety of projects. These include producing other artists’ material, mixing/mastering singles or full albums, studio recording, film composing, post-production film sound design, on-location sound recordist, podcast editing, etc. I have continually honed my craft as each project requires something a little different.

I’d say that what sets me apart is my commitment to the client and the project as a whole. When I sign up for a project I devote all my energy to making it the highest quality possible. I work so many more hours than I probably should, but that attention to detail and focus is what makes those projects truly shine. I typically do not charge per hour (even though I would probably earn more money) because I want the client to be focused on the project, not the clock. I strive to create a space where we all can thrive and have fun throughout the process. I often find myself in the role of manager, so to speak; I organize the project and can see how we need to get to the end result in the best way possible, all the while being flexible and open-minded. These are things that I am most proud about my work and the fact that clients consistently come back to me when they need work done. I strive to foster healthy relationships, in and outside of work. The combination of high-quality work and good relational connection is rare to find.

Another thing that I am proud of is that I see every project as a partnership; we are working together to achieve the desired goal. I want to come alongside the client to make their dream a reality. I don’t have a set pathway for each and every project. Each project is unique and I lean into the specialness of that. I do not want to release cookie-cutter material, but work that is truly unique and fits the desired aesthetic.

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

As I previously mentioned, I majored in literature. I see a lot of the world through the lens of “story”. I feel like that term has become a sort of flashy buzzword, but I genuinely feel that it is an important way to view creative work (and arguably real-life issues, as well). Stories (books, myths, films, music, etc.) share something about the human condition and they have the potential to teach us something (if we are open to it). My mission, truly, is to tell a story through every project that I work on. What is the client trying to communicate? What am I trying to communicate in my own personal projects, such as my James Baldwin albums that I am currently working on? Whether the project is marketing material for a company, a song by an artist I’m producing, or my own material, the focus should be on the story that people can connect to.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

To be honest, COVID has made me question a lot of things in my life, both personally and professionally. Freelance work for me has struggled immensely throughout the pandemic and I have had to reassess my professional life. If my work is no longer sustainable then I must look for other options. Yes, I have been hustling to make connections for other projects, but also I have needed to find other sustainable means of income. For the last year or so I have been in the process of earning a CTE (Career and Technical Education) teaching credential in Arts, Media, and Entertainment, which would allow me to teach in K-12 schools. One option for me that sounds exciting would be to teach music production and other digital media at a high school. Essentially I would run my own studio at a school and train students in music production and recording. I have always been passionate about developing/teaching (I have been a sports coach and tutor for many years) and it sounds like an interesting adventure to combine that passion with my love of audio/digital media.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.justinhwright.com
• Instagram: @justinhwright
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-h-wright/