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

Landon , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I am. I am definitely happier as a business owner. I do miss the consistency and direction of a regular job and I honestly think of this every time my life gets hectic (haha). Being that I’m not a super well known act, but making a living from Hip Hop kind of comes with it’s fair share of imposter syndrome. So, when times get tough you get this feeling that you need to just go back to what makes sense, but I found that I am less happy there and I make less financially.

I actually remember when Covid had first started. I was doing the first show of my tour at that time which began in San Diego. I was opening up for Twista and the show was sold out. Trump was in office and was hinting that we may go into a shut down. I don’t know if it was my overall dislike for that man or my overly optimistic attitude trying to manifest something different, but I threw caution to the wind. I bought my plane ticket to San Diego and couldn’t fathom the world changing in that way, but it did. We did the first show and we were absolutely high off of the adrenaline that came from it. My whole life was touring and it still is honestly, but at that time touring was put on hold.

I was scared. I was nervous. I was anxious. So many people were depending on me for answers and my mind was spinning. Quite some time later a friend and fellow emcee of mine got me a Job at Trader Joes while living in Santa Fe when my options were limited and the shut down lasted longer than anticipated. There I was – working again after 10 years of touring full time.

My job prior to that was working with Microsoft technology and prior to that I was in the Air Force. So, structure was instilled in me and I loved coming back to that, but quickly noticed that this just wasn’t for me. I felt like I was being cheated out of my purpose. I was a person that prided myself on never taking a day off from my passion so every single day felt like I was wasting precious time.

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?

The thing I love about people is that everyone is just trying to find their version of happiness. We all go about it in such different ways according to what we think the best route to it actually is. We develop bonds over that and unfortunately we even create feuds & judgements with those who think differently. My way to happiness was through music. Music calmed me down and still does.

So, when I got offered a European tour and took it I knew this was what I wanted to do. This was my first tour and this was my introduction to being a touring musician. Let me tell you – that first one was rough. I had to cut it short if that gives you any idea (haha). I got into it with a Neo-Nazi in Poland. I had my identity stolen in the Czech Republic. With no Euros or ID I got pulled at customs and arrested for trying to cross borders. From there I had to sleep at a park until I found a Western Union to wire myself some funds. It was a mess! However, when I got back to America and still wanted to go back I knew that I was either crazy or I was hungry enough to do this for a living – or both.

I have younger emcees now that want to tour. I like to gather all of my information and look at all of my mistakes and guide them away from doing things the wrong way. Sometimes things seem appealing because they are convenient, but I’ve learned that convenience isn’t always your friend. I like to bring this to the table of any team or think board that I’m on.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Well, I’ve been on both sides of things. I’ve had the corporate job and Ive obviously now very much an artist. Both have their rewards, but being an artist is so rewarding for such different reasons. I’ve had people come to me personally and credit my music and/or performance with improving their mental health. That may be one of my favorite things to hear. I myself struggle with mental health so sometimes when I’m writing I feel alone in these feelings or emotions. Which doesn’t feel great, but hearing that it’s actually helping others gives me a sense of community and togetherness.

Psychology has been my favorite subject matter since I could remember. I studied it in school and I even based my early music around it’s ideas and principles. In college I used to have these old mixtapes that were named after the Psyche classes I was taking at the time. I was obsessed with it. So, you could imagine that when someone came to me after my performance with a sense of feeling understood this was a huge motivator for me.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Well, I work with non-creatives. I think that’s the best thing you can do because it provides perspective and sheds light on your blind spots.

My team has a CFO that isn’t a creative, but he makes sure that we operate in ways that I absolutely know that we wouldn’t if he didn’t provide input and a helping hand.

My advice is and always will be to maintain an understanding of others as well as keeping your self awareness high. Also, never stifle ideas and ask for help. I struggled with this for far too long. It’s healthy to keep business at the forefront , but if there is something that I can’t quite grasp, it isn’t weak to find someone that has a healthy grip on the topic. From there I think that it’s important to remember that you built your team purposely. Trusting in that purpose is essential.

I don’t know if there are many basketball fans reading, but I recently saw a clip of Kobe Bryant saying that he had a chance to drop 40 points a game consistently. Which would eventually put him in more history books, but he noticed that when he did this his other star player, Shaq, felt inadequate. It’s important to perform at your peak and stay efficient, but it’s imperative that we hold the bigger picture to a higher standard than a selfie.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/LandonWordswell
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/LandonWords
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/LandonWordswell
• Other: Booking Info: [email protected]

Image Credits
Pictures by Keisha Murdock ( @keshiajanee ) and Sabby ( @SabbyArroyo)