We were lucky to catch up with Mitchell Phillips recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mitchell, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

The biggest contributor to my knowledge and where I am today is time. Time has allowed me to make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and eventually find what works. Along with time my intense curiosity and love for music has been integral for learning. I have spent countless hours watching videos, reading books and articles, and picking people’s brains, all because I was curious to know more. One of the obstacles that stood in my way was me thinking I new where all the answers were. I was so set on talking to someone who I thought had the answer I wanted, I would miss every other great piece of advice they gave. I was hyper-focused on one piece of information instead of looking at the big picture and trying to learn as much as I could.

Mitchell, 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?

My name is Mitchell Phillips and I am an audio engineer and musician. I’ve been playing guitar for 17 years and have always been drawn to music in some capacity. I pursued songwriting and worked on my own catalog as an artist from 2020 to 2023 and in the midst of that found my passion for mixing. At the beginning of 2023 I began working for Coy Bowles, member of the Zac Brown Band, as a studio assistant and also started the transition from gigging full time to working in and building my home studio. I now work as Coy’s studio engineer, work full time out of my home studio, and have continued honing my skills and networking over the past two years. My goal is to help artists share their music with the world and do so in a way that translates everywhere. I want to help new artists who are just coming into the music scene as well as the established artists who know exactly where they want to go. I do a wide range of studio work including mixing, mastering, production and recording, as well as the tedious editing side of it.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The book that completely changed the way that I communicate and navigate life is Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss. It’s about the negotiation skills that he and his team used in the FBI and that his company The Black Swan Group currently teaches. But more specifically, it’s about empathetic communication and emotional intelligence. From personal to professional relationships this book has impacted my life significantly. I highly recommend reading this book regardless of your goals or chosen career field because communication is key to successful relationships.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

A resource that I wish I knew more about when I started my career was my independent will. I exercised that of course in meeting new people, going to events, and taking risks, but I inhibited myself by thinking I couldn’t always do those things. There were times I had the opportunity to learn from someone or test my abilities but I turned it down out of fear and I think that is one of the biggest things that hurt my career growth. Don’t be afraid to talk to that person, make the call, or do something you’re not one hundred percent good at. The only way to get better at something is to do it, and then do it again and again and again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mitchellphillipsmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellphillipsmusic/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchell-phillips-07a31a225/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mitchellphillipsmusic
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6DdFSXn98JkGhG9Fa0sn13?si=v9LeIuwsTl27gvQMnLB53A

Image Credits

Black and white photo: Gabby McMahon
Instagram: @farchive.jpg