LISTEN ON –
This week on the podcast, we have a very special installment of “Freeway Philharmonic”. This episode features Will Hutchinson, a friend of mine living in Lincoln, NE. Will and I went to high school together, but over the years lost touch with each other. Reconnecting with him for this episode was nothing short of inspiring for me. His story is compelling, relate-able, and motivating.
After moving to L.A. and realizing he was going to have to put in a great deal of work to make it as a singer/songwriter, Will mentioned 3 things that were critical for his success in his career. They are:
Acquiring Skills
Will found out early on that although the songs he wrote were pleasing to the ear, he didn’t have a fundamental understanding of the basics of music to fall back on. He didn’t know music theory, he didn’t know what chords he was playing… he just knew what shapes he made when playing the guitar.
Eventually, he made a list of all the skills he felt other full time musicians had, and began making progress toward acquiring those skills. Things like: reading music, sight reading, music theory, better guitar technique, and more. The last 6 years have been dedicated toward improvement in those areas, which has led to a love of investing in the process of getting better.
Time
The second thing Will realized was that time was his most valuable asset. He was working a full time day job at a bank and gigging on the weekends, and that didn’t leave a lot of time for him to work on acquiring the skills he wanted to get. He made the decision to leave L.A. and move back to Lincoln so he could spend more of his time refining his craft.
Money
The third thing Will realized is related to the second. Not only did he find that spending his time at a full time day job was keeping him from practicing, but the salary he was getting wasn’t worth the time either. Even though he was making good money at the bank he was employed at (with ample opportunities for promotion), Will quit that job and began working at a coffee shop for minimum wage.
Not only did working at the coffee shop give him more time and flexibility in his schedule, it also forced him to learn to live with the income of a minimum wage job. Adjusting his life to meet the lower pay scale made the transition to a full time music career easier, as he had less income to replace. I had never heard this perspective before, but it actually makes a lot of sense.
It’s clear Will’s drive to pursue a full time music career as a singer/songwriter caused him to make many tough choices that were filled with uncertainty. I can’t imagine moving back to Lincoln, quitting his bank job, and ultimately his job at the coffee shop was easy, but my guess is that the choices were clear for him. He found what he needed to do, and made every change necessary to try and make his dream a reality.
Contact –
Will’s website – www.willhutchinson.com
Will’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/willhutchinsonmusic/
Will’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/willhutchinson/
I hope you enjoyed the episode! Be sure to leave a rating and a review on iTunes, and share this post on social media so others can enjoy it as well! There are links to my social media down below!
Until next time,
Ryan