Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael James. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Michael, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
To me, purpose comes from our relationship with duty.
The first duty has to be to ourselves, to our health. The second duty is to our team, which for me is my bandmates. This means ensuring that everyone’s creative voice is heard, making sure we all feel respected but also challenged to grow, and providing opportunities to see more of the world.
The third duty is to anyone else whom I find myself working with – my students, bands I play with often, or even just a one-off session with an artist. If you remain open to the ideas of others, are an easy hang and a helpful presence, and make sure that you’re making honest choices about who you want to work with, all of these things can provide a wealth of meaning.
I feel like my path to discovering these tiers of purpose within the world of music was probably the same as anyone else’s. I listened to myself and paid attention to what made me feel alive, I took chances to stay involved with those things whenever I could, and I learned to allow my mistakes to be lessons instead of ego-blows.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Sure thing! I feel very grateful to inhabit multiple worlds at once by working in music.
As the singer and songwriter in my band Delving I get to learn how to lead a group of musicians. It’s a new experience for me as I’m used to being the collaborator instead of the instigator, but it’s important to learn how to make decisions and provide for others. Leading a band strengthens your resolve through tough times, it expands your empathy because you are always asking yourself what others need and figuring out how to develop it within the creative vision, and it demands that you stay present to keep the whole thing working.
As a sideman working with other artists like Caitlin Jemma, Jessica Malone, or Jeremy James Meyer, I got to experience the other side of that – the luxury of not having to make any decisions other than what is best for the song.
I took that for granted until I started my own band, but it’s much easier to focus on the music when you have one specific job. Playing guitar/bass/piano/drums for other artists has brought so much into my life. I’ve been able to tour parts of Europe, help make powerful creative statements with other people, and I’ve made incredible friendships along the way. It’s hard to think of anything meaningful in my life over the past decade or so that hasn’t come via music.
As a teacher, I get to feel like I’m giving back. There was a period in the late 2010s when I felt a heavy lack of purpose in my life even though I was at my busiest point musically. It turned out teaching was the missing link. I never had a teacher or a mentor or anyone close to me growing up who could tell me anything about music, so I don’t take this opportunity lightly. Being able to provide instruction and insight for others, especially younger students, has been an incredible source of purpose for me. It’s also helped me become more concise in my artistry and more confident about my place in the world. Teaching helps you maintain perspective because you are constantly right there alongside complete beginners. You need to be encouraging but also honest to help them reach their goals and develop new ones. Eventually, that mindset starts to incorporate itself into every other musical situation in your life, and that’s a massive benefit.
In recent news, Delving has released our first full-length LP “Pink Into Grey” with American Standard Time Records. You can find it everywhere you get your music, and purchase it via our website at delvingmusic.com as well as on our Bandcamp at delvingmusic.bandcamp.com. We’re unable to tour it much because I’ve been dealing with some muscle and nerve damage issues most of this year, but we play when my health allows it and have been taking advantage of the time to write and record more new music.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I don’t currently believe that anyone actually follows advice – largely because no one combination of personality type and life circumstances matches another – but I can share a few things that I always come back to on my own journey.
“Is this bad or is it just not what I was expecting?” (very helpful in the studio or on stage)
“Am I making this decision from a place of fear?” (if the answer is yes, then go the opposite direction)
“To live in opposition to something is still to let it lead you.” (a realization gleaned from that Zadie Smith quote about bitter struggles)
I love reading/watching interviews and I am definitely one of those people who collects quotes, but that’s a different thing than actually following through on the advice and insight of others. To a certain extent, I think it’s best to develop your own precepts based on your own mistakes, strengths, and observations. You’ll never be free if you trust the opinions of others more than your own intuition.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
If you want to have a unique voice and find work and purpose in relation to that, you should absolutely double down on your strengths. If you want to be of service in as many situations as possible then the balance between the two shifts in favor of being well-rounded, but that doesn’t preclude developing your specializations.
The moment I stopped trying to be the best guitarist for every situation – instead following the musical avenues that gave me the most joy – was the moment I felt more at peace with my life. I’ll never be a jazz guitarist, I’ll never be a lead country guitarist, but I still do work on these things to give me a break from the demands of running my own band or working with another band.
If you aim for everything, you achieve nothing. You have to pick a path and let it run its course. Eventually, you’ll intuit whether to keep at it or change your direction. I’m only 32 years old, but I suspect that the path demands adapting to change and always will.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.delvingmusic.com
- Instagram: @delvingmusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@delvingofficial
Image Credits
James Meder, Athena Delene, Sarah Kathryn Wainwright
