Meet CJ Oliver

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to CJ Oliver. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

CJ , thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
I believe that resilience and self acceptance plays a huge role in this scenario. I’ve spent years feeling slightly out of place, whether it be my background, my influences or just a combo of the two, and feeling insecure about not being exactly what is the “trend” for the time.
When spend so much time trying to change and revamp ourselves, that it’s easy to get lost. Once you can accept your strengths and your uniqueness, I think it’s easier to get to business and really show what you have to offer, and the hard work pays off.

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?
I am a music producer, film composer, artist from Los Angeles (currently residing in Nashville). I work on a wide variety of projects, but the main focus has been on licensing, soundtrack, and film underscore music.

There are quite a few new projects in the works, but so far this year I have worked on music for FOX network, A&E network, and a lot of ad music. It’s been a great experience.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think for me it was patience, the willingness to learn, and honestly becoming self sufficient. I came from a completely different world in music, and I stopped and started over completely. That’s hard when people associate you a certain way. I walked away from all of it to do something that felt more authentic to myself.
Being patient while getting better at my craft, and learning to engineer my own sessions was a big game changer. I don’t feel like I have to wait on anyone in order to hit a goal.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I would say the two books recently that have really changed the game for me are “The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Anchor and “Fierce Conversations” by Susan Scott. Neither necessarily have to do with music, but about how to shape a life around work that brings meaning to not only others, but yourself, and to communicate better to have more meaningful conversations. And that in itself shapes a lot of how I communicate with music.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Promo pic: Kyle Brown

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