We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deron Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Deron, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
For me, the magic gaining in self esteem and confidence lies in showing up in any situation and doing the best that you can at the time. Failing and overcoming brings confidence! Never quitting or getting too attached to the outcome will bring an inner confidence to just keep going. Of course, having great people around you that respect you and help nurture you is key as well.
Finding new and inventive ways of practicing will bring confidence. If my bag of tricks are my usual tricks, I will quickly fall into the boredom of what I always play. If I find new unique ways to practice material I want to learn, that will bring me the confidence I need to make a piece of music new and exciting. It doesn’t always work, but the best part about music in general, is, living on the fringes….always just about to fall off the cliff.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In my role as Head of Music at Q Code Media, I am responsible for creating music content for narrative fiction podcasts, a role I really enjoy. I love putting music to story and have also done this in a variety of mediums including Film,TV. and documentaries. I devote some of my time towards non-profit causes including Playing for Change and the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and feel that it is always important to give back at any stage in one’s career. I recently completed a solo record, ‘Free to Dance’ on Colorfield Records that will be out in May and I am very excited about bringing that to a live audience.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In my time with Miles Davis, the quality that was most impactful for me was the concept of always moving forward as a musician. Being on time and having a strong work ethic are important qualities that I embrace, even in times of stress.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My biggest area of growth in the last 12 months has been to surrender to the process of recording as a solo artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deronjohnsonmusic.com
- Instagram: @deronjohnsonmusic
Image Credits
Photo by Justin Stanley
